Patagonia - Bariloche

We are running at least week or so behind in posts, but this was our first treck into Patagonia - Bariloche to be specific, it is the northen-most part of Patagonia and sits right at the border with Chile. Aptly called the "lake district" it is a peaceful haven and we all had a great time here.

Lakes everywhere - the largest is the Nahuel-Huapi which is what Bariloche faces

Park everywhere - this one is on the opposite side of Lake Nahual Huapi where we got hike up and get some views of the many islands on the lake

The 4 Musketeers checking out the scenery

There are no bad views - mountains, lakes, and forests (above and below)

This is an aerial shot - we took these little trams up to the top of Cerro (Mount) Otto - and got to see Bariloche laid out below us

Here are the little red trams - they held 4 people and took about 12 minutes to get to the top

More flowers (above and below) - these were in San Martin de los Andes - about 3 hours of dirt road driving from Bariloche - a tiny mountain town at the end of the famous "7 Lakes" route

The cathedral in Bariloche on our last day - very picturesque!

After Bariloche we kept heading South - next stop is El Calafate to treck on a glacier!

Tango, Parks, and Monuments - It's Buenos Aires!

Our visit to Buenos Aires was short but fun and we were lucky to have friends meet us to make us a party of 4, which made going out and seeing the sights twice as nice...

Taking time to smell the Roses, literally here:) Buenos Aires likes their green spaces (which luckily probably helps combat the pollution). The area we stayed in - Palermo, has the most parks in the whole city and we had a nice stroll the day we got here.

It seems weird, but it is the #1 tourist destination in BA - Evita's buriel place in Recoleta Cemetary - it rained right when we got there and we left before things got too creepy.

The political hub here - the Plaza de Mayo where the people come to demonstrate their complaints with the government. The pink building is the "Casa Rosado" - one of the presidents decided to paint it pink! It is the national governments headquarters.

The Metropolitana Catedral. More history - it took a century and a half to finish!

The oldest coffee shop in BA - a historic gathering place for intellectuals and tangueros.

View of skyline from our apartment.

The Obelisk - another symbol of Argentian pride and another popular place for demonstrations.

This huge flower is mechanical - it opens during the day and closes at night - crazy!

The entrance to La Boca - a historic port neighborhood that was built by immigrants that reportedly couldn't afford to buy paint - so they got what was left from ships and elsewhere - hence the multi-colored buildings (that are now maintained that way).

More multi-colored buildings

Tango is everywhere in Argentina. It is not the best photo, but they move quickly and check out that kick!

We attended a "Milonga" which is a Tango dance session (picture is above). It is an open dance floor so anyone can dance but you better know what you are doing!:)

The video below is of the professional dancers they stop the open dance floor around 2am for 45 minutes or so. This it the classical tango, not that Dancing with the Stars stuff:).

Click on the play button below (you might have to click it twice).