Guest blogger: Patricia and her special place in the world

 Para leer esta entrada en español, hacer clic aquí.

view of the lakes and mountains from the top of Mt. Campanario, Bariloche.

Since many of those reading this blog have asked me in the past to post about Patagonia, I thought that there was no one better qualified to tell you about this distant and beautiful region of my country than my friend, Patricia Sgrignuoli.
Patricia, author of  Notas y relatos de viajes - viajando por Patagonia (in Spanish with English translation tool), lived all her life in the city of Buenos Aires, but ever since she was a little girl she had a dream: to live in PATAGONIA one day.
Currently, Patricia and her husband are preparing to move to their new home in one of the most beautiful corners of Patagonia, the  place that has always been *her* place in the whole wide world.
Here is the story of how she fell in love with this region of Argentina, and how her dream of one day living there, is now coming true.

Patagonia - My place in the world... 
by Patricia Sgrignuoli

Snow-shoeing in the forest in Tierra del Fuego.

I was very pleased when my friend Aledys invited me to write a post in her blog about one of the most beautiful,  magical and far-off parts of my country - Argentinean Patagonia  -  and the story of why I believe it is "my place in the world". It is not easy to express in words the emotions that this place always inspires in me, but I think that after reading these lines and looking at the photos you will understand how I feel.

This is my story:

I was twelve years old when my parents took me for the first time to Bariloche, a city at the foot of the Andes, during the summer holidays. I can still remember the view we had from our cottage window: the intense blue colour of the Nahuel Huapi lake, the mountains in the distance ... While trying to take in that breathtaking view of the surroundings, I remember thinking to myself how nice it would be one day to live in that place.

Riding on a sled pulled by huskies in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego

A few years later we came back, but this time during the winter. I had my first experience in the cold weather of the south and it was also the first time I got in contact with snow. I liked it so much that, right there and then, I decided that I wanted to live in Patagonia when I was older! Along the years I kept going back to the south again and again; and each time I would grow fonder of its landscapes, its wildlife, its people... and that is how my long-standing romance with Patagonia started.

Lago Caviahue, province of Neuquén.

Many years went by while I was studying and working, until finally, I managed to save enough money to make a dream of mine come true: going on a ski holiday to La Hoya, a resort near Esquel, in the northwest of the province of Chubut.
To get there I had to travel for 24 hours on a bus, making a total of 2,000 kilometres, which is the distance between the city of Buenos Aires and Esquel.

I went on practising ski for a number of years, and that is how I got to see places of the Patagonia like Chapelco (near San Martín de los Andes in the province of Neuquén) with its beautiful beech forests. I also visited the Atlantic coast of Patagonia: Puerto Madryn, a place with stunning beaches and skies so clear  that you can see the stars and spot satellites as well. There, the Valdés Península, is a natural marvel with an amazingly rich wildlife like there is not anywhere else on the planet. The highlight of my trip to this beautiful place was the sighting of whales out in the sea, who just a few metres from the shore, seemed to be following our walk along the beach with curiousity.

Images of Caviahue in the province of Neuquén.

A few years later, together with a friend, I decided to do something a bit more adventurous and we set out to travel across the vast Patagonian steppelike plains. After an entire day on a bus traversing the rough and desertic landscape of  Patagonia, we finally reahed our destination - the spectacular Perito Moreno glacier, situated in the province of Santa Cruz. This was an unforgettable experience!

After I got married, my husband and I travelled to a place that we had never heard of before - Villa Pehuenia, a small village on the shores of Aluminé lake and at the foot of an extinct volcano. Mt. Batea Mahuida has been inactive for millions of years and a deep blue lake with volcanic sandy beaches was formed in the dormant crater of the volcano. Also, a very peculiar tree, the araucaria or pehuén (as the original inhabitants of the region, the mapuches, call it) grows in this remote place of the northern Patagonia.

Mascardi lake near the city of Bariloche, Rio Negro.

We both fell in love with this place and as of that moment we started seriously considering the possibility of moving there in the near future. This was a big step and we had to think carefully if we really wanted to leave behind the big city and start a new and completely different life in Patagonia. There were too many aspects to take into account, since in Patagonia life is not altogether easy: in the winter there are constant power cuts and fuel shortage; and sometimes the heavy snowstorms leave whole towns completely cut off from civilization... Despite all these problems that are logical in such a remote place, we finally made up our minds and decided that we wanted to make a home in Patagonia.

images from Bariloche, in the province of Rio Negro.

We made one more trip after we decided to change our lifestyle and move away from the big city: we travelled to the end of the world, to the city of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the whole hemisphere. Ushuaia is ....

beautiful and majestic; mystical and unique; mysterious and magnificent; colourful and magical ... So many words can be used to describe this place, but to me it is simply where nature, adventure and legend come together at the end of the world...

