HIGHWAY TO POA
Sightseeing tours and guided buses are commonplace in big cities around the world but FreeWalk POA offers an informal, free and friendly twist for all wanting to discover Porto Alegre.
One quirky, interesting fact provided is that the first serial killer in Brazil, José Ramos, was a local butcher based in Porto Alegre. He formed a partnership with his wife Caterina and a friend Carlos Claussner luring victims to their house and killing them. before selling their remains on to local townsfolk as sausages.
Alex Somervell
5th July 2014. Porto Alegre. Around 3 years ago a group of 3 friends took their European experiences of free tours and created ‘FreeWalkPOA’. The idea of the project is to provide tourists, as well as locals, with an insight into the history and culture of the city as well as narrating its urban legends and more peculiar stories. The tour is unique due to the informal nature it has, for example the group often goes for rehydrating beer breaks at famous local pubs, or lunch at local beef houses after the tour ends with participants.
There are plenty of other stories the group tells, ranging from the arrival of African prince Custódio Joaquim in 1901 who became an influential figure in the city and buried an important religious token in the centre of the public market, to the flooding of the city in 1941 which left 70 thousand homes without electricity or drinking water.
At the end of the day, and the tour, participants go home knowing 6, friendly people who live in the city and know it well enough to help with anything (providing a 5 star review of the tour is put on TripAdvisor).
FreeWalk POA
