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Bariloche, Day 4 – Friday

Friday was my last full day in Bariloche, and I didn’t plan any tour. I wanted it to be a relaxed kind of day and just wander as I felt like it.

There was, though, one more thing I wanted to do. Higher up in the mountains, about an hour’s drive from town, there is a famous hotel called Llao Llao (the double l is pronounced like sh in the Argentine way.) It was built in the 1930s, burned down a couple of times, and now enjoys an unparalleled reputation for luxury even beyond the borders of Argentina. I called to book for afternoon tea, and hopped on the local bus for the trip up.

The location is perfect, with amazing views on all sides — I guess that’s why the cheap rooms start at US$400 a night and the suites go up to US$1,500!

My timing was a little off and I was too late for the full afternoon tea in the Winter Garden restaurant. But they were serving a la carte in the lobby lounge, so I opted for that. Very 1940s — I kept expecting Hercule Poirot to waddle in twirling his moustaches! I had the “Cafe Llao Llao”, which was a very fancy cappucino with coffee beans floating in it and flavoured with chocolate, and scones with jam.

I went back for dinner in town, very satisfied with my holiday in Bariloche. Next day I’d be heading home but, as I’ve said to several people, going home at the end of a holiday isn’t so bad when home is beautiful Buenos Aires!

This is me waiting in the lobby lounge, trying to look suitably snooty!

The house specialty coffee with scones and jam

 

 

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Bariloche, Day 3 — Thursday

After my busy day and relatively late night, I had to get up early on Thursday as my tour left at 8.30 am.  I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, because today I’d be going out on a boat on that beautiful lake!

Unlike the minivan of yesterday, this tour was in a large bus, conducted by an efficient woman called Cristina. It was a good hour’s drive along the lakeshore to Puerto Pañuelo, where we were to catch the boat. I love just being on a boat, even if it is a tourist boat full of people and constant commentary about the history of the region. After an hour, we arrived at our first destination, an island that contains the Bosque de Arrayanes.

As far as I can find out, arrayanes means myrtle trees, although that seems to be the subject of discussion. Anyway, they are an unusual shade best described by the brochure as cinnamon, and they have tufts of white growing out of their trunks. To the touch, they are so cold they don’t even feel like wood. To make the walk accessible to everyone, they have built a boardwalk across the island. It’s quite well done, as it is a little hilly and windy.

A sign told us the hike takes half an hour, and they allowed us 40 minutes before the departure of the boat! So there was no time for sketching, and it was a matter of following the other 299 people who came off the boat until we reached the end. I kept wishing I could be there by myself, but it is certainly an eerily beautiful place and worth a little inconvenience.

Thankfully, we all made it back to the boat before it sailed, and then we were on the water again for another hour. Nahuel Huapi is a very big lake, apparently larger than the whole of Buenos Aires Province, and that’s big. Surrounded by the majestic Andes, it captured my imagination and held my attention until we landed on Isla Victoria.

Here we had four hours to spend however we wanted. There were four different trails you could take, with varying levels of difficulty. I wanted zero difficulty, so I chose the trail that led, surprisingly, to the beach. It was about a twenty-minute walk and then I came upon this little jewel of a beach. Quite a few people had chosen this trail, but not enough to make it feel crowded.

Although the Andes, being a much younger range, are higher and craggier than the Laurentides of Quebec, this little lake reminded me of one I swam in with my friend Lynda the summer before I left Canada. If I had known about it, I would have brought my swimsuit, but as it was I had to be content with paddling up to my ankles.

They brought us back into town just in time for a nice early dinner. With no milongas along the way, I went home after dinner and had an early night. This is the sight I saw as I lay in my bed looking out the window after a very satisfying day.

 

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Day 2, Wednesday — later that night

I was tired after my tour and had eaten dinner in town so that I could stay home for the rest of the evening. However … I was walking down the main street on my way home when I saw a sandwich board on the sidewalk outside a bar announcing a milonga at 10 pm! I groaned inwardly because I really was tired, but of course I was curious.

A young woman from the bar told me the milonga was only held on Wednesdays and I should definitely come. I kind of thought I wouldn’t, but as I walked along I realized that if I didn’t go, later I would be sorry I hadn’t. Decision made, I hurried home and got changed. I didn’t wear actual tango clothes, as it looked like a casual kind of place, but I did take my tango shoes of course.

I took a taxi and arrived about 10.15 pm. It was a simple bar, with a small space at the end for dancing — mirrors all around made it look a little larger! There were a few people at the tables, and two young men took pity on me and invited me to join them. They told me there was no table service and if I wanted a drink I would have to get it at the bar. I changed into my shoes and headed over.

I asked for a glass of red wine. After conferring with her boss, the bartender said she couldn’t open a bottle(!) I asked for a glass of champagne. Another conference brought the news that they had small bottles, so I settled for that. In Buenos Aires milongas, I get a glass of champagne for 100 pesos including tip. Here, it was only slightly more than a glass for 225 pesos before the tip! Bariloche is expensive.

