Bariloche is known for skiing in the winter and beautiful hiking in the summer. It's also the "Switzerland of Argentina" since it has a sizable Swiss population (that makes delicious artisanal chocolates!) as well as beautiful Swiss-like terrain. Apparently it also used to be a haven for former Nazis, but we chose to pleasantly ignore that sordid piece of history and enjoy the brunette Heidi that we found in Colonia Suisa:
The first day we "hiked" around the Lakes on Circuito Chico through the National Park. I put hike it quotes b/c it was completely paved, but it was a really nice day out, and I couldn't stop taking pictures because everything was just so beautiful. We also stumbled upon a delicious chocolate shop and adorable tea house:
On Circuito Chico:
We saw a chicken cross the road!!
and a family of ducks:
In town we also caught up with our friend Jacquie from Santiago (who took classes at ECELA in Bariloche for a week), did a tour around the various chocolate shops ("podriamos probar" became a favorite phrase), and ate fondue!
The next day we took a boat tour of the various lakes (each one a different color b/c of the various minerals in the water), making it all the way to the Chilean border where we drank delicious "chocolate con coñac"and saw a spectacular waterfall. Sadly, the day was a bit overcast so the pictures are nowhere near as spectacular as the views were.
Shameless glamor shot on the docks:
So yeah, I totally fell in love with Bariloche - the calm atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and sordid Nazi past (ok, not that part). You would love it too if even from your cheap hostel you got to see this:
Now back to Buenos Aires to say goodbye to Annie and explore the rest of the city!
with love,
co
No comments:
Post a Comment