Good morning, Argentina!

So we continued by bus to Argentina, the border crossing was completely problem-free and relatively quick. The controls regarding the transport of food are very strict (as we also experienced when entering Chile).

The 8-hour drive went by very quickly because watching the very appealing landscape makes time fly by!

Arriving in Bariloche, we had a not so pleasant experience this time. We had booked a hostel near the lake. When we arrived there, we were told quite unfriendly that despite the confirmed reservation, they didn't have any available rooms but we would be accommodated in another hostel of their hotel group. Since the accommodations in our price range were already largely booked, we reluctantly agreed. Of course, the other hotel was located some distance from the lake and our room was on a very busy intersection and therefore very noisy. Later we met other tourists in this hostel who had also originally booked the attractive hostel by the lake and had been moved as well. This creates the impression that this could be a frequently practiced strategy to fill the less attractive branch. Anyway, such experiences are part of a trip, for me it was just difficult to accept the unfriendly, completely unprofessional attitude of the receptionist at first.

But it is clear that she apparently has to follow the instructions of her superior and has already developed a shell of apparent ignorance to better cope with the frustration and disappointment of the guests.

Bariloche itself left a much more positive impression on us. This city reminds us a little of Switzerland or Tyrol.

The thriving tourism also shapes the city and the shopping street. One quickly notices that there is an incredible number of chocolate shops and producers located here. Fortunately, in this country, which is world-famous for its excellent steaks, there is also something delicious for us as chocolate lovers and vegetarians;).

Otherwise, when we ask about vegetarian dishes, we often experience a almost rejecting 'actually no, if so, only salad'. Even when we asked if we could order sandwiches without ham and cheese, we repeatedly received the surprising answer that it was unfortunately not possible?

After further research, we finally found a really nice restaurant with a large selection (Restaurant Ren, San Martin) and visited it several times.

Apparently, Bariloche has a connection to the movie 'Beethoven', which may ring a bell for the younger generation among us;). Many shop windows offer cute Saint Bernard stuffed animals and in the main square, there is a tourist attraction offering a photo with the very good-natured live look-alikes of the lovely Saint Bernard. They patiently pose like seasoned professionals to earn their owners some pocket money;).

In the evening, very appealing dance performances took place there against the backdrop of the lake.

It's always fascinating and wonderful how the love for music and dance brings people together- you don't even need language skills for that, although ours are quite decent by now....