We spent a few lovely days in Bariloche. Our hotel was right on Nahuel Huapi lake and I fell asleep to the sound of gentle waves lapping the shore. Bariloche is a vacation spot for many and is a ski resort in winter.

A native Mapuche man gave us a talk about his people. Their culture is tied to the earth. To the stars and the moon. The Southern Cross and silver jewelry are important.

We also had a talk about Germans in Argentina and the hunt for hiding Nazis. The Bariloche of today was settled by German immigrants in the late 1800’s. And in more recent times a Nazi was found living in town.

Our first day in town we took a chair lift to the top of Campanario Hill. I was taken aback by the view. It is one of those things that words can’t describe. It kind of hits you in the gut.

Anyway, the photos don’t do it justice.

That afternoon we went for a gentle hike and ended up at a German brewery for lunch. The following day we climbed into two rubber boats and spent a few hours floating down the Limay River. Quite idyllic.

From there we headed to a family hacienda where some went horseback riding. We ended the day with a delicious meal of grilled lamb, chorizo, and beef.

And on the third day we boarded a bus and headed back over the Andes on our way to Pueto Varas, Chile. It was very dry on the Argentine side but turned lush and green on the Chilean side.

We made it across the border in time for lunch. We stopped at an auto museum. An elderly man, a dairy farmer, started the museum out of a love for cars. He has the largest collection of Studebakers outside the USA.

We ended up at the Radisson Hotel right on Llanquihue lake in Puerto Varas. The first important thing we did was learn how to make a Pisco Sour and we have been drinking them ever since.

Next – Puerto Varas and Chiloe Island.