Pucon

Volcan Villarrica. The two words needed to explain my experience in Pucon. This monster of an active volcano took all that I had to give on the Fifth of May 2013.

In reality, Pucon is a delightful city in the most Northern portion of Patagonia. We spent time at the hot springs Los Pozoles, relaxing our sore post-harvest souls



Finding yummy local delights such as cheese,




beer


And a chocolate volcano





And we even spent a lovely afternoon searching out Salto el Claro, a semi secret, but very wonderous waterfall.




But it was really about conquering this volcano and getting to the top



Our day was absolutely gorgeous-the first sun Pucon had seen in really a week, and though warnings of wind, a relatively calm morning. The whole trick to the climb is the weather, and the exposure is as such that you chances of getting to the top can change in a matter of minutes. Even with these rumors of sudden snow storms, high winds, and nasty conditions we all arrived ready with our guides, rented gear, and newly found friends after being cooped up in a tiny, albeit awesome hostel, waiting for the weather to clear.


The first two hours of the climb start steep, on lava rocks from eruptions past, underneath a sometimes functioning chairlift that when working, takes off an hour of hiking straight uphill. Alas, not our day for a lift, and our group, plus three others, totalling about 60 people, walked longingly under the defunct chairs.



The next step, is stopping just before the snow to put on crampons, and learn how to walk using the ice pick. Such a thing I never thought I may need, but writing this now owing my life to it.


The first part of the snow was pleasant, relatively unsteep, and a whole new take on the world below you.


In good spirits and in a pleasant temperature with little wind, we continued onward and upward.


It is after about another hour or so of climbing do you realize how tough this is going to be. The top seems to be getting further and further away, as the groups behind you get smaller in size and in numbers



Conditions do indeed start changing, and as the temperature starts dropping, and the wind picks up the newly laid snow turns into a slick, crunchy path.


About thirty minutes from the top, I really started to wonder if making it was an option. After four and a half hours of straight 40-45 degree incline, it seems so close, but so far away at the same time. Muscles are achy, thirst and hunger are high, and the wind starts gusting at speeds that make you want to hunker down as close to the ground as possible, digging that ice pick the most you can manage.

But then, you get to the top and it all seems worth it.


The skies were incredibly clear-vistas to three lakes and three volcanoes below,



And into Argentina beyond



Were stunning. Not to mention the fact, you ARE on top of a steaming, active volcano, with a crater beckoning you to come closer to see. However, the wind was blowing steadily between 35-40 km/hour, strong enough that I let my zoom on the camera do a little bit of the work for me.



The group spent about twenty minutes at the top-enough time to see the sights, eat lunch together behind a little protection from the wind, and get sufficiently chilled with the -10 degree celsius wind chill.




Unfortunately, as difficult as the battle was up the hill, I waged a more intense one on the way down. We took a different way and as we approached the side, an incredible fear of falling and heights kicked in, rendering me relatively useless.



That valley floor was just SO far away, and the ground was SO slick and steep my mind played one hellavu trick on me and all confidence went right out the window. After a few minutes of minimal, stressful movement downhill, the guide decided that we would walk the entire way down together, pretty much hand in hand so I would make it down, mentally and physically in one piece.

It was just as gorgeous on the way down as up with even more vistas and crevices.



The moment you reach the 'ground' or rather, lava rocks, was the best feeling in the world. Taking those crampons off, and putting the ice pick away I felt a sense of relief take over and you have done it. It also helped knowing there was about a hour more to go, then thirty minutes on a bus, before I had a beer calling my name, appropriately named Crater





Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. Nothing like pushing yourself to the limit in mind and soul to know what you can do. Will I do it again? Somebody would have to do some extreme convincing.

Munchin' in München

Munich was such a fun city to be in for a few days despite the fact it was FREEZING. Something a California girl cannot get used to overnight. We arrived at 6:30 in the morning on a overnight train to dark skies and frosty air. I was forever grateful that I broke down and bought mittens and a hat two nights earlier in Bologna. We checked into the hostel and went on a free tour of the city. Free but again, FREEZING. And I noticed that the tour guide kept referring everything to beer. Maybe because it was mostly 20 somethings in the group or maybe it was was the fact that it was so cold, people needed a few beers just to warm up! He did mention that tax-wise, beer is considered a food, NOT an alcoholic drink. I think they're up to something with that one...

Either way, I was really excited to try out some local food, and there's not a  better place to do so then in a Beer Hall! Our first stop was the Augustiner Beer Hall in the pedestrian area of the city, not a far walk from the city center, Marienplatz.

Inside the Hall

Also inside the Hall

We of course, ordered some beer! This Augustiner brew is the Augustiner Edelstoff. Rumored to be what the current Pope drinks according to our tour guide. Either way, it is really good. 

For food, we each got a soup to start. Mine was a traditional Munich Beef Liver Meatball in a beef broth. Interesting but very good.

 For dinner, we ordered a Red Sausage, with a Potato and Vegetable side....

 And 'Spicy' Chicken Sausages also with Potatoes and Vegetables.

Yes, the pile of mush on the RIGHT side is considered to be vegetables in Munich

Dinner was fabulous and we were stuffed and warmed to the brim to make our chilling walk back to the hostel.