When I wrote these words I had Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego) in mind, but the description suits the whole region of Patagonia perfectly. In this remote part of the country, there are no (or very few) shopping centres, no huge lights or big cities; but also, there is neither violence nor pollution... just endless plains, green valleys, mountains and lakes; clear skies and pure deep blue waters; above all, there is silence and peace.

After so many years travelling across the Patagonia, the little girl who fell in love with those beautiful landscapes so long ago, will be hopefully celebrating her 50th birthday next year in her new home in Patagonia, just as she dreamed so long ago. Very soon, my husband and I will be starting our new life in a small town in the northwest of the province of Chubut: Lago Puelo - a place where Mother Nature is mistress of all and which , for my husband and me, will become our place in the world....

How you imagined Argentina: the one where I answer your comments and questions.

Sunrise at "Cordón del Plata", in the Andes mountains (Mendoza, Argentina).

I would like to start by wishing you a fantastic year 2010 and I hope you all had fun during the holidays! Now all the Season's glitter is over, the Three Kings came all the way from the Far East and left their presents (or not), the Christmas tree and decorations are gone ... and we are just left with the long winter days and maybe even with a little overweight after all those special meals we have been having? (sigh...)

And now keeping the promise I made to those of you who were so kind as to visit my post Imagining Argentina, here are my answers to your comments, questions and remarks:

buday said...

Oh, I was answering in my mind! Maradona, Messi, tango, Buenos Aires, beef (lots of it!), cowboys, del Potro (oh, Rafa!), it's at end of South America and is a VERY large country, Cordoba (hehe), Spanish is spoken, Evita, even more beef!

And I've never been there! (Sigh.)

BTW, your father looks like he danced a mean tango when he was younger. Coolness. :)

You got all that right, buday - except for the part about my father; you see, he was never much of a dancer, not even when he was young, apparently! My mother was, though...
And yes, you should know about Juan Martin del Potro, right? He beat your Rafael Nadal in the US Open last year!

Sandra said...

Argentina is in South America, Capital Buenos Aires, Spanish Language, Tango, Astor Piazolla, Evita Peron, Videla dictatorship, Maxima is from Argentina, dolce de leche, Iguaçu Park, Maradona,...

Great idea, Aledys!I want to know more :)
Besos :)

I was glad to read that you recognised Astor Piazolla! He is world-known as a composer but unfortunately, he's no longer among us...
I was also surprised that you knew about Videla and the dictatorship - a very sad and dark part of our recent history.

oranjeflamingo said...

Fortunately, I had answers for most of the questions, but I'm really looking forward to seeing and learning more from someone actually there! I've never been, but would love to go someday. The beef, alone, is enough to make me want to go! ;) A couple of my mother's cousins moved there from Scotland many many many years ago, but the family lost touch with them, unfortunately.

So, my friend, you are a beefeater! Well then, definitely Argentina is the place to go... On average, each person consumes about 70kg of beef a year in my country, which I think is the highest consumption rate in the world.
You should probably trace down those cousins of yours! You might get an invitation to visit them and you can go and see, ehem, I mean taste for yourself!

A g g i e Lap said...

My answers: no, I haven't yet been there | Located in South America | Spanish is spoken | Buenos Aires is the capital, and Cordoba is not another well known city | I know the mate tea, empanadas and dulce de leche I know the Iguazu Falls are famous and I had heard of la cordilla de Cordoba (I think) | music: I know a very famous Argentinean lady singer died at the age of 66 (I thinkg) a couple of weeks ago and that the president declared the day mourning day, but I don't recall her name, but I know so because it was in the Dutch news incl. newspapers | other celebrities: Evita, Maradona...euhh, who else, oh yeah: MAXIMA!! | what I recently heard of here in NL: Argentina qualified for 2010 World Cup | maybe to know more about Cordoba and other towns/cities in the future, since travel programmes focus more on Argentina. Great questionnaire, btw! :)

Wow, you are one of the best in the class! You sure know mate tea, but have you tried drinking it the traditional way yet? I would like to see you do that!
You have probably heard about the hills of Córdoba - I have posted myself a couple of pictures from there on this blog; plus, it is where I come from!
The lady that you were talking about was Mercedes Sosa, a popular singer of native music originally from the north of Argentina. She died recently and the news was on many European stations and newspapers since she was rather well-known.
Travel programmes in general, tend to focus more on Buenos Aires, the capital; or Patagonia and Iguazú, which are very popular tourist areas of the country, but not so much on Córdoba - so I'll have to do that part here in this blog!


JaPRA said...

Ok, I admit. I failed that test. I think I recognized three people in the line up (including Princess Maxima?). I love Empanadas, Argentinean steak (with chimichurri)... and yo hablo un poquito Espanol. I wish I could tango.

