Ladybugs seem to mark magical places. This is one such example. After a long drive, unsure if I would be able to find anything remotely spend-the-night-able, I finally found this:
(My room was on the 2nd floor, far left) It was very suprisingly cheap at $20 a night, when I was expecting it to be upper of at least $60!!!

It had a magical view of the lake, which I had driven around the first time, and seen this place, dismissing it as I thought it would be outlandish in terms of cost. It ended up being just about the only place open to boot!
Ladybugs! How sweet!
My view of the grounds...it reminded me of a past Mexico trip. I did not go in the water, as it was very cold, but it looked like it should be warm!
I wandered the modest grounds, tickled pink to have scored such a great place right on the lake!
Of course, I was amused with the key to the room. But the view, Oh! the view!!!
Sweaty old me kicked up my feet and soaked in the last bits of warm sunshine before heading off for my much desired bath.
I think the bathroom was bigger than my living room, and all marble!
After a hot bath, I went out to capture the last bits of light. Overhead I heard the calls of notCanadian geese flying NORTH for the winter!!! Such a backwards concept, being from the northern hemisphere...


As for the playground across the street, well, I am sure somehow it would violate children safety codes in the states, but the horsies sure were cute! (yes, of course I climbed up on the bigger one)
Around the lake, the scenery seemed perfectly posed and the air was so soft I nearly held mine for the magic.


After the dramatic sunset finale, I dragged myself to bed....

...ready for the next days adventure!!! (did I mention how much I love a down comforter? Bliss!!!)

Las Flores, May 19th, 2011

After I left the Estancia, I spent a day driving around, and this is one of the towns I fell in love with: Las Flores!
The chocolate was so good, as were the other sweets.
I wanted to buy one of each of the flowers as they were lovely and tasted perfect.
It was autumn there, and I passed a few hours in the town center of Las Flores, enjoying the cooling air and the beginnings of the color changes.
The streets were nearly empty, and I felt as though I had the entire place to myself.
This window was so colorful that a smile was instantly on my face as soon as I saw it.
More medialunas, and more caffeine!
Driving out of Las Flores, I found this particular estancia sign to be amusing.
There were also random buildings and monuments along the roadside. I am assuming they are religious prayer-stops, but I really have no idea.
The journey continues.....

Around the Estancia

The view from outside my window looking inward, if the drapes were open! Inside (below) was the family dining table, which was just outside of my room.

I loved the thick leather! I could imagine the old families gathering around after a long day out in the sun, or in the evening after a crisp sunset.

As it was, it was cool enough to enjoy the fire after lingering over my own sunset. The below picture was taken just 1 step from my bedroom door.

Around the grounds, there were smaller, cheaper rooms which you could stay in and provide your own food. For me, the food was half the experience!

If you can imagine an almost warm day with a hint of a cool breeze, you might almost be able to smell the impossibly clean air. And emus.

I was told they were not actually emus, but a smaller version of the bird, a relative, of which I have forgotten the names of.

Strolling around the grounds...

After a long day, I was ready to leave the estancia

...and I left the estancia to begin my next day of adventure...

The animals around the farm

This guy seemed menacing, but really he was just bored and interested in our milking of the cows.

Relaxing around the Estancia was an amusing experience. There were 9 emu-like birds on the premises, and one of the best games was "where are they all?"

At any given time, it seemed like there was not quite all 9 of them in view. Sitting in the yellow lounge chairs pictured above, periodically counting them again, in the sun, well, it was a delightful experience.

Estancias have horses, as I have mentioned, but this guy above was great. Gotta love a red-head!

What a great scene for a cat bath!

This was our bird-dog, who was faithfully stopping and pointing out every "Bird!" with his right paw up, nose right at it and tail stiff. In this shot he is leading the way back to my room, which is the corner room pictured above.

Estancia Foods

Sitting in the front yard of the estancia, one of the staff suggested I have a pomegranate from the yard. I stained my shirt with its juices, and it was totally, completely worth it!
The wine was divine, and the lemon mousse just right after a long day.
Tea, jams and homemade breads were ready for us upon returning from our horseback ride, and very welcomed.
One of the other guests had gone hunting and had gotten some hares, which were turned into a stew....
...and the dish to the right of that was from the birds he shot.
Perfectly scrumptious!!!
The group who were there, none of the names of whom I can remember, but the lady sitting to my side was the leader for the horseback rides. The guy at the head of the table did the hunting and was the British husband of the girl on the far left. They live in Pennsylvania, and her mother is in pink, and now lives in Buenos Aires. She had told me that the hotels along the roadways were rented "by the hour" and were used for "inappropriate recreational use" and warned me to be wary! Yes, I was scared, and very, very glad to get to sleep in my own, very very safe room for the evening. I made a mental note to not stay anywhere unless it was in a city! (or estancia)

...and I headed off to bed, tired and ready for the next day of adventure.