trying to hike...

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After floripa we went to Praia Grande (Big Beach), oddly named because its quite far inland and miles from anything more than a creek. Its the closest town near the Aparados da Serra, a national park in Rio Grande do Sul (the most southern state.) We stayed in an Albergue de Juventude (a youth hostel) that we highly recommend should any of you be along that way. Its an hour drive from Praia Grande along a rocky dirt road to the national park, but unforunately it was so cloudy and misty that once we got there saturday morning visibility was limited to about 30 feet - not good for viewing the amazing canyons that are the park´s main draw. Disappointed, we pressed on to Canela, so we could visit Parque do Rio Ferradura and Parque do Caracol. Canela is right by Gramado, which was finishing up a week long film fest and hosting a huge closing bash. despite the revelry, we managed to get a hotel room and headed out for a hike in Rio Ferradura (Horseshoe, for the curve in the river the park is built around.) We had a nice hike, down a very steep slope to a waterfall. we took the less steep way back up.

Unfortunately, we woke up this morning and it was raining 😞. not so good for hiking. So we are in an internet place in gramado writing this instead.

Gramado is a resorty mountain town. German influence is very strong here in the architecture and its all very quaint with lots of shopping. The state of Rio Grande do Sul is Gaucho (cowboy) territory, and known for its bull and cow related products - chocolate, cheese, leather, meat - as well as its wine. Gramado is thus filled with shops selling leather goods, chocolate, chimarrao (the wooden cup and metal straw used in making mate, the local drink), and fondue and churrasco restaurants. Bruno has of course bought some chocolate, to console his disappointed self...

It snows a bit every couple of years here, very exotic to Brazilians . Which brings us to the next cornerstone of the Gramado/Canela tourism industry: Christmas. You can visit Santa Claus (Papai Noel) year round, and there are fake snowmen, ginormous golden candles, and other holiday accoutrement invoking snowfall and reindeer peppering the streets. canela becomes santaland (Sonho de Noel) from novemeber to january (remember thats summertime here in brazil). its very odd.

in the summer, there are apparently tones of hortensias here (i think geraniums) -another tourist draw, apparently. Though they are not in bloom now, the bushes are planted everywhere, and there is even an avenida de hortensias in gramado.

its still raining, so we will probably go look for some churrasco to eat now, and maybe some mate to warm us up...

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