www.carruselecologico.com

The "carriages" are old rubber tyre, cut and fixed together into shapes of animals.

The "motor" is manual, worked by a man who pedals to work the machine.

The "music" comes from an old stereo, propped up nearby.

The "bright neon colours"... er, none.

But from the gleeful laughs and shrieks from the little kiddies, it sure sounded like they were on the best ride of their 6-year old lives.

We stumbled upon this cool merry-go-round while in Granada, in a little square outside our hotel. Being wayyyy too big and wayyyy too old to have a go, we sat and watched.

A long line of little kids, with their parents, were standing and waiting for their turn. Before the ride, the man picked up each kid, placed him or her onto a rubber-tyre animal, strapped on the seatbelt and made sure they are secured in.

When all the seats were filled, the man hopped onto his own bicycle-like seat and began pedaling. The music began. The merry-go-round started turning. The kids were all laughing and waving at their parents. They were having the best ride of their lives. (I mean a real ride you sick, cynical adult.)



Value-Added-Service: Before the ride ended, the man handed out a lollipop to every kid, which they grabbed by stretching out their chubby arms as they passed him.

The music winded down, the merry-go-round slowed down, signaling the end of the ride. The man jumped off his bicycle-like seat and the kids waited patiently as he unfastened each of their seatbelt and lifted them off their seat. And he repeated everything all over again, for the next line of kids waiting.


Check out the cool animal shapes, made out of old rubber tyres!

Popular business ,ok. The merry-go-round was turning all day, the seats always full of happy kids.

A few days later in London, we saw a carousel in Camden Market. A brightly coloured (read: 1000+ lightbulbs all over), elegantly painted machine, with carriages of haughty, porcelain horses and those candy-cane like pillars coming up from each horse.

It was also empty. No kids. No laughter. No free lollipops.

Long live Carrusel Ecologico!