0243 Canela and Gramado

7th April 2015
A crazy day in Toy Town

After getting myself sorted at the camp site, I headed in to town to find out what all the Easter Bunnies and Chocolate are about.  And having spent most of the day in there, I have to admit that “I don’t know” !!

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I was coming towards Canela and saw a big sign out in the country advertising  Dreamland, and I wondered what could be going on up here in the mountains.  Well today I found out – This town is based upon multiple mini theme parks – Often set up just in a small building. Mini World, Auto Museum, Medieval Museum, Chocolate Castle, Garden Park, Harley Motor Show (!), Gaucho Country Park, Brazilian Animal Zoo, Crystal museums, Enchanted World, Naval Museum, Dream Cars, Perfume Museum,…..and of course Dreamland.   There are in fact a number more, but I can’t translate them out of Portuguese !

And as for shops with rabbits, toy soldiers, snowmen, rabbits towing Santa’s sleigh, and any number of other weird characters, they were legion.  In fact the whole town is based on it.

Then there are the buildings, which look something like Swiss or Austrian buildings.  All very odd !!

 

I can perhaps only define it by saying that at one stage I was looking for a supermarket and a Panaderia, and I couldn’t find either in Canela or adjoining Gramado.  I drove round everywhere, but no supermarket – In fact very few food shops at all. I did find a fruit shop, but that was all.  Hundreds of restaurants and churrascarias, but no

shops selling food.  I eventually came back to the camp site and asked there, and they said that there are only 2 supermarkets, and they are hidden away on side streets because they do not fit in with the theme that the town council wants for its buildings and shops !!  I did eventually find both supermarkets, and managed to buy some supplies, but they certainly weren’t anything to write home about !

I also spent some time at an Information centre, and asked about the chocolate – Is it grown round here ?  No, far too cold – It comes from up north, in Bahia, where it is hot.    So they import the raw material here just to make the chocolate ?  Yes.  Why ?  Well, they always celebrate Easter here and have all the Easter bunnies every year, so someone decided they should also make Easter eggs here as well.     O.K.A.Y.   Still not sure I understand, but Okay.  

So here I am at the end of the day wondering about this place.  If you are not into rabbits or chocolate, then I guess it is not the place for you.  And if you are not into parting with your money to buy either rabbits or chocolate, or to visit theme parks based on rabbits pulling Santa’s sleigh or similar, then I guess it’s not for you.  But apparently lots of people do come here !!

Me, I enjoyed it, mainly because most of the oversize rabbits that I saw looked exactly like the Were Rabbit in that Wallace and Grommit movie of the same name – A movie which I loved.  There was one in the middle of a roundabout that I swear was taken directly from the movie set !!  I stood and looked at that one for a while, not believing what I was seeing ! 

Reminded me a bit of Chicken, in Alaska.  They have a theme there too – but when EVERYTHING in town follows the same theme, it all becomes a little bit too much……………………………For me, anyway.

Pics (of more rabbits) are here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0243AroundGramado?authkey=Gv1sRgCLq97ducjP6fbQ#