There's something very nice about waking up knowing, for a change, that a definite plan is in place for the day, rather than spending hours trying to decide a course of action. Once we battle through all the children and actually get some coffee and toast for breakfast (and a banana), we ready ourselves for another 11km walk. This time to beer!
Unlike our last serious walk, this one has an end goal. Most urban buses here require a magnetised card for travel, and you need to pre-pay at the station. We only topped up enough to get to and from the hostel. Not enough to take us 11km out of town to the Blest micro-brewery. Not to worry however, as a good walk will help us rack up a thirst and appetite!
It is another cloudless and hot day in Bariloche. More SPF 50 for the top of my head...
Just off the road are an endless variety of accommodation options, often halfway up the hill. Great views, but how does one get there?
The Chocolate Museum. As I have pointed out, Europeans might be a little underwhelmed by what is going on here. I got a small sample in a couple of shops. The Belgians are definitely all over this.
The Blest brewpub is at 11.5KM out of Bariloche and along the lakeshore road. Helpfully it is posted with signs to let you know how far you've come, though sometimes they can be a little discouraging, especially when you think you've walked 4 km, when in fact its only been 2.
A triumvirate of amusing licence plates or pub names.
We stopped at this little pub for lunch, exactly at the 5.5km sign. Not only did we get some excellent empanadas and a big bottle (or two) of Quilmes, but as soon as all the other customers left the owner put some AC/DC on the stereo and cranked it up! We were loving it! It was one of those moments you want to brag about on Facebook, if you've got an account on Facebook. And Wi-Fi.
Ummmm....
The Final Destination. Somewhat strange to be offered a mix of German and Irish cuisines, given that neither country is really noted for its restaurant-style food...
We get a seat in the beer garden. We notice the inside looks quite interesting, so we go in there instead..
Not that impressed with this collection of Irish pub exteriors taken at a time when the Proclaimers were clearly some sort of fashion influence.
Ok, so Blest wins some major points for providing for the best micro-brew beers we have had in South America, wonderful balanced beers with clear character. The beermat decoration was also fantastic, and had we been able to get our hands on some pens (and beermats) we would have left our mark.
Sadly it was all let down a bit that the whole building was rammed with tourists about an hour after we arrived. We had one of those 'Oh! Where did all these people come from?' moments. The standard of service deteriorated significantly when it became clear we were only here to drink the beers and not eat any delicious wurst-with-brambly-apple, or whatever their curious fusion food was. Eventually we just gave up trying to get another pint and took a taxi back to the town centre. Can't complain too much, as six pints cost us less than a tenner (thank you Happy Hour) but still. You have to take these places seriously if they are going to become internationally renowned.
Back at the hostel we tidy ourselves up and catch up on correspondence, but at a cost, as our blood sugars drop late in the day. We drag ourselves out to a cafe, where we get stung with the midnight-closing policy again, and trail ourselves back to the hostel for a much needed sleep.
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