I would love to see more photos, of course. I hope you are having a lovely time!

But that's not failing, not at all! Yes, Princess Máxima was in one of the photos, she is Argentinean-born, as you probably know. You've had empanadas and Argentinean steak with chimichurri in Texas? That must be a brave man/woman, the one who dares to open an Argentinean steakhouse in ... Texas?
I'm sure there are some tango schools in your area, should you be interested some day! I've seen them even in small towns here in the Netherlands. After a couple of lessons you might be dancing like this:

Vagamundos said...

Hola Aledys. Well, we belong to the disqualified group :) We would never recognize Evita, we never saw Maradona (Pablo Aimar´s idol) play neither Astor performing ;) Puerto Madero??? Does it have good restaurants? If we had been there we would recommend El Campo ;)
Cordaba we don´t know at all so that´s what we want you to show us :)
Enjoy your holydays at the beautifull Argentina.
Besos

You've been Googling for all that information, haven't you?! That's called cheating! Now you have to write 1.000 times, "The parrillada in Argentina, is the best in the whole world." "The parrillada in Argentina, is the best in the whole world." "The parrillada in Argentina, is the best in the whole world." "The parrillada in Argentina, is the best ..."

A "parrillada" that I enjoyed during my last trip to Argentina.

M.Eugenia said...

Qué genial este post, se muchas mas cosas de las que pensaba... la foto del dulce de leche me ha hecho recordar la primera vez que lo probé, fue el día de la fiesta de la primavera en Buenos Aires.
.........Tengo que volver.
Saludos

I still have to read your account of your trip to Buenos Aires! You celebrated the beginning of the spring (21st September) there? Did you go to a picnic in Palermo? I would like to read about that!


Droomvla said...

How about a picture of Patagonia? Someday.... I'm going to see that place. Someday! hahahaha

About the pictures, Evita, Maradona, Maxima (of course! lol), Che Guevarra??? (I thought he was Cuban), tango, bandeneon (bandoneon?), Astor Piazolla (I have CDs hehehe)...

The Patagonia argentina is certainly one of the most beautiful places on earth. I don't have any pictures from there - not from the digital era, at least - and the photos I do have, are in Córdoba, so I don't have them with me here.
Luckily, I have a couple of friends who have been to several places in Patagonia and have lots of wonderful pictures. Here are some of them:

©Patricia Sgrignuoli. Salto del Agrio, in the province of Neuquén, northern Patagonia (Argentina).

©Ramón Tello. Perito Moreno glacier in the province of Santa Cruz, southern Patagonia (Argentina).

©Ramón Tello. Whale-sighting in Península Valdés in the province of Chubut (Argentina).


©Miguel Nonay. Wale-sighting in Puerto Madryn in the province of Chubut (Argentina).
©Miguel Nonay. Isla de los Lobos in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina).

Anita said...

More photos from Calafate, Bariloche and pls pls pls: Ushuaia !!

I'm planning on visiting Bariloche this year when I go to Argentina to visit my family. I hope I'll be able to go - it's a bit too far from Córdoba, where I normally stay - about 1600 km. But it's one of my favourite places in Argentina and I definitely would like my husband to see it. The same goes for Calafate and Ushuaia. My parents lived in the latter for two years when they were just married.
I have a friend, Patricia, who recently went to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, or "the End of the World" as they call it. Here is a preview of what she saw there:

©Patricia Sgrignuoli, Ushuaia, in the Province of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina).

If you want to read her account of her trip to Ushuaia (and you speak Spanish, too!), you can visit her thread Ushuaia, Fin del Mundo o Principio de Todo, in the Skyscraper Page Forum.


Xoán-Wahn said...

It's a good thing I knew the answers to all of those questions, otherwise a lot of people would have been very angry with me! Great post, as always!

One thing, though: 'home-made dulce de leche' This just made me hate you a little! How lucky! I LOOOOOVE dulce de leche. I grew up on the stuff, which is odd now that I think about it. Argentine empanadas were also always a staple in my house. The only thing I haven't tasted is mate. I suppose that's as good an excuse as any to catch a flight down to Buenos Aires!

Well, Xoan, I am sure you can get dulce de leche over there! Or if you want to make your own, you'll find the recipe in my blog entry A Taste of Home: .... I just found out by reading your blog that you are an accomplished chef, so this should be easy as ... eating dulce de leche for you!


Sol said...

Hola Aledys
No creo que sea justo que desde Lujan Bs.As. participe de esta MARAVILLOSA encuesta.
Agradezco que haya personas COMO VOS que hagan conocer a nuestro país de la forma FABULOSA que lo hiciste en este post y en TODO tu blog!
Aprovecho para desearte una MUY LINDA estadia y que pases unos dias ESTUPENDOS junto a tus seres queridos!
Saludos
Sol

Thanks a lot, Sol! Very kind and nice words...



thamarai said...

hey I knew at least 70% of the answers to your question..:)..I hope you are having loads of fun visiting family and friends...one of my friends is Argentinian and he too apologizes every time he says how he misses beef..:D.

