Puerto Varas

Coffee & Gelato in Puerto Varas
Our short trip to Puerto Varas was full of little highlights: the majestic Osorno Volcano and Lago Llanquihue (second largest lake from chile) offered breathtaking views. We enjoyed lunch at food trucks by the lake, followed by delicious coffee in a cozy café. In the evening, we listened to local street music by the shore and browsed a craft market. There we buy two handmade coffee cups for our home.
Our charming accommodation, Hostal Compass del Sur, run by a friendly Swedish owner, provided a welcoming atmosphere. A morning jog along the lake and a visit to a viewpoint with beautiful plant life rounded off our stay. A mandatory gelato after a lunch break filled our already full bellies. A bus ride to the airport marked the end of our time in this wonderful town! And hear: when we arrived the airport, it started to rain - we’re so lucky…

By the way, is anyone interested in a legend about the foundation of Puerto Varas? warning to sensitive people ;)
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Legend of Princess likanrayen
Before the arrival of the german settlers, the coast of the Llanquihue Lake was inhabited by the Williche people, natives of the south of Chile, who left us this beautiful story as a legacy.
Legend has it that there was a young and beautiful Williche named Likanrayen, who was loved by her people because of her generosity and joy. Her beauty was such that, as she walked through the forest, the trees blossomed and the birds accompanied her by singing incessantly. And the heart of belonged to
Kütralpiuke, the bravest and strongest man of his people, his enemies trembled at the mere sound of his name.
Likanrayen and Kütralpiuke lived a quiet life.
However, the Pillán, the powerful spirit that inhabited the interior of the Osorno Volcano, did not take long to find out about their infinite love. And his fury and envy was so great that he decided to leave the volcano in the form of great flames of fire, burning the rucas (dwelling of the williches), setting fire to the forests and devastating all life around them.
Facing this terrible situation, the elders and sages decided to meet together to find a solution. They debated for hours and hours, until a wise man said: "The only way to calm the fury of the Pillan is by throwing into the crater of the volcano a branch of Canelo", the sacred tree of the Williche. "But since everyone knew that it was impossible for a man to reach the crater, the wise man added: "Only a Condor, the largest bird that crosses the southern skies, will be able to carry the branch of a sacred Canelo into the volcano, but in return he will ask for the hear of the most beautiful young woman of the Williche". Everyone knew right away that that young woman would be Likanrayen, and each one of the elders and sages felt a great sadness.
Likanrayen, however, calmly accepted her fate, knowing that her sacrifice would end the destruction caused by the Pillan, and thus protecting her people. She only asked for one condition: that her beloved Kütralpiuke would be the one to rip out her heart, because it had belonged to him since the day that they met.
The two embraced and kissed each other goodbye, but because the brave warrior could not bear to live without his beloved, he took his own spear and thrust it into his chest. Death united the two of them forever.
At that moment, the williches saw the majestic Condor descending from the sky, and taking the heart of Likanrayen. Then, after picking up the branch of Canelo, the Condor took flight towards the volcano, and as soon as he reached its top, he dropped the sacred branch into the Pillán. At that very instant the clouds covered the sky, and a thick snow began to fall. The snow fell for days, weeks and months, and as the snow fell, the Pillan melted it with its fire, creating rivers of water that flowed down the slopes of the volcano. Little by little that water was transformed into the lakes that we know as Llanquihue and Todos los Santos.
And after fighting and fighting against the snow, the Pillán finally gave up, returning to the depths of the volcano, where he remains a prisoner under the ice sheet that we see to this day on top of the Osorno Volcano.Baca lagi