Today was our day that was free of planned tours. Earline and I decided that we would explore the city of Bariloche on foot and after breakfast at the hotel, we walked 1.5 miles into town. The day was sunny and bright and not too cold. We passed the Museo of Chocolate that was not yet open and planned to visit that upon out return.
Walking on Av. Francis Moreno, we looked at restaurants, and a lot of clothing stores and aroung the Civic Center we saw where the Ironman 70.3 (really 1/2 of a standard Ironman race) was being setup for tomorrow. There were a multitude of artesian tents set up to sell a variety of crafts. There was nothing of interest to us but here are a few pictures that I took.
Walking on Av. Francis Moreno, we looked at restaurants, and a lot of clothing stores and aroung the Civic Center we saw where the Ironman 70.3 (really 1/2 of a standard Ironman race) was being setup for tomorrow. There were a multitude of artesian tents set up to sell a variety of crafts. There was nothing of interest to us but here are a few pictures that I took.
The architecture of the town is quite beautiful and looks very Alpine mixed with mopre modern styles.
We walked a street lower towards the lake called Mitre Street and found many more shops for clothing, chocolate and restaurants. It is a beautiful tourist area and we stopped at La Tourista chocolate store for a sample of their wares.
I must say that their ice cream (heilado) is much better that we generally get in the USA. I got a small cup (1/4 Kg) that is truly enough for two people. I would suggest you don’t buy individual cups because it is a lot of rich ice cream.
We walked a street lower towards the lake called Mitre Street and found many more shops for clothing, chocolate and restaurants. It is a beautiful tourist area and we stopped at La Tourista chocolate store for a sample of their wares.
I must say that their ice cream (heilado) is much better that we generally get in the USA. I got a small cup (1/4 Kg) that is truly enough for two people. I would suggest you don’t buy individual cups because it is a lot of rich ice cream.
We walked in a doorway and discovered a beautiful shopping area with beautiful architecture and interesting stores.
We walked by the Ironman 70.3 sign-up place but decided we weren’t going to run the race as we had to leave in the morning. (I have a bridge to sell you if you believe that one.)
Walking back towards our hotel, we found a quaint craft beer place and stopped for a brew.
Next door was the museum of chocolate that was not open when we came into town. We visited at a cost of $5 US for the two of us and learned a lot about the history of chocolate and how it is made. Even though this is a small museum, I would recommend it to you.
Cocoa pods - 60 pods yields about 2 Kg chocolate
Cocoa pods - 60 pods yields about 2 Kg chocolate
Cocoa only grows in the tropics. None are grown in Argentina. This factory gets cocoa from Brazil. The tase from various areas is different, like wine.
Raw chocolate
Roasted seed pods before chocolate is extracted by mixing cracked seed pods with hot water.
Animals created entirely from chocolate and the weight of chocolate required.
Following the museum tour, we walked back to the hotel and decided to use our complimentary drink tickets we received on arrival. We were slightly disappointed to learn that the tickets were only for orange, apple, and two other juices…no alcohol as you would normally expect. Fortunately, we had purchased a bottle of wine on our Seven Lakes tour and headed to or room to get ready to leave in the morning for the Lake Navigation to Chile.