Adios, Bariloche

Friday morning, I skipped class (gasp) and Paco skipped the Jardín to run some last minute errands and also because Paco and I both had colds. The reality, too, was that I just was not that interested in 2 more hours with Nadina. In end, we got along well, but I found her love of the language was not that of previous teachers I had. We tended to chat instead of talking grammar, which is what I was really hoping to do.

We discovered our flight was late and hung out at Gisela's for an extra hour before Gisela took us to the airport. Gisela was just a wonderful hostess for us and both Steve and I think we will be back. I found Bariloche less than enchanting. But I would go back just to hang out at Gisela's. It was her hospitality and her long time housekeeper/nanny/woman of magic made us feel so spoiled. Marissa made our beds everyday (I just threw the covers up, she actually made them). We had our own bathroom and Marissa dis most of our laundry. We felt so well looked after we hated to leave. And we were coming from the Llao Llao!

We flew out of Bariloche to El Calafate with a small delay. In true Argentine fashion, we were again pulled out of line to board first. Steve sat near the window and stared out as we flew into El Calfate. The Andes were stunning for sure and one could even see a Glacier or two out the window. The hilarious part is that I was on the aisle, there was a connection to Ushuaia that people were barely going to make. So those people ran up to the front the minute the wheels were on the ground. But then, I practically got trampled by two very aggressive people, who were waiting the same 30 minutes for their luggage that we were.

The taxi the the hotel had sent was very kind, and we piled all our stuff in and headed to Calafate. The hotel sits on a hill with a view of the town. The centro, which is not terribly large, is an easy 15 minute walk. Steve booked downtown to book our boat for Saturday and his mini-trek for Sunday. We met him a few minutes later. After learning that Paco was too young for the glacier walk, (one has to be 10), we found a lovely restaurant (ok, not found, it was in Frommer's) called La Cocina. As well, it had a British couple with a little 2.5 year old and they gave me some pointers for activities with Paco.

Tomorrow the boat tour!