Cafe Colonial
The weather was terrible on the day we arrived in Canela - thick fog, rain and very cold. So we decided that we needed a cup of coffee and 'cafe colonial' sounded as though it would be a coffee shop.

The photo shows what happened when we sat down. They just kept bringing plates of savouries, bread, jams, cakes. Enough food to sink a ship and all for two people. Needless to say it was impossible to eat even a quarter of it.

Cafe Colonial is a tradition in this German region of Brazil. It started when the original immigrants needed a big breakfast at the beginning of the day before going to work and in fact only had one meal a day. Cafe Colonial was it.

Brazilians often say that the south of Brazil is more like Europe than Brazil. The cooler weather, food and German style buildings certainly make it a very different experience to the rest of Brazil.