Lexi and I managed to stumble up on the The Auer Dult two afternoons after our Augustiner night. It happens three times a year and vendors bring in their goods. Also set up are children rides. Since this was the fall fair, all of the booths were decorated in lovely autumn themes. We started to search for some yummy food and found this stand. Un-able to read any of the German menu, we ordered by pointing to the large cast iron pans inside to get some grub.

The biggest cast iron pans I have ever seen

What we ordered was called  Schufrundein and Kasespatzle in Rostzmeibech.

The Schufrundein is on the left and the Kasespatzle in Rostzmeibech is on the right. Pretty much it summed up to large potato gnocchi-like guys with sauerkraut on the left and potato cheese nips with onions on the right. It also means GOOD.

Potatoy-Cheesy-Sauerkrauty GOOD and a bonus, you can eat the bowl! Tasted kinda like an ice cream cone...

We then moved on to find desert and found these AWESOME sweet pretzel type items, called Baumstriezel. We have found them in Prague too and seem to be pretty popular all around this part of Europe. Basically, they roll out a dough into long strips then wrap that around a buttered wooded skewer. They stick that in the oven that you see below and it spins it to cook it evenly.

Moving them around the oven

Rolling the dough

The end result-we got a cinnamon sugar one but they roll it in many different things when it is pulled out of the oven

In Prague we have seen them being cooked over coals, which gives it a different, more crispy texture. The one we ate pictured here was soft and chewy-just barely cooked dough. The grey on top of the bag is steam coming off in the cold Autumn day! I found a video on youtube of a guy making them here.

On a side note, also in the fair was loads of ceramics, antiques, random household goods, and clothing. My favorite clothing stand? This SUSPENDER making station. Can't we have these at home?

They had them in all different colors and sizes, looks like ribbon in the picture but its all stretchy suspender materials. So cool.

We spent our last night in the Hofbräuhaus München. One of the world's most famous beer gardens.

Kegs and kegs, bottles and bottles

Since it was our last night, we decided to be truly German and order a whole Liter of their original stuff. That plus a pork dinner (pictures to dark to see) and we were full. But very fully satisfied.

Moules moules moules

Last night, we ventured to Saint-Laurent-la-Vallée for Moule Frites (mussels and fries). Every Thursday, a restaurant in town, La Cigalou, offers a night of 10 Euro bottomless moules frites and fromage (cheese), with chansons français (French songs), and accordéon (accordion). The restaurant is off the beaten tourist pact, and we were surrounded by locals, who, the more they drank, the more they sang along to the chansons français. They offer bottomless moules frites every night (with an accompanying non-seafood item for those fish sensitive), but on Thursdays, they take out all the tables from the restaurant and put them out in the gravel parking lot underneath the trees and the strung lantern lights. They have built a new structure, called "La Cigalette " where they serve the beverages and fries out of, and welcomes the lively and hungry crowd.

A fun bunch

The tables that are empty gradually fill up, as everyone has called ahead to reserve their space. You don't need to tell them what time, you just call, give your name, and they put a sticky note on the table. Arriving is like a Easter egg hunt, searching for that treasure table so you can get to the important things-eating and drinking. Promptly seen by our waiter (the owner's son, and the nephew of the neighbor of the B&B), we were well underway to receiving the moules. After a pitcher of rosé, our appetite had built, and conversation dwindled as each large bowl of moules that passed us by was looked at anxiously, only to watch it go by. After what seemed like an eternity to my growling stomach (I think it was only 20 minutes from ordering, if that), our moules arrived but with no frites. The frites are almost as important as the moules because you need them to soak up the gloriously delicious sauce that the moules are cooked in. After ANOTHER eternity (3 minutes max), the frites arrived and we were ready to go.

Bowl o' Moules

bon appétit!

As most of my close friends and family already know, I tend to eat, and eat a lot. So to me, bottomless food is always an exciting option. But after my third serving of moules piled high, I had finally had my fill. The five of us could not even finish the orange bucket fully. But, see that lady in the picture of the the bowl? The little elderly lady, with her gray shawl? Well, she could eat me under the table. In a moules eating boxing match, she would have had me KO'ed within minutes of the  first round while she would continue to fight by herself for another 10 rounds before they would pull her out the the ring. And even then I'm sure she have some in her pocket to have for dessert. Between this lady and her husband I think THREE whole bowls of moules were eaten before they called it a night. Someone really loves their seafood.

The night was fun with the singing, camaraderie, and the fact the French were actually eating food with their fingers. But only the moules with fingers, those silly frites had to still be picked up with a fork.

Testing my moules eating skills

Mmmm mmm good

What goes best with these moules frites? Well, since the recipe is of a Belgium origin, a nice glass of the Belgium beer, Grimbergen, was a perfect match. Also good? The little crabs that make their way into some of the shells, fully edible and actually desirable by some, though it is the luck of the draw if you find one in your shell.

Little crab, Good taste

We finished our night with the formage (a slice of bread with brie) and some glacée (ice cream) and headed home. 



Anyone interested in making their own moules frites can try this recipe,  which seems to be very similar to the moules we were eating and very simple to make. Maybe next time I can make my own, and prepare myself for a battle with the magnificent moules-eating lady. Or if that doesn't work out, just to enjoy a dinner with some friends :)