Anyway, I took my champagne back to the table and sat down. Before I could even pour my glass, I looked up to find a young man inviting me to dance. Most of the people there were young, and I wasn’t sure I would be asked to dance, but this young man was in charge of the music and it was nice of him to take a chance. He was a great dancer, so he showcased me and I had several lovely tandas in the hour I stayed.

All in all, I’m glad I sampled the tango in Bariloche!

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Bariloche — Day 2, Wednesday

I had a Zoom call on the morning of my second day, so it was noon by the time I left my apartment. I headed downtown and had chocolate flavoured coffee and a pastry in one of the chocolate shops that also had a cafe.

My next stop was at one of the many tourism places to see what kind of tours I could book. There are a gazillion places to see in the surrounding mountains and people had recommended I see many of them. But my first objective was to chill, and I didn’t want 10 or 12-hour trips. So I booked a full-day tour for Thursday, and as it turned out there was a four-hour one I could do that afternoon so I booked it too. I just had time for lunch before picking up the tour at a hotel around the corner.

This was called the Circuito Chico, the short circular tour, and it was wonderful. We drove first along the costanera, the road beside the lake, and that was a great beginning for what was to come. The weather was beautiful, and the sun sparkled on the water all the way. We stopped at a mirador (lookout point), where we could see amazing views and take photos. Well, you could take photos if your cell phone hadn’t run out of juice! I don’t know how that happened, but I guess I just didn’t charge it enough before I left.

The interesting thing though is that I found it kind of liberating. Knowing I couldn’t take photos, I c0uld just simply drink in the scenery without worrying about it. That said, I did meet a nice English couple on the bus, and the woman took a lot of photos including a nice one of me at the mirador. She said it might take her a while but she would send me a link, so when that arrives I will post it here so you can see if you wish.

February 5: This just in! Neale sent this photo Lesley took on the mountain. I like it!

We finished at a lovely little log church, which looked directly over a famous hotel called Llao Llao — more about that later.

But the main event was undoubtedly taking the chairlift to the top of Cerro Campanario, one of the highest peaks in Patagonia. I had never been in a chairlift before, but I didn’t hesitate. Going up was fun just because of the experience, but coming down was when the spectacular scenery unfolded beneath. It was breathtaking. I’m sorry I have no photos for you, but honestly I don’t think I could do it justice anyway. You had to be there.

There is a little place at the top for coffee etc., and they gave us a good 45 minutes there. That suited me, as I really wanted to sketch. I find the Andes very challenging as my skill levels are really not up to them, but I very much enjoyed the time just making this sketch. I hope it gives you a feel for the height and the beauty. And walking around the corner to see a hawk sitting there people watching was quite a surprise! I can’t seem to draw birds, so I’m afraid I insulted him a bit in my sketch!

We arrived back in town around 7.30 pm, just in time for dinner. I found a very cute little place called El Marmite, and ended up going there several times. I’m not a big fan of fish or seafood, but  Patagonian trout is famous, so I felt obliged to try it. Bariloche is expensive, and as I took the first photo I wondered if I had just wasted 695 pesos (much more than you would pay for it in Buenos Aires). But as you can see from the second photo, that wasn’t the case! I really enjoyed it, and will consider trout in future when I see it on menus, especially if it’s from Patagonia.

I’ll stop here for now, as I’m going out to lunch with Cecilia and then going to dance tango at night. Now that I’m home in Buenos Aires, it’s back to the usual social whirl! I’ll continue tomorrow.

 

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Bariloche – Day 1

I’m actually home from Bariloche and this is me just getting to posting to my blog. Reasons for that ranged from being too tired after my days, wifi and power issue in my Air BnB apartment, and just pure laziness. Or actually more self-indulgence and the need to chill on my vacation. Anyway, let me try to catch up now — it may even take me a few days.

Day 1

I arrived in the middle of the afternoon on Tuesday, and was greeted by Gustavo, my lovely Air BnB host. My place was a comfortable little bachelor apartment with the most amazing view from the window. Waking up to this every morning was one of the best features of my trip!

The water is Lake Nahuel Huapi, which is bigger than the entire province of Buenos Aires and that’s pretty big. The mountains in the background are, of course, the majestic and wonderful Andes.

My apartment was a good 10-block walk into the centre of town, so I got my daily exercise! I walked all the way to the Civic Centre square on my first day and sat people watching for a while. Bariloche is another of those places in Argentina that has a German/Swiss connection that’s pretty apparent. These buildings are local government facilities, and you can see the Swiss influence there. Not to mention the St. Bernards with their barrels around their necks. Of course their main function today is to pose for photos with the tourists, especially the little kids.

And the chocolate! Chocolate shops everywhere you look, wonderful smells and imaginative shapes and sizes. My suitcase coming home was heavier than when I went!

There was a very nice restaurant on the corner near my apartment, and I enjoyed a steak dinner there on my first night.

 

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First Day in Bariloche!

Well I arrived on time in mid-afternoon, and my Air BnB host, Gustavo, was good enough to let me into the apartment even though I was early for check-in. It’s a lovely little apartment, new and modern, and with this fantastic view from the window. The lake is called Nahuel Huapi and the mountains are, of course, the Andes.

