Every place we'd been so far in Argentina was exhilarating with the kind of crisp beauty that makes you want to explore forever. By the third week and fourth city, I lost a little steam. Luckily Mark would have none of it and proceeded to drag us into the center of Bavarian style Barlioche on our first day. Forget modern hip playgrounds, we had a canon to play on. Forget hippie homestyle restaurants, we had breweries. Forget the emerald colored lake, we now had multiple glittering sapphire lakes. More fresh air, more adventure, more fun.
Our family owned B&B was awesome: big breakfasts with fresh cake and fruit, a kitchen at our disposal, and fast internet. We could really relax, drink wine and binge watch Brooklyn 99 while the kids slept, and no one thought anything of it. If there's anyone out there who wants to stay on the east end of Barlioche, Kospi Guesthouse is a great option.
Granted it took us a few tries to figure out transportation- the bus system works off a travel card (named the Sube) that can only be purchased and recharged at certain kiosks, many of which were closed or had disgruntled employees. After several attempts and two trips to the Visitor's Center, we charged our card (which was lent to us by the guesthouse) and boarded the stifling bus. Good news: one card can pay for everyone in your party. Annoying news: you are charged based on the number of kilometers you plan to travel, so you need to plan accordingly and know exactly where you want to get off. Otherwise the bus won't stop. This resulted in us backtracking along the narrow and dusty road more than once.
Nevertheless we figured it out and did several trips out of the city. First stop was the Berlina, a brewery with a playground and real, grassy grass! This was the number one requested place to visit for our kids. On other days we went to Blest located next to Berlina, to Manush in the town center and to Lowther Brewery when were feeling sleepy and wanted to stick close to the guesthouse. The beers were tasty with a good variety: visit them all.
On one particular bus trip that involved a crabby wife and two malingering kids who were frustrated with unavoidable backtracking, we ended up at the Cerro Campanario Chairlifts in efforts to make something of the day. For something like 120 pesos, a chairlift would bring us to the top for views of Nahuel Huapi National Park. It also would bring us to masses of tourists slopping their way around the mountain top with unrelenting teems of bees and flies. Admittedly, the view was gorgeous once we acknowledged the surrounding nuisances, but part of me wished we had earned it. The chair lift experience left us feeling meh and wanting for a bit more isolation. No harm done though, we'd make up for it with a trip to Cerro Tronador...
Our family owned B&B was awesome: big breakfasts with fresh cake and fruit, a kitchen at our disposal, and fast internet. We could really relax, drink wine and binge watch Brooklyn 99 while the kids slept, and no one thought anything of it. If there's anyone out there who wants to stay on the east end of Barlioche, Kospi Guesthouse is a great option.
Granted it took us a few tries to figure out transportation- the bus system works off a travel card (named the Sube) that can only be purchased and recharged at certain kiosks, many of which were closed or had disgruntled employees. After several attempts and two trips to the Visitor's Center, we charged our card (which was lent to us by the guesthouse) and boarded the stifling bus. Good news: one card can pay for everyone in your party. Annoying news: you are charged based on the number of kilometers you plan to travel, so you need to plan accordingly and know exactly where you want to get off. Otherwise the bus won't stop. This resulted in us backtracking along the narrow and dusty road more than once.
Nevertheless we figured it out and did several trips out of the city. First stop was the Berlina, a brewery with a playground and real, grassy grass! This was the number one requested place to visit for our kids. On other days we went to Blest located next to Berlina, to Manush in the town center and to Lowther Brewery when were feeling sleepy and wanted to stick close to the guesthouse. The beers were tasty with a good variety: visit them all.
On one particular bus trip that involved a crabby wife and two malingering kids who were frustrated with unavoidable backtracking, we ended up at the Cerro Campanario Chairlifts in efforts to make something of the day. For something like 120 pesos, a chairlift would bring us to the top for views of Nahuel Huapi National Park. It also would bring us to masses of tourists slopping their way around the mountain top with unrelenting teems of bees and flies. Admittedly, the view was gorgeous once we acknowledged the surrounding nuisances, but part of me wished we had earned it. The chair lift experience left us feeling meh and wanting for a bit more isolation. No harm done though, we'd make up for it with a trip to Cerro Tronador...
 |
| Margo blowing up mountain tops in the town center. |
 |
| Oasis. |
 |
| Shoes optional. |
 |
| View going down of Lago Nahuel Huapi. |
 |
| At the top. |
 |
| So. Blue. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.