This is my last post from San Carlos de Bariloche. It has been a wonderful place to visit and live for two weeks. My soul has been greatly nourished by the mountains and lake, even by the snow. I have seen amazing sights, I have met wonderfully gracious and enjoyable people, and I have reached the Intermediate 1 level in my Spanish studies. It was a great two weeks. In a few hours I board a Via Bariloche bus to return to Buenos Aires and life in the big city. I am much more ready for that reality now than I was six weeks ago when I stepped off that plane from Miami. I am looking forward to the experience of simply living as a local for the next 4 weeks.
As I leave Bariloche I want to share with you the Cathedral of La Nuestra Senora de Nahuel Huapi. You have already seen exterior photos of this Cathedral, because it is right in the center of the view from my apartment bedroom. But one day this past week I visited the Cathedral and it is a wonderfully peaceful, sacred space. I could truly worship there on a regular basis and find a connection with God. It is not the oldest church I have visited in Argentina, but it is one of those where I felt a strong presence of Spirit.
The Cathedral was built in 1946 and the construction is clearly more modern than the ancient cathedrals, including the use of concrete in the pillars, walls, and vault structure. But it also made heavy use of stone and it quite attractive. The name remembers the image of the Virgin which accompanied the first Jesuit missionary to the region in 1670 and they have a replica of that image, a sculpture, that graces their altar area. It is quite lovely.
Only two blocks from the Lake, the Cathedral sits on a small bluff overlooking the water. As a result, even though the lake shore drive, a very busy street, runs right alongside, it is several meters below the level of the Cathedral and the park which surrounds it, and it does not impact the serene setting. On my last day of class, walking by the park, I spotted a flock of raptors, some sort of hawk or small eagle. I never knew these birds to function in flocks, but these clearly were. It was not a huge group, maybe six birds, but still, I have always known raptors to be solo creatures, at most functioning in pairs. It was interesting and I got some great photos.
Anyway, follow the link below to the Kodak Gallery Album to enjoy the inside of the Cathedral. Someday, I hope to return to Bariloche and share it directly with Dianne. If you make a visit to Buenos Aires, I would encourage you to definitely put it on your itinerary. It is a gem spot in a country filled with amazing and beautiful places to visit.
The link for the Cathedral photos is: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.8qae3nkm&x=0&y=-6geaaz&localeid=en_US
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