Well, you will have to forgive me too, every time I post photos of barbecues or mention beef too!
I'm sorry, thamarai....


Apost(r)illada said...

I guess it's not fair if I participate in this poll... Anyway, great entry! Have heard lotsssssss of things about Máxima here in Netherlands. The funny thing is no one really knows here there!

And who would've known, that just a few weeks after you wrote this, you would actually get to see her in person in Groningen!!!
If anyone is interested in Apost(r)illada's account of her meeting with Princess Máxima, you can find it here. (in Spanish)


A Touch of Dutch said...

Beautiful photos! Enjoy your stay!

1.) I've never been, but would love to one day.

2.) Yes, I know exactly where it is in South America :-) Atlantic side, south on the continent, & I can point at the capital, Buenos Aires.

3.) Español!

4.) Buenos Aires & Cordoba.

5.) Dulce de leche & I can't forget about the steaks!

6.) Patagonia.

7.) I immediately think of the tango, but no particular artists come to mind...

8.) Besides Princess Máxima, Juan and Eva Peron.

9.) I remember hearing especially on the news about the Falkland Islands in the early 1980s.

10.) I've been learning all of the great things via your blog :-) So keep it up!

Wow, Isabella! Together with Aggie, you are among the best students in this class! A star for each of you!


~Lopa said...

To be honest, i had read this post yesterday, but i was ashamed of myself as didn't know answer of many of questions put here, putting a que for myself if i know nothing about this beautiful country more than it's name ! But then i realised, but now through your blog I am getting to know it better, and that is awesome...so I am back to read it again...Thanks :)

That's the idea, Lopa! We can learn lots of things through our blogs. I surely need to learn more about your country, too...


EFRUTIK said...

1. South America, most likely I could point it out
2. Sultry Spanish
3.Buenos Aires, of course
4.Dulce de Leche!!!!!! Empanadas, yum, yum, yum. But I want the MEAT!!!!!
5.Not really
6.Tango, actually a story here. My b/f and I last year went to a free Tango session at our Uni., not to brag but I was told by the instructor that I have a future in the dance if I practiced. Sadly, my schedule was so busy we never went back :(. Argentine Tango dancers performed at our university last year, they were phenomenal!
7.Evita, Diego Maradona!
9.Umm to be honest not any time recent…right now it is all about the health care reform and other political junk. Plus in US to hear any international news you would have to dig or have cable networks, sadly :(

I would like to know how it really is living in Argentina. What people are like, how they are towards foreigners and what kind of immigrants live in Argentina
Does everyone really know how to dance Tango?


Enjoy your lovely vacation :)

Well, I wouldn't call THAT not knowing ANYTHING, EFRUTIK! A pity that you couldn't go on with the tango lessons! Some other time, perhaps...
People are in general, very friendly and open, very much like people from southern Europe are. Immigration in Argentina has been very important - actually, what the country is today, is a direct result of all the immigration we received during the last half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. And no, not everyone can dance tango -which is a dance and a music typical of a very small area of the country, in fact!


Alejandra said...

Hola!!!! qué lindo!!! bueno, te pido disculpas por nopasar a visitarte, pero estoy con falta de tiempo, ahora tengo la pagina de viajes en Facebook, y cada vez me quda menos tiempo!!! Si necesitas fotos, tomalas de mi blog sin problemas!!!
te cuento que hoy o mañana podré un post que te va a encantar!!! el domingo pasado fue en Cañuelas la Fiesta del Dulce de Leche y me acordé de vos, vas a ver qué fotos!!! una delicia!!! besos porteños.

Thanks a lot, Alejandra! I hope you had lots of fun in that Dulce de Leche Festival in Cañuelas, I would have loved to be there!


workhard said...

I barely know anything about argentina except that u can find llamas..What a lovely place!!! The pictures are really beautiful and the food looks delicious...

Actually, I not only saw lots of lamas in my trip to the north of Argentina during my holiday, but also got to feed them in a farm where we stayed for a couple of days! I will be posting the pictures soon. Thanks!


cordobaliving said...

Aledys, I liked this entry very much. And I'm not alone, judging by the large quantity of comments. Congratulations!

Thanks! I hope you will continue to enjoy visiting my blog from time to time!


And thanks a lot to you all for participating in the quiz and leaving your comments!

I would especially like to thank Patricia Sgrignuoli, Ramón Tello and Manuel Nonay for allowing me to use their photos here! By clicking on their names, you can see more of their photos or read about their travels in Argentina. Thanks for your generosity, my friends!