Just Fondue It...

Small Argentina towns surrounded by endless pastures streamed past until the horizons grew dark and we slept...

After a yawning stretch, we awoke to a rare sight. To the east, a silvery full moon was setting. To the west, a blazing sunrise was starting to scorch the slumbering landscape...

A large mechanical monster in an oasis of irrigated green stood tall the now barren desert brownness--it was too bright to tell it's exact purpose. But, for the next few hours, we followed a thread of highway across a desolate wasteland, while far off mountains began poking up in the distance...

All of a sudden, the wasteland gave way to water, where sapphire lakes glittered in the golden sun surrounded by emerald trees set below spires of weathered stone...

After a a day's drive across the flat lands, it took us minutes to meander into the eastern Andes mountains and emerge on the edge of Lake Nahuel Huapi in the northern corner of Patagonia. Our next destination, the world famous ski and outdoor recreation town of Bariloche, waited on the far side...
Arriving at noon, we had three days to enjoy the "Alps" of Argentina. After checking into our lakeside hotel, we went out to explore, knowing that we would find a cozy burg with German and Swiss heritage characterized by wooden architecture and shops serving wild game, fresh fish, melted cheese and endless concoctions of chocolate...
We arrived on a beautifully blue blustery day along the lake...


First we found the towering town church. Then we ambled to the primary plaza and civic center, complete with stone lodges, clock tower, holiday lights, curio market, street performers, bohemian musicians, contented tourists, all surrounded by wood sculptures carved by the nearby woodworker's guild...





Sunsets would approach...
And, their was a festive glow of old Europe each night...

Back in Brazil we enjoyed some cuisine unknown in Uruguay. Bariloche was no different. Specialties included fondue, wild boar, fresh berries, venison, crawfish, mountain trout, microbrews and endless choices of chocolate...
Our first meal was a four star serving of German goulash and raspberry reduction Jabali, the Patagonian pig, with a Malbec from Mendoza and a local artisan's beer...
For dinners we could go Swiss, with a basket of bread to dip in our cauldron of queso, assorted veggies and a Warsteiner to wash it down, with an epic view of the lake...
Searching further we found a microbrewery with a selection of prize winning craft brews worthy of Europe and Oregon. One night, we even found authentic Mexican food served with a complimentary round of margaritas...
And every day, we had our choice of chocolate shops with every imaginable delectable form of the romantic sweet...
And more sunset walks along the lake...
Day two was simple enough: a guided tour along Chico Circuito with lakeside stops, panoramic points, and ski lift and gondola rides to the tops of Cerro Companario and Cerro Catedral...
Our first full day began with a full moon across the lavender lake, waking us like a silent alarm ringing through our bedroom window...
Continental breakfast followed with mysterious marmalades, buttered bread, English teas, French pressed coffee and "submarinos"--steaming milk with chocolate bars to melt and mix in...
A fun summery ski lift took us to the summit of Cerro Companario for some spectacular shots...




At Punto Panarámico, a fantastic falcon perched on a stone, then a branch...
While the infamous Llao-Llao Resort nested on it's isthmus along Lago Moreno Oueste...
Built in 1938, burned in 1939, and rebuilt in 1940, the Llao Llao resort has housed presidents, princesses, and prestigious travelers for decades, despite decades of difficulties from changing governments and owners...

Thirty-five years earlier, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid crossed these lakes, evading pursuant Pinkertons all the way across Patagonia...


Our next stop was the top of Cerro Catedral, named for numerous rocky crgs that resemble gothic church spires. It is one of the largest ski areas in South America, capable of carrying up 22,000 skiers an hour to its 2405 meter (7890 feet) summit. From there, magnificent views over Nahuel Huapí National Park spread out in every direction...
First, a twenty person gondola takes you two-thirds of the way...
Then, a high speed quad-lift zooms you to the top...

The wind was ripping. In fact, while we ate burgers and fires inside the summit lodge, the waitress told us they were closing the lift, and when we finished we needed to descend. But, good luck had gotten us here first, and we were some of the last tourists that day to see the magnificent vistas...
For us, the lakes and forests and mountains really were reminders of home. And, we have seen plenty of snow before. But, for many visitors--especially the Uruguayans on the same trip--seeing snow for the first time was a wonderfully new, childlike experience. Leandra and I, dressed in shorts, sandals and light shirts, got the giggles seeing people dressed in full body down-stuffed snow suits, gloves and winter hats--us and them, thinking the same thoughts: "Crazy (fill in nationality here)!" As we watched them trek onto the snow, kicking it, picking it up, throwing their first snowballs, posing for fraudulent pictures with skis and poles, we felt like parents watching a child, and imagined them saying in surprised Spanish, "It's cold!" or "It's slippery!". Their enlightenment and amusement was palpable...
The wind was so strong, the ski patrol removed the "real" plastic eyes, nose and mouth that enlivened this burly snowman when first trundled off the ski-lift. So, after lunch, we jammed some rocks in his face to give him that "realistic" look and pop a picture...
"To us!"

Then we followed the melting snow back to the lake shore...
And another late afternoon walk along the white-capped water...
And another evening stroll, searching Bariloche for fondues and brews and chocolate delights...
And another full moon, another "luna llena"....


And now, amazingly, no matter how beautiful the setting, when I see a full moon it takes me back to Iguazu with Leandra...