Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels

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Florianopolis – The Hawaii of Brazil (short version)

Having visited and kited the spots along the northeast coast already for three years in a row, I decided to check out some new kite-grounds and headed down south to the island of Florianópolis, the capital of the state Santa Catarina.

With an area the size of Portugal and a population similar to that of Norway, the state of Santa Catarina is a land of contrasts: in terms of landscape, the mountain ranges are in contrast with the coastline, punctuated with beaches, bays and inlets and dozens of islands; in terms of architecture, cities such as Blumenau and Joinville have retained the same typical building style from the time the first immigrants, mainly Germans, colonized the state, contrasting with the capital, Florianópolis, a young and modern paradise, especially for wave-freaks!