We arrived in Bariloche just before Easter and the town was getting ready for its Easter celebrations. Bariloche sits in the Argentinian Lake District and has a distinct Alpine feel to it, and indeed the wealth associated with the Alpine states of Europe, in contrast with Patagonia.

The big industry in Bariloche, apart from servicing the tourism industry in the summer for walking round the lakes and in the winter the ski season, is chocolate. Indeed with Easter, Bariloche’s obsession with chocolate is the perfect excuse to celebrate even the most spurious connection with chocolate. On Good Friday the town attempted to make the world’s longest chocolate bar in the main street, with all sorts of festivals and parties going on in the surrounding streets. We are not sure whether they succeeded, but all indications were favourable.   The main street had lots of chocolate shops and the local children were furnished with rabbit ears as a marketing ploy for the various local chocolate brands.

The main square by the Town Hall had a wooden hut where the children could meet the Easter Bunny. There was also a free concert in the Square on the Saturday playing lots of English style guitar rock music, which is by far the most popular music genre in Argentina.

Bariloche’s Apline influence is also reflected in the number of craft breweries that have developed in recent years. Indeed most of the bars serve a wide variety of ales, often English, American or Germanic styles that compare favourably with the many artisan bars back in Europe.

The surrounding lakes are incredibly picturesque, none more so than Cerro Campanario, where there is a 500 metre climb up to a 360 degree viewpoint over the surrounding lakes and mountains. The climb was surprisingly tough when compared to some of our earlier bigger hikes, probably made difficult by the numerous tree roots on the hike.

Date: 29/03/2018 to 01/04/2018