Post by Ella. A 20 minute walk from the center of El Calafate gets you to a lagoon that borders on Lake Argentina. We walked into a small shack that was the entrance. The care taker, a young guy, was sitting with some buddies around a wood burning stove having a raucous time. The entrance fee…
Calafate, the magical berry
Post by Ella. The Calafate plant is in the family of the barberry. It’s said if you eat a Calafate berry, you will return to Patagonia. Challenge accepted. What better place to find this magical berry than Acuarela, an artisanal ice cream shop in El Calafate on the main drag, Avenida Libertador. The closest I can…
Wall of ice
Post by Grubb. Churning our way up Lake Argentino on a catamaran cruise boat, we cruised by an iceberg. Then we swung to the right heading towards a cliff of ice spanning the gap between two sloping snow slicked hills. Hello Spegazzini Glacier! I thought of what was going through Carlos Spegazzini’s mind when he…
Todos glaciares
Perito Moreno is THE glacier for the tourist draw. Then there are all the others. Monday we went on a day tour involving many hours on a catamaran to see the Upsala and Speghazzini glaciers on Lake Argentina. We were transported to Puerto Bandera in a small van and then embarked on the boat. More…
Perito Moreno glacier (aka tons of frozen fresh water) continued
Post by Ella I think when we get to Cordoba on Wednesday, we will have more reliable internet. For now, in El Calafate, downloading photos is awfully slow. So, this will be in bits and pieces. As we twisted our way towards the glacier on the narrow road, our driver, Nicklaus, stopped once to point…
Tons of frozen water
Post by Ella Here are a few facts. The Perito Moreno Glacier is 250 km2 (97 sq mi), 30 km (19 mi) in length, and is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes. This ice field is the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water. Up until recently it was holding its own,…
Calafate no es caliente
Post by Grubb Mosquitoes won’t bother us here. In the windy low-40s, it’s knit cap time. Driving in from the small airport with stark brown hills to the east and barren flatlands to the west, I felt like I might be back in New Mexico somewhere around Carlsbad. Only there weren’t any trees. Nada. Zip….
Next stop: Patagonia
Patagonia is the southernmost region of Argentina. The jumping off point for those making the Antarctic expedition. El Calafate is our destination. From here we will take a couple of day trips for some up close glacier explorations. From the balmy, big, bustling city to the little town in the cold desert (40° here right…
Perfect acoustics
Post by Ella After 20 years of construction, the Teatro Colon opened with the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi on May 25, 1908. Since then, every opera season begins with an opera by Verdi. Italian Carrara marble, Venitian stucco, stained glass ceilings, 24-carat gold leaf, huge chandeliers (now filled with LED bulbs). Stunning. We took…
If I were to use a pay phone
Post by Grubb. I’d run down to the Recoleta gallery that has this object standing against the wall in the hallway.
Random photos
Post by Ella. Today we visited Western Union for a cash infusion, then on to Teatro Colon. But more on those later. Here are some random photos of the streets of Buenos Aires.
No mystery here
Post by Grubb. The first museum we hit yesterday—MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) led us out of our neighborhood past some embassies to a busy boulevard by a park. (When I mention boulevards in this city I’m talking six lanes of traffic and a symphony of horns.) MALBA is large and modern…
Cooking with fire
Post by Ella. Last night’s late night shenanigan was an Asado masterclass. Trigger warning: lots of food photos. Asado is both a way of cooking (primarily grilling) and a social event where family and friends enjoy an Asado meal. There is a wood fired grill fed by, of all things, a wood fire. Within the wood…
Tangolitry
Post by Grubb. The band takes its place on the stage in the corner of the Belle Epoque restaurant. Par can lights angled above dark red curtains pick out the white haired band leader ready to pounce on the keys of his grand piano. Upstage next to the piano, a tall thin man prepares to…
Yo, Miguel!
Post by Grubb. Yesterday on our street art ramble the first mural across the road from where we met up with our guide featured a friend of mine from Albuquerque on an elongated skateboard. He’s the face in the middle with a bird on his tongue. The cherubic putto figure in the left with the…