Bariloche

"Wow look at him! He´s HUGE and gorgeous!!!" I said to Chris.
"He´s alright" Chris said with a hint of disinterest.
"Well I think he is absolutely gorgeous!" I replied bursting with excitement as I set eyes on the robust, and obviously well groomed male.
A lady with a red and white ski jacket obviously sensing my excitement popped up next to me out of nowhere, and said "You can touch him if you want to".
"Really?" I replied.
"Sure go ahead, his name is Julio" said the ski jacketed lady.
I hadn´t been able to take my eyes off Julio since I spotted him, but it wasn´t up till now that I noticed a bored look on his face. He sat lazily on the park bench looking as cheesed off as a teenager at a family gathering, whilst his friends partied in Ibiza unsupervised.
If only he could crack open the bottle of whisky around his neck I´m sure he´d down the whole damn thing in one gulp. But then Julios paws didn´t have opposable thumbs, and so he was destined to sit there sober all day waiting to pose for a photo with the ocasional tourist.
Julio (a huge Saint Bernard pooch) is probably a signature item in Bariloche, he tipifies the town.
Bariloche is trying to be an alpine European-looking place, and it managed it fairly well. It is warm, cosy, and its streets are linned with the most amazing leather boutiques, wine cellars, and delicatessens. And lets not forget the chocolate shops. There are hundreds of them, they all becon you inn with their free tastings, sweet smells, and glass shelves stacked with pyramids of the most tempting chocolate creations.
Baroliche also has more than its fair share of bars and restaurants, log fires feature in most of them which is much appreciated here as the cold air bites you on the cheeks savagely here.
It´s a lovely town and I am really looking forward to going back for a few days after Cerro Catedral. In the mean time all I have to remind me of Bariloche is a half eaten box of chocolates I brought up with me, and...the memory of Julios´ sweet slobbery face :o)

Sam x