Bariloche

There aren't many things I would do differently on this Argentina trip. However, I regret not spending more time in the lake district of Patagonia. We spent three nights in Bariloche and they were great. However, I wish we had more time to explore the area. There is something about the alpine landscape that just grabs me. I guess that is why I have lived near mountains for most of the past 25 years. I told Marc that I was ready to move if we could just figure out how to make a living. Hello Oregon lottery.

Buenos Aires was hot and sticky when we left. We took a cushy bus ride and 20 hours (!) later disembarked into cool, crisp, sunny Bariloche. The sky was blue, sunny and almost cloudless the whole time we were there. Mornings were brisk and afternoons warm. Bariloche has a somewhat alpine architecture flavor that reminds me of northern Italy and only sometimes crossed over to goofy. There was an abundance of blooming trees and flowers: lilacs, tulips, lupin and columbines in Bariloche and the villages we hiked through. Oh, and there were mutts lying about everywhere, of course.

We had coffee every afternoon, ate some nice dinners and sampled what is arguably Argentina's best ice cream parlor. But the best part was hiking in the mountains of the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi. We are not hard core backpackers, but we found plenty of day hikes that wore us out and took us through beautiful places. Best, most trailheads can be reached by public transportation. It's a popular place to ski and must be stunning there in the winter. The area is also good for fly-fishing, which Marc wanted to try. But renting gear and hiring a guide would have set him back over $300US a day, so he passed.

Seriously, I want to move here.