On Monday we followed the popular Circuito Chico around the Llao Llao peninsula not far from Bariloche. There are many short footpaths along this route and pretty scenery. Our first walk was to see a small patch of Arrayan trees. Their cinnamon and white bark and twisting trunks create a magical looking forest. Most of the other forest trees are species of Nothofagus, related to beeches. Much of the forest has a dense understory of the local bamboo. The trail eventually led to a beach with a view of the Llao-Llao resort, a state owned hotel. We decided we would have lunch there to add to our experiences dining at hotels with great views (see Lake Louise hotel from May)!
Jake had a deer burger with blue cheese, bacon and tomato confit. I had a wonderfully light salmon and vegetable tart with a nice salad. We had a view back towards the beach where we had strolled not long before. Upon attempting to leave the hotel we discovered that the car battery had died. Fortunately, the hotel parking staff were very helpful and they used the hotel van to jump start our car. We drove about 10 minutes to the next walk we wanted to take, and took precautions to park the car on a downhill slope just in case the battery wasn't recharged! By now though the weather had turned blustery. The path went along an arm of the lake, but there was another path branching off that went uphill. Jake elected to follow that path, and we ended up on an exposed steep hill face, although with a nice view of the lake. We turned back in the face of the gale force winds and continued on to Colonia Suiza, a small village on a dirt road settled by the Swiss.
We decided to have tea and apple strudel at Heidi's, an incredibly cute place. Really all the buildings in Colonia Suiza are charming (see photo of entrance to a shop). Their electricity kept coming and going, but they were able to serve up a fine tea and pastry. Jake then bought me a teapot I had admired at another store in town as an early birthday present. Hope that makes it home in one piece!
We returned to Pajaro Azul after doing some grocery shopping for our trip on Tuesday to rest some before dinner. For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant in town. There seems to be a tortilla chip shortage down here. They served salsas with slices of bread! And you pay extra if you want corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. The food was good though (enchiladas for me and a burrito for Jake).
Jake had a deer burger with blue cheese, bacon and tomato confit. I had a wonderfully light salmon and vegetable tart with a nice salad. We had a view back towards the beach where we had strolled not long before. Upon attempting to leave the hotel we discovered that the car battery had died. Fortunately, the hotel parking staff were very helpful and they used the hotel van to jump start our car. We drove about 10 minutes to the next walk we wanted to take, and took precautions to park the car on a downhill slope just in case the battery wasn't recharged! By now though the weather had turned blustery. The path went along an arm of the lake, but there was another path branching off that went uphill. Jake elected to follow that path, and we ended up on an exposed steep hill face, although with a nice view of the lake. We turned back in the face of the gale force winds and continued on to Colonia Suiza, a small village on a dirt road settled by the Swiss.
We decided to have tea and apple strudel at Heidi's, an incredibly cute place. Really all the buildings in Colonia Suiza are charming (see photo of entrance to a shop). Their electricity kept coming and going, but they were able to serve up a fine tea and pastry. Jake then bought me a teapot I had admired at another store in town as an early birthday present. Hope that makes it home in one piece!
We returned to Pajaro Azul after doing some grocery shopping for our trip on Tuesday to rest some before dinner. For dinner we went to a Mexican restaurant in town. There seems to be a tortilla chip shortage down here. They served salsas with slices of bread! And you pay extra if you want corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. The food was good though (enchiladas for me and a burrito for Jake).
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