We took a cab from the airport to our hostel. There, we settled into our shoebox room and washed up in the shared bathroom, a harsh drop back to reality after enjoying upgraded accommodations with my mom. We then spent only a bit of time walking through the town before retreating to the "warmth" of our hostel.
That evening, we considered cooking dinner (the hostel has a massive kitchen and we have almost solely been eating out), but we did not want to get cabin fever. So we enjoyed a meal in town before heading back to our building. Overnight, the weather showed no signs of improving. I woke up about every hour from the sounds of whipping and whistling winds.
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The weather continued to look menacing the next morning. Dan and I decided we would probably call the day a wash and hang indoors. We ate breakfast in our hostel, where we happened to sit down next to three Israeli guys. We got to talking with them and learned they were following the common practice of traveling after the army. The five of us covered a variety of conversation topics, which included discussing our Rosh Hashanah plans (coincidentally, these were the first Jews we had met on our trip and the Jewish New Year was that evening). They told us about a dinner they had heard about through their extensive Israeli network--apparently there are Israelis in every crevasse of the world--and invited us to join them. The only requirement was that we bring something. We readily agreed, and thanked them for the offer.
Throughout the day, snow poured down from the sky, so we only left our hostel for necessities. Along with its outdoor attractions, Bariloche is known for its chocolates and beers. So for lunch, we went to a cerveceria, or microbrewery, where we sampled some of the craft beers alongside our meal. We then stopped at the grocery store to pick up some items for our potluck dish. Once back at the hostel, we watched a movie with the Israelis, and then began preparing our dish of rice with vegetables. Or rather, Dan prepared and I took to the difficult task of monitoring his work.
We set out after 8 o'clock to go to the dinner. By that time, the snow had finally let up, but the weather was still freezing (literally--0 degrees Celsius). With food and wine in hand, we entered the tiny building that hosted all 80 or so of the city's Jews, along with about 20 travelers. The members of the synagogue (the building apparently doubled as one) were extremely welcoming, and put our dish beside the overflowing counter of food. We then sat down at a table and began talking to the other travelers (mostly Israelis) and a few locals. Soon after, we said a few blessings and the temple leader gave a speech about having a sweet New Year; he commemorated this with strawberries instead of apples, because that is the fruit in-season here. After the speech, we got up to enjoy the bountiful feast.
When dinner was winding down, the community's teens led the room in some singing, and presented a slideshow that highlighted their activities at the Jewish center during the previous year. They then brought out the dessert, and after, the dancing began. It seemed that because they were so small in number, the community had invented a number of traditions solely their own. So every Hebrew song that played was accompanied by a dance that most of the community members knew. We participated in a few, but mostly watched as they performed the choreography. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and the dancing didn't stop until a little after midnight.
When it was finally time to leave, we thanked a few people for their hospitality and walked with a bunch of Israelies and a few locals to a cerveceria in town. We spent the next few hours sitting, talking, and drinking beer before finally ending our New Years celebration. It was a great night, and definitely a Rosh Hashanah I will never forget.
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