It’s a little colder here than in Buenos Aires, but it was a bright sunny day and I enjoyed my first sight of Bariloche.

It’s another of those Swiss/German towns that are dotted around Argentina, very similar to Villa General Belgrano in Cordoba, which I visited a couple of months ago with Cecilia and Venetia, but bigger. Also full of chocolate shops! I managed to resist buying any today, but I’m sure I’ll be stocking up before I leave.

These are just a few of the places. Some of them are quite big and very crowded, so I think I’ll be doing my chocolate shopping in one of the smaller places.

The town is cute, but the real appeal of Bariloche is the surrounding mountains and lakes, so tomorrow I’ll be looking into some excursions, including at least one boat trip. Stay tuned!

More chocolate!

King of Chocolate! This was a good one – think I’ll be back there.

Merienda – capuccino with chocolate and cinnamon, and a home made palmera. Yummy.

The Civic Centre. Very Swiss.

St. Bernard, complete with barrel. Also very Swiss!

This must be scary in the winter!

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Surprise Visitor

On Friday just before 3 pm I was at my desk in the bedroom, preparing for a Zoom call with a client in Canada. As I sat reviewing my notes, I thought I heard a noise from the living room, but when I looked I didn’t see anything amiss.

When I went to the washroom just before the appointed time for the call, I found a baby pigeon had found its way in, probably through the kitchen window, and was now frantically flying all around the washroom! I don’t mind birds, but I don’t want to share my space with them and they unnerve me when they are fluttering around in close confines.

I opened the window, but the bird was so panicked it couldn’t find its way there, and instead hid behind the toilet bowl and the bidet. Someone else might have picked it up gently and helped it out the window, but I was not interested in doing that. I banged about making noise in the vicinity but it wouldn’t come out. I decided I’d better stop before the poor thing had a heart attack — besides, it was past time for my call!

So I left the window open, gently closed the door and left. An hour later when my call was over, I gingerly opened the door to investigate — and it had gone! Thank goodness. That kind of visitor I don’t need!

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The Black Cat and the Beatles

The other day a few of us went back to El Gato Negro, one of the Bares Notables I’ll be including in my book. As they are best known for their variety of teas, coffees and spices, we went for late morning coffee.

As I arrived first, I spent some time reviewing the menu, which contained such yummy items as orange and ginger cake and glazed lemon slices. I finally chose the orange cake which, unfortunately, wasn’t as good as it sounded. Gerlinde, however, treated it as early lunch and had a sandwich which she pronounced excellent.

What I had in mind all along was the cafe con leche with cardomom, a beautiful combination of flavours I can never resist.

There’s a staircase in the back corner, which we all assumed would lead to the washroom, but it turned out there’s a whole other room up there and Lina could tell us they have live music on some evenings. So we agreed to watch out for what’s playing and make an evening of it sometime.

As we were chatting, Gerlinde asked if any of us had gone to the Beatles Museum, and none had. I knew about it and had looked for it a couple of times but never found it. It was apparently just across the street, so she and I decided to go. No wonder I couldn’t find it, as it was right in the back of a little mall that opened out into a courtyard featuring a cafe called The Cavern! Beatles photos were everywhere.

The museum itself was quite small, but very well curated with lots of memorabilia, important dates, photos and videos. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Here’s a little video and some photos I took.

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Cecilia’s Birthday Weekend in Chivilcoy

I’ve been very lazy this week about posting videos. This is Saturday and I’m just posting the video from last weekend in Chivilcoy.

Cecilia’s birthday was on Sunday, so all the family plus Venetia, Gillian and I descended on Macarena and Daniela’s home in Chivilcoy, a pleasant market town a couple of hours from Buenos Aires. It felt as if there were about 700 people and 50 dogs in the house, but in fact there were 11 adults and 4 dogs. In any case, it was enough to produce a lot of noise and a great deal of fun over the whole weekend.

Here’s a short montage of photos I took over the two days.

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Liz’s First Tango Lesson!

Recently I wrote about taking new friend Liz shopping for tango shoes, and last night she had her first tango lesson. As she was a tad nervous, I went with her, and Alejandro and I did a few demo dances.

Liz did amazingly well! Check out her video, and remember this was her first time dancing tango! (Due credit to Alejandro as he is an amazing teacher.)

Before you watch the videos, I wanted to say something people often ask me about. Every time I post one of my tango videos, someone usually wonders how I can remember all the steps and sequences. The answer is that I don’t. You don’t need to remember, because you dance according to where you’re being led, and as you contribute to the co-creation of the dance, the steps evolve naturally. None of these videos, including Liz’s, is choreographed in any way. It’s all about connection with the music, between the dancers and with the floor.

We did three demo dances. The first was a traditional tango with music from the thirties or forties, then we did a lighthearted, playful one, and the last one was dramatic and passionate — Liz said she couldn’t breathe as she watched it!

Anyway, I’ve included just the first and second ones for you to see the different ways you can dance tango.  I love tango — can you tell?

Liz’s debut!

Traditional style

A more playful approach