Thursday 20th November 2014
Our plan sounded too good to come true – the bus from Viedma to Villa Gesell is three hours late and we don’t leave until 2.15 hours in the morning. On the plus side, the seats are super comfy and we fall asleep almost immediately.
The sun rises over Bahia Blanca
All along the Ruta 3 we see the aftermath of the recent downpours
Bus change in Mar del Plata – time for a café con leche
The next coach follows the coastline on the Ruta 11
Just after 3 o’clock we arrive at our destination
Villa Gesell is a popular but still laid-back seaside resort, founded in 1931 by the son of a German economist, Carlos Idaho Gesell. It’s very busy during peak season, which just starts the following day with a long holiday weekend in Argentina. This means that many shops, restaurants and hotels have not opened yet and we spend the next two and a half hours looking for accommodation. Well, me that is – Johannes takes care of the luggage so that I don’t have to carry it on top of the responsibility, he claims…
While Johannes is relaxing at the seafront…
… I consult the locals…
… and look at countless houses, their features and rooms…
… until I find suitable lodging for us
The Hotel San Remo Palace ticks all our boxes – apart from WiFi in the room – and they even give us a special deal.
What more can we ask for?
We wind down in a nice little restaurant (yes, my dad makes me drink alcohol again…)
… and look forward to a wonderful day on the beach the following morning.
Friday 21st November 2014
Unfortunately the weather website was right – it’s cold, cloudy and windy today. We still pack our swimming suits, towels and a picnic and head for the beach.
Through the woods at the end of our street
Never ever turn your back to the sea – the wave behind us almost got us!
The flag means that it’s periculoso (dangerous) today, says the lifeguard – but we can still go into the water if we stay within his view
… but we find the temperatures of both air and water not particularly inviting
So we go for a long walk instead
Villa Gesell has 21 kilometres of finest sandy beach and employs 150 lifeguards – in case you were contemplating coming over instead of going to Bournemouth next summer.
Eggs of the Caracol del Mar (sea-snail or conch)
We are not the only ones on the beach – but only just…
After many hours we return to civilisation
Tijereta sabanera – fork-tailed fly-catcher (the Spanish name may seem more poetic but ‘tijereta’ can also mean ‘earwig’)
Chimango caracara
Rich feeding grounds
The pier
… popular with the fishermen
… and for holiday snaps
Time for an ice cream, dad?
On our way into the centre we watch some more birds – Cotorra (monk parakeet)
Pueblo Español – a shopping mall in the style of a Spanish village
If you want to eat a good value-for-money dinner just off the high street, then head for the canteen of the Club Deportivo Español on the Avenida Buenos Aires – big portions, excellent food, friendly service and more than reasonable prices. Highly recommended.
… unless you want to treat yourselves to more luxurious culinary delights
Some Alfajores for dessert? 🙂
The Spanish village by night
With the start of the long weekend, Villa Gesell appears a lot livelier tonight and it would be nice to stay a bit longer – especially as the weather forecast promises sun and high temperatures for tomorrow. We are very tempted but we still want to visit Uruguay before we leave South America on Thursday. Mmm, what shall we do? Decisions, decisions…
Pumpernickel on Tour 
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