Réveillon du Nouvel An et lacs à Bariloche

Hello 2019! We wish all our readers a great, adventurous, exciting, and healthy new year! Just before the end of the year, we set up camp in the Pudu Hostel in Bariloche. One highlight was the view directly from our bed (through the slightly dirty window) of Lake Nahuel Huapi. Thanks to the lucky weather in the following days, we were able to enjoy a great view of the dark blue and wavy lake, the mountain landscape behind it, and the cloudless blue sky each morning.

New Year's Eve was quite classy, as you would expect from world travelers. Actually, we wanted to treat ourselves to a rather upscale meal in a fine parrilla (steakhouse). But it turned out differently. Although Bariloche is a larger town and experiences a lot of tourism throughout the year, all the doors we knocked on were either closed or fully booked. In fact, during an hour-long search, we couldn't find a free table for two people. So in the end, we ended up at La Casa de las Hamburguesas - which is honestly a slightly better McDonald's. Well - alternative program it is. Celebrating in a club was never our idea from the beginning, and we wouldn't have had a chance anyway - what was open was fully booked. Our travel companion Karin also had to experience this, so in the end, we celebrated and danced together with Argentinians, Germans, French, and a Brazilian in the small bar/kitchen of our hostel. It was improvised, but quite funny!

On New Year's Day, we slept in a bit longer (for reasons). Thanks to Karin's initiative, we got up in the afternoon and went on a trip to Cerveceria Patagonia on this sunny New Year's Day. We enjoyed the afternoon on the sunny and cozy terrace and added a delicious dinner before returning to Bariloche.

The following two days were active for us. After fully recovering from New Year's Eve, we rode the 27 km long Circuito Chico by renting mountain bikes. Along the way, we passed through the forests and some beautiful viewpoints and lake shores. As it is very hilly here, the 27 km were quite exhausting for us occasional cyclists - it's never straight, only uphill or downhill. The circuit was nice, but we had imagined it to be a bit more spectacular - we are already quite spoiled by Patagonia.

A brief insight for you:

We had also planned a cozy coffee stop. Unfortunately, there were no really suitable places along the way or they were closed - so we had to make up for it in the end. We returned the bikes and discovered a nice little restaurant with a beautiful sun terrace a few hundred meters away - absolutely perfect! Back in the city in the evening, we met the Swiss honeymooners Simon and Evelyn, who had helped us out in the morning with a bus ticket (which we didn't have), and it turned into a long and sociable evening.

We spent the last day with Karin on a day trip to Cerro Otto directly behind Bariloche. After a short bus ride, we took a cable car up to almost 1400 meters. The excursion mountain offers a great view over the lake landscape around Bariloche and the Andes, which tower up along the border with Chile. Absolutely amazing and once again fantastic weather. We stayed longer at the summit, which is reached after a short walk from the cable car station, and later had something to eat in the slowly rotating panoramic restaurant. We also played "Schweinerei" - a travel game that Karin had already unpacked at Christmas and that we will remember with fond memories.

In the evening, thanks to the afternoon reservation, we secured a spot at Huacho. One of the best parrillas we have visited so far. We stuffed ourselves with Lomo, Bife de Chorizo, Cordero, as well as vegetable and salad sides to conclude our time traveling together. And of course, good wine was not missing. At Schlummi, we once again got to know the openness of the Argentine fellow countrymen, and it became more than just one beer.

Karin, we wish you all the best for your continued journey! Stay healthy, enjoy the bus rides ;) and we look forward to seeing you somewhere and sometime!

For us, a cozy last day in Bariloche comes to an end today - then two bus rides again before we should arrive in Santiago de Chile on Sunday. Our next highlight is waiting for us - we're flying to Easter Island!