Bariloche From The Top

It always pays to find the highest vantage point to take in a cityscape and figure out the lay of the land. In San Carlos de Bariloche, in Argentina’s northern Patagonia, this place would be Penthouse 1004. We stayed here for a number of days while exploring the Lakes District, settling into their airy, friendly confines on the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi. While we visited a number of years ago, it looks like the young folk who opened this hostel are still at it. I’d return in a second, not only to stay there again, but to go deeper into the vast Patagonian wilderness that surrounds. That, and the quality of light in this area was amazing!

I’ve thought the architecture here in Bariloche is quite unique to the rest of the region, more mid-century, more Mediterranean…? Either way, there’s definitely a European flavour in the city centre, more so I imagine during the ski season when porteños from Buenos Aires flock here for recreation and luxury. See what you think…here are two shots looking SE and SW respectively from the top of 1004.

Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina, 2006.