Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
During different times in history, German settlers came to Chile and started a new life here. In this region, in 1846 settlers arrived and built up the capital – Puerto Montt. In 1853 a new town was created at the shore of the beautiful (but artificially created) Lago Llanquihue: Frutillar – which means strawberry bed.
The city of Valdivia in the south of Chile dates back to 1552. It is 15 kilometers away from the sea but is located at the crossing of three mighty rivers: Rio Cruces, Rio Callecalle and Rio Valdivia. This place has seen many important events in history; conflicts with the native Mapuche and between the Spanish and Chilean fleets. From 1846 on German settlers began to live here and added a lot to the city – even a German brewery.
Continue reading “German settlers, river cruises & sea lions”
What do German settlers do first, when they arrive? They start a brewery. In Valdivia, Chile in 1846 the first settlers arrived and the Cerveceria Kunstmann was created instantly, promoting their beer in Chile under the claim “… das gute Bier“. They brew traditional Lager and Bock beers, but also some Chilean specialties and rather experimental things like chocolate beer. Be brave but better keep your lips away from the honey (miel) beer.
The hotel Encanto del rio is a typical and kind of old-fashioned hotel in Valdivia, Chile. Its main features are that it is located close to the river Callecalle, has some public parking lots in front of the hotel and you can easily walk on foot to the fish market (where the river cruises start) and the city center. On this way you will find some spots where sea lions enjoy the sun. I could watch them for hours…
The hotel Malalhue in Pucón, Chile is nothing special. It is a nice everyday hotel at the main road of Pucón – a town close to Lago Villarrica. When leaving the hotel there are only other hotels around; and maybe a shopping center for daily needs. Pucón is a town that has been built for relaxation, for canoeing, for canopy.
I really love spas and saunas; I already tried a lot of those – but the Termas Geométricas close to Coñaripe, Chile ruled everything out. The area around Lago Villarica is full of hot springs because of the four volcanoes around. I was staying at Pucón and surrounded the Volcán Villarrica by car to access this very remote place for relaxation.
The Lago Villarrica is a very big lake in Chile. It is 23 kilometers long and offers fantastic views on the still active volcano Villarrica. It has destroyed this region more than once during the time of human civilization and there are big signs along the road explaining what to do in case of an emergency.
There aren’t many tunnels in South America. The tunnel Las Raíces is the longest one in the Andes mountain range and second longest of all South America. It has been opened in 1939 and is 4,5 kilometers long. It is located on a road leading from Temuco, Chile to Argentina and connects the wonderful valley of Lonquimay, Chile to the main part of the country.