The Lake District anyone?

I bet your thinking Kendal, Keswick, Beatrix Potter, Borrowgates and Lake Windermere

Well you would be wrong we are talking Los Lagos in Chile and whilst it does have a similar feel it is different.

Looking out of the window of the mini bus taking us from the airport to Puerto Varas I thought we had returned to the U.K. green fields, trees and herds of cows merrily munching the lush grass, then as we entered the town and dropped down towards the lake there they were, two snow topped volcanoes as a backdrop to the sparkling water reminding me we were still in Chile.

Lago Llanquihue was our lake of choice and in Puerto Varas we had found a nice guest house in an area of the town known as the Monumentos Nacionales area where a refurbishment project is currently underway to restore the original buildings and as you walk around you get a sense of being in a German alpine town.

The lakes are numerous small settlements established about 120 years ago by an influx of Austrian/German immigrants who were obviously reminded of their Alpine homelands and began recreating home, their architectural heritage can still be seen in the buildings around the town and the number of German restaurants.

We took a walk along the lakeside and discovered an artisans tent full of stalls selling the usual local crafts, jams, knitted products ranging from socks to ponchos but the stall I fell in love with was selling a range of quality wooden products for pennies, back home they would cost a fortune unfortunately all to big and heavy to carry in a case. We also came across what I thought was a plastic bag on the shore line, zooming in with my camera I realised that it was a bedraggled looking egret whom I managed later to catch admiring his reflection in the water. In the evening we sauntered into town where the crowds were gathered to watch what appeared to be the emergency services march by, later we were treated to a band entertaining everyone in the main square, they had a good sound and gave a full on performance.

Taking advantage of the local buses we visited two of the towns further around the lake, Frutillar was our first day trip and we found a very smart beach type lakeside resort. With a curious blend of local housing, schools, churches and businesses mixed in with tourist hotels, restaurants, coffee and gift shops. Frutillars big claim for being modern is they had built themselves a concert hall, the Teatro del LagoSur, right on the lakeside for an annual season of classical music festivities. A big statement of wealth and culture.

Puerto Octay was the second lakeside town we visited. Arriving in a quiet sleepy main square we found a local restaurant where we had lunch then set off to explore the lakeside. A very pretty place, Puerto Octay has somehow ( thankfully) been overlooked by the tourist trade, the people we met were locals just going about their daily lives pottering in their gardens or soaking up the sun by the lake. We did come across a strange looking bird and some great graffiti which i just had to photograph.

6 thoughts on “The Lake District anyone?”

Diane January 27, 2018 at 9:14 am

Yes, love this area maybe because it is just so green with snow capped mountains. We need pics of you again and of course the must have item you couldn’t get in your suitcase!

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1. stephtruman1 Post authorJanuary 27, 2018 at 4:59 pm
  
  Sorry Di didn’t take any photos of the coveted items and as for photos of ourselves we don’t take that many as more interested in capturing our surroundings. Didn’t you like the one of Charlie playing the piano? Xxx
  
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Diane January 28, 2018 at 7:58 pm

Yes, spotted the impresario, obviously waiting for a page turner to show up. Are you missing home and a comfy bed yet?

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1. stephtruman1 Post authorJanuary 30, 2018 at 10:49 am
  
  Nope not missing a thing but watch this space as we are thinking of hiring a camper van in New Zealand. Can you believe it has been nearly a month since we left Blighty?
  
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Cheryl January 28, 2018 at 8:07 pm

The locals don’t seem impressed by Charlies piano playing. Like the street art Banksy isn’t the only one with talent. The difference of scenery from your last lot of pics is amazing. Is the food still uninspiring? How hot does it get during the day ?

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1. stephtruman1 Post authorJanuary 30, 2018 at 10:45 am
  
  Food still not inspiring though the salmon and hake are good,you do get massive portions and the other day I tried a local dish which was a mix of chips, pork,chorizo,sausage,egg,cheese,pickled veg topped with mayonnaise on bread tried my best but had hardly made a dent in it.
  Weather in the south cooler than the north but still hot like a good British summers day.
  
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