Adventures in Salzburg

Well, here we are in picturesque Salzburg, surrounded by gorgeous churches and castles. There is a river flowing through the center of the town, and weve been running and walking by it on the path, which is also a part of the excellent and extensive bike system. The streets are classically narrow and lined with little cafes and bars... in short, its everything Europe is supposed to be. We took a walk up to Franzischlossl (I think Im spelling that more or less right...), english translation St. Francis Castle, perched on top of a steep hill in the middle of town.
Having lots of fun, despite our distinct lack of German. Most people can speak at least a little english, and besides a few harried moments in the train station, we´ve been able to find our way around alright.

Will post again soon.

Cam and Kate

Just about to head out...

Well. We fly out tommorow at 10:20 pm, to Frankfurt. Lots to do before then though. Probably won't get a lot of sleep...
For a map of where we're going:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=105691858592772507987.000464cfbe2636cbd09c1

Will try to post fairly regularly throughout...

Home at last

We are home and safe, after getting in at about 12 pm yesterday, Emilie was kind enough to come and pick us up from the airport. The trip totalled 29 hours, with a 6 hour time zone change. We did however manage to grab about 8 hours in a hotel in Mexico City. 

Definitely a little bit dazed yesterday, but we decided to try out our new mate cup, which ironically was the first time we had done the mate properly since Amy and Simon showed us how. Wow, that stuff packs a kick. Now I know how the Argentine's get by without sleep.

Upon getting home I discovered that the internet didn't work, which, as I discovered this morning, was due to the wire leading downstairs to the router having been chewed through by something... damn rodents. With a ton of homework hanging over my head, this did not make for a good morning. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to the homework. Will get photos up soon.

Last days in BA

After the most luxurious busride yet, they even gave us a half decent night cap (mmm... scotch), we arrive in the now roasting city. This time we decide not to try to brave the public transit system, so we pay 30 pesos for a Remise (slightly better than a cab). The hostel we´ve been staying in, Telmotango, is one of the biggest and very nice, a bit of breakfast while we await our rooms...
The last couple of days are essentially walking around the city, until I´m totally sick of it, and until we succumb to the heat and return to the hostel to sleep with the window and door open and the fan on full. It´ll be nice to get back to the cool/cold climate we´re used to. In fact, we´re getting a bit homesick, and are happy to be getting back to the grind.
I´ll put up a bunch more pictures at THIS LINK, when I´m back at home.

Looking forward to the next 24 hours on the plane and in airports, including a 12 hour layover in Mexico City. What we won´t do to save a couple of $$.

Web Album link

More photos.

And my turn to add a bit to the blog. We´re definitely enjoying 

ourselves, but we also find ourselves looking forward to the 

routine of our normal life, and the cold. Definitely too warm to 

sleep as well here. Lots of great quirky things about Argentina 

have made me start to think that living overseas for a year

or two might be a good thing... even with a kid... The world is 

a big place, and it´s nice to have a bit of perspective, although 

it would also be nice to be able to speak the language better. 

Maybe an english speaking country next... or french ;-)

Anyway, Kate pretty much said everything else.

Mendoza

In Mendoza now, which is a whole new level of warm. Whoever designed the city, however, was brilliant. There´s a series of aquaducts throughout the city that water the trees that line pretty much every street. So really you can walk around most of Mendoza without dying of heat stroke. Nice bonus for temparate folks such as ourselves. Went wine touring through the Maipu wine region on bikes. We went with a very international crowd from our hostel. Went to 3 wineries, a chocolate maker (divine), and a olive oil producer. By the end of the afternoon the red wine was losing its appeal in the 30 degree weather. Then the guy who owned the bike rental place shared his own wine with us... and very generous with his portions he was. Then we went back to the hostel and drank more wine. Fortunately it´s cheap here. Went hiking up at Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak in S. America the past few days. Only made it to the first base camp, altitude is not our friend. I (Kate) was gasping for air if I walked up about 10 steps. Not too pleasant. Well worth it though. Had to pay to use the toilets... which isn´t so bad considering you had to carry your own excrement if we went any higher. The joys. The days were mild, but night time was a little on the freezing side. Really wishing for big puffy down jackets. We fairly ran down the mountain in the morning so we didn´t freeze to death, dodging big mule packs that carry supplies along the way. Stayed in a hostel in Los Penitentes, about 10km from the mountain base, for one night. As it turned out, we were the only people in the hostel. Penitentes is a ski resort that is fairly dead teh rest of the year. We met all of 2 people there. Now back in Mendoza and the heat. Planning to leave for Buenos Aires tomorrow night in our ¨suite class¨ seats. We´re going all out for our last bus trip.

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Rafting and Hiking

Well, we´re back in Bariloche and getting ready to head off to Mendoza for some wine tours. The last couple days have been fantastic, the rafting trip, with it´s huge Asado (grilled beef) lunch, and great people, was followed by a good night of drinking with an Irish farmer and his new wife, who´s a large animal vet. The next morning was a little rough, I don´t think they really get the whole draft beer thing here, and I suspect the pipes weren´t clean.
We went for a bicycle ride once our hangovers were done, which was nerve wracking, and an experience I´d rather not relive. There was no room, and the cars drive close and fast. I also picked up a new fly rod, and got ready to head for the hills.
A relatively short 2 hour hike, after convincing the cab driver to go back into the gravel roads, and I´m fishing. Unfortunately, I think I´m too far up river, as there is no sign of any fish, but it´s still totally beautiful. The next day, we head back towards the mouth of the river, where a passer by said there were more fish. It was busy, as it was close to the road, but there were definitley some fish, and I even caught one, despite my poor technique.
A slightly harrowing crowded ride back, and we´re going to jump on the bus, having had no shower for the last few days... look out fellow passengers. Will try to upload pics in Mendoza.