May 18, 2013
Today I headed north east to the town called Blumenau with ISA. It is our last excursion included in the trip, to a German city known for it's large European influence in everything from the beer, to the food, to the architecture. When we first arrived we visited a glass making facility, where they hand make all sorts of cool stuff out of glass. They were selling everything from small key chains made from hand blown glass to massive R$5.000 vases that must have weighed 20 lbs. All the glasswork was stunning, they even had some pieces that had real gold infused into the glasswork. We were able to watch them make different vases, and other things made of glass, and it was unreal. For one the guys walked around in just t-shirts and shorts with these long iron pulls with burning hot melted glass on the ends of it, as they worked on the glass pieces (it was very unsafe, I was shocked none of them got burned by the other peoples iron rods, because they would quickly walk around each other with in inches of touching another guy's shin or head with the flaming iron pole). And the way they worked on the glass was unreal, they moved with such speed and control, all the people working must have been well seasoned veterans, they were able to make vases, glass balls, and different animals made from glass in a matter of mer minutes.
The glass facility
Where they men were working on creating all the glass work
The tools used by the glass workers to create all the beautiful glass pieces below
All made at this glass factory by these men.
Next we headed to a local brewery called Cervejaria Schornstein, where they make home made beer from local ingredients the traditional German way. We had lunch at the Brewery, where they served us home made spaetzle (which is a cross between a noodle and gnocchi) sausage and cream of broccoli, they meal was delicious and very fitting for the weather outside was dreary, cold, misty, rainy, with over cast cloudy gray sky, so the warm rich food really hit the spot, plus a nice tall cold beer, it was perfect, and to top it all off we were served home made warm apple strudel. The owner of the brewery showed us around and taught us how to make different flavors of beer based on the amount of hops and yeast used.
the home made spaetzle
the home made sausage and cream of broccoli
the owner teaching us about how to brew the beer
Everyone enjoying our free glass of beer
Next we headed to a museum down the street that housed memorabilia of the first german settlers in the area and show cased some of the classic furniture, wagons, and other traditional items used and worn by the german settlers when they first came to Blumenau.
These are traditional head dresses worn by a bride on her wedding day, and the groom wears flowers in the pocket of his shirt to match on the wedding day as well. The boxes that these flowers are held in is a tradition where on the wedding day both the bride and the groom write the other a letter describing there hopes and wishes for their future together and the put the sealed letters in the box with the flowers and keep it for the rest of their marriage together. When one of the lovers dies, the other takes out the box and opens the letter from their spouse and is able to be close with one once more after their death.
Next we headed to the zoo on Blumenau where we were able to see a large array of animals, everything from lions and tigers, to exotic brazilian birds and strange brazilian ant eaters.
Finally, our last stop was to the center of the city of Blumenau where the legendary Oktoberfest is held each year. This Oktoberfest is the second largest in the world, just behind the one celebrated in Germany. This area of Bluemau was my favorite, the houses and the streets looked like something out of a fairy tale (or disneyland). Everything was so quant and cute, and we were able to dress up in traditional German clothing and take pictures.
