Day 4 - Bariloche (Wed. 2/13/13)

Started the day off at 7:00 a..m. by having breakfast with Sharon and Arno and meeting the group they are traveling with.  Gave them a big send off as they travel to Chile.

At 8:30 our group left for our first real view of Bariloche.  We met our city guide, Marta, who will be with us for three days.

First stop was the ski lift to get an overview of the Lake Nahuel Huapui. 

It is summer here and it is COLD and very windy!  Can't even image winter here.  Marta told us that where we took this photo, there is ususally 9 feet of snow in winter.

You are seeing the Argentina side of the Andes Mountains.  Never thought I'd be standing here.

Then on to the Nacional Parque for a lovely walk in the woods.   The guides are so knowledgeable about everything -- geography, history, archeology, geology and botany.  They seem to know it all.  And, how about this -- Marta passed around a mushroom that is a parasite to one of the trees here.  It kills the tree, but then as the tree rots, it provides good soil for more trees to grow.  As there is not a good source of soil here, seems Mother Nature is taking care of it.  Mushrooming in Argentina!!

Much easier walk today -- someone with a pedometer told us it was 4 miles -- but all level.

Then to a family-owned brewery for lunch.  How many people have had beer that was brewed in a former horse stable?  This place was in the middle of a residential neighborhood on a dirt road.  Crazy.

Back to the hotel for a 45-minute break and then on to rafting on the Limay River.  I've never seen such clear river water -- ever.  There is volcanic rock bordering the river sides.  We only drove about 1/2 hour from Bariloche where we were wearing heavy jackets and gloves and now we are in sun and warm weather.  Spectacular views and a very relaxing raft ride.  Again, our guides were very knowledgeable about all aspects of this area.  At the end of the trip we were invited to a community room to share fried bread and mate (a hot herbal drink) and then back to the hotel.

Quick change from hiking boots to shoes and off to dinner.  Santi arranged for us to have dinner at a friend's house.  She was a teacher, went through a bad divorce and decided to reinvent herself and do something she loved.  She opened her house as a restaurant.  She added a small room-addition which will seat maybe 15 people and offers a small menu and limited wines and desserts.  What a great evening we had.  There were only six of us.  We relaxed in her living room while she prepared a wonderful dinner for us -- river salmon with scalloped potatoes, a pizza with fresh tomatoes and basil, eggplant and onion streudel with fresh salad and apple streudel and ice cream for dessert.  It was a wonderful experience.

Now we need some sleep.