Bariloche, Argentina
This place puts out a huge spread for breakfast and we took advantage. Eggs, ham, croissants, fresh fruit…it seemed to go on and on. It’s really fun to chat with the other guests during meals. Last night we dined with an very interesting couple from Raleigh, NC and shared breakfast with two large families from New York. In these families, between them they have six kids aged 10 to 15 and the kids are having a blast. There are more Americans here at the Estancia than we met in Mendoza. In fact, we were the only Americans at Club Tapiz. The international connections are what we truly love about these trips. We learn so much.
We’re getting plenty of opportunity to speak Spanish too. The staff here at the Estancia speak both English and Spanish and don’t seem to mind when we butcher a request or question.
Today, despite the threat of rain and some strong winds, we headed out on the trails behind the Estancia. Serving as our trail guides were Gandhi, Alpha, and Cocoa, three of the resident canines. The trails are marked with colored ribbons and we had a map in hand. Still, there were times when the dogs helped us find our way or showed us something we might otherwise have missed along the way. Since Mia and Nica are not real hiking dogs, today was a special experience.
Alpha taking a break
We still love our little poodles but these big dogs were incredible companions.
In all we covered about 6.5 miles and walked every trail on the map in less than four hours. There are several options for longer, more strenuous hikes that we may do in coming days. For our first day back to physical activity in about two weeks, today’s distance was good. It felt so great to be exercising again. It makes the fantastic picnic lunch that we enjoyed on the trail that much sweeter. The chef here prepared a lunch of vegetable quiche/tart, grilled vegetable sandwich and ham and cheese. We also had fruit, homemade trail mix and cookies. You can see the photo of Steve eating while Alpha looked on drooling.
Our afternoon was was spent napping and reading. I’m almost done with the first two Hunger Games books and hope to finish all three before we get home. Steve is reading some kind of philosophical book. He thinks a lot on these trips.
We’re not sure what we are doing to do tomorrow but it will likely involve something outside and fun! Stay tuned!
Marnie and Steve Travel 