Bariloche and Campanario Hill

It feels weird to be back in a city of about 200,000 people, probably more with the tourists after spending the past weeks in very small towns. Bariloche is the hottest vacation spot for Argentinians, Chilean, and Uruguayan vacationers.

Just like every other town, they have their sign, but this one is colorful

Every summer, about a million people come for the beaches, camping , fishing, and other summer fun that can be had. The central part of the city is filled with shops, chocolatiers, buskers and everything else. It reminds me of a mashup of Victoria and Banff.

One thing confused me, though, and that was all the Saint Bernard souvenirs. Why so many things with this dog? There was even someone with a Saint Bernard selling pictures with it in the main square. Apparently, it’s the mascot here. This region was first developed by the Swiss, so perhaps that plays a role in it.

Woman getting her picture taken with the dog

The city stretches out along Lago Nahuel Huapi, which means jaguar island in the Native language. My hotel is right on the water edge, so it has amazing views, but it is my least favorite hotel of the entire vacation.

The one thing, besides the view, is that the ladies who work here are super nice. Breakfast is simple and served from 8-10.

Morning 1, there was a bit of communication error. I asked for tea with milk, and I got hot milk and a tea bag. Drank it anyway.

Day 2, I had a tour with an 8am pick-up, so she said she’d make me my tea very fast. We cleared up that there should be water with a little milk.

Getting out of my room, I visited the cathedral, but service was happening, so I couldn’t go inside.

Edit: I just went back and went inside. I love stained glass, but church scenes sometimes make me upset when they portray the church interacting with native groups, so I can appreciate the one where the natives are stabbing the missionary. I know that’s a controversial statement.

Inside the Cathdral

Eventually, I made my way to a local brewery for lunch, Wesley’s Brewery. There, I sat outside enjoying the gorgeous weather and tried their stout and a burger. It was delicious. My lunch came to 11,500 pesos.