Lakes District in Chile

We have spent almost two wonderful weeks in Chilean Patagonia.  It's been a time to recharge and rest, but we've interspersed that with a volcano climb (Ruby will post about that soon) and a strenuous hike in a national park to see Monkey Puzzle Trees.  

This region has a strong German history, which means we've been eating kuchen and driving through terrain that looks like a mix of Bavaria and the Pacific Northwest.  Think cows, fog, green fields, and tidy towns with one story houses and wide streets.  Incongruously, there are massive volcanoes everywhere.  Also, bluish purple hydrangea grow abundantly, giving the area a fancy Hamptons-like feel.  I've never met so many Spanish speaking people named Heinz.  In short, nothing here feels like Latin America.  

Today, we woke up late at our cabaña on a small lake.  The master bedroom has a sweet view of Volcan Osorno.

After a few hours of school work and violin, we headed out for a drive.  We picked up empanadas at the good kuchen place in Puerto Varas.  Happiness -- we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffee and doughnuts.

We made it to Lago de los Todos Santos, described as the most beautiful lake in Chile.  A daily ferry crosses the blue/green waters to Argentina.

Taking airborne photos of each other seemed like just the thing to do.

After devouring our empanadas and a tasty potato/cheese creation, we booked back to town to make a medical appointment for Ruby.  The German Clinic in Puerto Varas is, well, very German.  Ruby's doctor was across the street from this fancy dentist.  I don't have a good photo of her doc's office.  He's an otorrinolaringologo.  (Bonus for anyone who knows what that is!)

We successfully navigated our first doctor's visit in Spanish.  Language obstacles aside, the most surprising thing was the custom of kissing your doctor on the way in and out!  

All is well, and we are now back at our place awaiting dinner.  (This part of Chile resembles Germany, but it follows an Italian schedule: breakfast at 9, lunch at 2, and dinner at 9.  Strangely for early fall, sunrise is at 8, and sunset at 9:30.)

Tomorrow, we join our group for one week rafting the Rio Futalafeu.  Can't wait!