Everyone we had spoken to who had visited Bariloche said that we would love it and it was a really beautiful place - but we did not know quite what to expect. As we had travelled overnight to get here we missed out on the change in scenery as we crossed from the east coast of Argentina to the Western border with Chile. The beautiful atlantic coastline we left behind, with steep cliffs, crashing waves and fresh sea air had suddenly given way to a scene from the Sound of Music. We could image Julie Andrews giving a rendition of "the hills are alive with the sound of music.........". The town of Bariloche itself is a medium sized town which is beautifully kept in the Alpine tradition, with most of the shops and homes built of the local wood in the chalet style. You could really imagine it in the winter when it is also a major ski resort - snow topped roofs, log fires and hot mulled wine! But in the summer season (which we are approaching) it is the base for trekking and exploring the lakes and national park nearby. So at the moment, it is reminiscent of the Austrian or Swiss Alps. We are completely surrounded by the snow capped peaks of the Cordillera region of the Andes, which sit protectively around the many glacial lakes that dominate this region. The real beauty of the area is in the way it all hangs together - bright, bright sunshine that bounces of the lake and perfectly reflects the vibrant yellow plants (Yellow Gold) that are nurtured on the banks. The weather is warm and the air is crisp and clear. This is as close to an idyllic setting as we have come. The first few days were spent relaxing in the lakeside garden of our hotel, which was a few kilometeres outside the main town. To walk out with the warm morning sun on our skin, on the lush green grass, down rustic wooden steps to the lakeside edge and with the hotels' 3 dogs playfully tagging along, was tranquil to say the least. Chris did get itchy feet though and decided to hire a mountain bike and ride through the forest. The whole area is nestled within the Nahuel Haupi National Park which does a great job of protecting vast tracts of the Patagonian Cordillera and the neighbouring Steppe. The main lake in the area is Nahuel Haupi and Bariloche sits on its south east edge. Covering around 557 square kilometers, it is a vast expanse of (generally) calm water that eventually drains into the Atlantic. It is the centrepiece of the whole park and its beauty is enhanced by the islands, peninsulas and fjord like tentacles that sweep down from the thickly forested border regions. Not satisfied with viewing the lake from the town centre we took a catamaran to a couple of the islands a few hours away, to experience a different side of the Park. Both offered beautiful walks in woodland reminiscent of home on a spring day - sun creeping through the trees, crisp underfoot with recently dropped pinecones and the heady scent of fresh pine. Another of the woodland areas was home to a particular species of tree called the Arrayan - cinnamon in colour and completely smooth and cool to the touch, this was more like the enchanted forest! Whilst Nahuel Huapi is by far the largest, there are many other lakes round and about Bariloche, so for the first time on the trip so far, we decided to hire a car and drive out to see a few for ourselves. The drive was (theoretically) on national routes although two thirds of the journey were on pretty rough roads that left us and the car completley covered in a thin film of white dust - oh how reminiscent of Bolivia! Part of the journey took us through the pampas region - large tracts of land that are covered in green shrubs that from a distance make it look like pasture land (though the funny thing is for a country reknowned for its beef we haven't seen many cows around!). Backed by peaks of volcanic rock with strange names like "gods finger", "the express train" and "the sentry" we left the Swiss feeling behind and entered something more akin to cowboy country. Lake Traful, further on the journey, was just the first of 4 or 5 lakes that we visited that day; all dramaitc in their own way and beautiful to sit beside for a short while. It was great to sit a while and eat lunch in the sunshine by the shores of the lake, waves slowly lapping on the shore and little white boats bobbing on the surf. Of course, the area is now coming into the summer season, and as one of the Argentinas main holiday areas', it will become busier of the next few months. It also functions as the most important ski region in Argentina - with some of the peaks reaching as high as 3,500m and 70km of trails, we can see why. It's just a shame that there isn't more snow and we could have done a bit of ski-ing. One thing that has impressed us is how well kept the whole area is. It seems that everyone is very respectul of this wonderland of nature they have on their very doorstep - no litter, no graffiti and everything in keeping with the Alpine feeling of the region. So we will soon head further south to El Calafate to the glaciers.