The town of Bariloche is located in an impossibly beautiful setting. Nestled on the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi the town stretches up the hillside towards snow capped peaks. The huge lake is dotted with islands and inlets where small hamlets of pine clad houses are nestled between the trees, providing the loveliest of vistas.
The main square with its alpine style buildings.
Your typical Alpine rescue dog.
Haunting protest graffiti highlighting the people who “disappeared” under Pinochet.
It serves as the premier ski destination in South America with chair lifts snaking up the mountainsides and the chalet style buildings, snowy peaks and deep blue waters give the town the air of a European Alpine resort.
Sunset over Lago Nahuel Huapi.
A restaurant near our hostel made from cypress trees. Reminds me of Hobbiton.
Another reason for this is the tasty treat that the town is famous for. If you want to find chocolate heaven in Argentina then Bariloche is the place to come. The streets are lined with chocolate shops of all sizes, tempting you in with their delicious wares. The air even smells of chocolate! Your taste buds seem to take over your brain when in town, and not wanting to seem rude we just had to sample the varieties on offer.
The history of chocolate here is as old as the history of the first European settlers to the region in the late 19th- and early 20th- centuries. Looking for a better life they left their homes and started anew in the wilds of Patagonia. Fortunately the climate here was not too dissimilar to their home lands and with time they flourished in their new country. They brought with them their traditions which can be seen in the places names, architecture and dishes of the region. Here in Bariloche their skill in chocolate making can be traced through the Chocolate museum run by Havannah, one of the many chocolate companies in town.
Being chocoholics, we just had to visit and enjoyed the tour as much as the free tastings.
Jon very excited about our visit to the chocolate museum.
A model of a cocoa plant. We saw the real thing in the Amazon!
The Inca chocolate recipe book.
Life size animals made from 100% chocolate.
Jon enjoying the free samples…almost too much!
Wary of too much of a good thing we decided to check out the town’s other attractions, the hills and mountains so on with the hiking boots and off we went.
Some of the chocolate brands.
Mamuschka – red, Russian, matryoshka dolls logo, our favourite by far. Their truffles were amazing!
Turista – big company, like a department store. We also saw their stores in Ushuaia. Germany style with dolls dressed in lederhosen.
Rapanui – meaning Easter Island, connection with chocolate and Bariloche? No idea! Still the chocolate was nice.
Abuela Goye – means grandmother in Spanish, see cute and jolly logo. They have a rustic cafe that sells fantastic cakes too.
Giving the chocolate some love.
One of many cakes consumed during our trip!
Kirstperson 