San Martin de Los Andes, Argentina - Day 4
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Our morning began the same way it has the past two mornings — with a breakfast / coffee run to Unser Traum. The coffee and pastries at this bakery in San Martin de Los Andes are so delicious! We can’t get enough. Today, Andi ran out alone to pickup provisions while Tory, Aden and I stayed back at the airbnb. He returned 20 minutes later with a variety of croissants.
Wednesdays are longer work & school days for us. Andi set up his “office” on a dining room chair in the kids’ bedroom (that’s the one room in this house with a decent wi-fi signal) while Tory, Aden and I sat at the dining room table and did school together. The kids were more in the groove with school this week, understanding that on Wednesdays we’ll complete two or more lessons to make up for the days when we’re out adventuring or traveling.
Around 1:00pm, we pieced together a leftover “snack lunch” of deli meat, cheese, crackers, noodles, and leftover croissants. It feels like every restaurant meal in Argentina takes at least two hours to complete and leaves us feeling completely stuffed. For once, it was nice to have a smaller and simpler meal at home.
After school, Tory, Aden and I walked down to the lake in San Martin de Los Andes. Gosh, it was still so windy! There were people laying on the beach and even swimming, but I don’t know how. It was not very warm outside. Today’s temps were in the 60’s with 15-20 mph winds. It felt like a crisp, fall day.
Tory had her heart set on visiting one of the chocolate shops in town, but every time we’ve walked by the Mamuschuka store, there’s been a line out the door. This afternoon, there were only about 20 people inside. It felt like our moment to shop. Tory and Aden each picked out a few bonbons they wanted. I thought I ordered a small tin that includes 5 chocolates inside, but when I paid for the chocolates I realized I got the tin + five additional bonbons. I’m still not the best at understanding people speaking Spanish. Sometimes, messages get lost in translation and we end up with more chocolates — I guess there are worse problems! I’m surprised, honestly, how many people in Argentina do not speak English (and not everyone is willing to communicate with someone who isn’t fluent in Spanish).
After the chocolate shop, we went to the playground so the kids could burn off some energy. It’s summertime for Argentine families, so there were lots of local families there as well.
I wanted to pickup more deli meat for a picnic lunch tomorrow, but everything was closed by the time we left the playground. Argentines still practice afternoon siestas during the hours of 2pm - 5:00pm in San Martin de Los Andes, even though it’s not as hot here as it was in Mendoza. For Argentines, the afternoon siesta time is a chance to connect with family and friends, drink Yerba mate, and relax before the second half of their day begins. Their daily schedule goes something like:
6:00am — Wake up; light breakfast consisting of a media luna (small croissant) & cafe con leche (coffee with milk)
8:00am — Work day begins
10:00am — Drink Yerba mate for energy / appetite suppression
1:30pm — Lunch
2:00pm — Siesta time. Businesses close for a few hours. Drink Yerba Mate with family & friends.
5:00pm — “Media Tarde” which means to have a small afternoon snack with more Yerba Mate. Businesses open up again.
8:00pm — Restaurants open for dinner.
9:00pm — Businesses (butcher, clothing stores, etc.) close for the day.
10:00pm — The earliest time Argentines eat dinner. Most have dinner starting at 11:00pm.
We are three hours ahead of “Wisconsin time” here in Argentina, so that does help a little bit when eating dinner so late. Our bodies are conditioned to eat dinner around 6:00pm which is really 9:00pm in Argentina. We aren’t, however, used to eating such a big dinner and then going right to bed.
Around 5:00pm, Tory, Aden and I walked back to our airbnb. Our airbnb’s location is perfect; quiet on a dead-end street and close to a walking path that leads into downtown. Andi was done with his calls shortly after we arrived home. The kids wanted to veg out on electronics for a while, so Andi and I decided to go for a walk by ourselves. We walked to Lake Lacar, but again — it was so windy. Instead, we decided to walk around town again.
For dinner, Andi discovered another food truck / fast food area (this one, inside, between two buildings), so we ordered burgers, chicken tenders, and fries for the kids. He and I ordered empanadas from a place called Empanadas Cordilleras. Even relatively “fast food” isn’t fast in Argentina. Each meal took 40 minutes to prepare for our to-go order.
It was 9:00pm by the time we arrived back at the airbnb with dinner. The kids were famished; we still haven’t adjusted to these late-night dinners in Argentina! Tomorrow, we’re off to see the infamous “7 lakes” and then heading to the town of Bariloche.
