Over the rainbow,
through Tierra del Fuego,
and up the Chilean Fjords, to find the mysteries at the southern end of the earth!
In Southern Chile, in the Lahuen Nadi National Park, live the second oldest trees in the world, the endangered Alerce Trees. Although previously extensively logged, these gorgeous Alcere’s can live up to 3600 years and reach up to 120 feet in height. They have been protected by the Chilean government since 1976.
I have spent much time amongst the oldest living organisms in the world, the Bristlecone Pines in Northern California, so I had to go and see their southern sisters. Just like the Bristlecones, the Alerce’s presence is not advertised in order to protect the trees, and not many people visit here. Walking amongst them is a thrill worth traveling to the ends of the earth to experience.
This temperate rain forest region in Chile is home to the world-famous Chilean Lake District. Lake Llanquihue pictured here, is the second largest lake in Chile.
The area and the town of Puerto Varas, was settled by German colonists in an incentive program sponsored by the Chilean government from 1846-1914. Approximately 30,000 German colonists set their roots down here. This is why Puerto Varas today looks much like a town in the Swiss Alps!
The German imprint is everywhere,
especially in the beautiful gardens,
and the charming wooden homes,
with their very German interiors.
Cheers to you,
from the ethereal Chilean Lake District~
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Absolutely stunning!!! My husband spent 9 weeks in Chile. Sadly, it was for work, not enough time to sight see. I’ll be sure to show him this!! <3
I hope he enjoys and thank you dear one <3
Fabulous photos, Cindy. Thanks for sharing these. What a treat!
Awww, so kind of you!
Argentina too has a lot of German immigrants, right ?
I am no expert so hopefully someone will weigh in if I make an error! In Chile it was a bit different in that the government actively sought German immigrants rather specifically during the mid-1800’s.
Oh. That was in the 1800’s then. Correct me if I’m wrong , some Germans escaped to Argentina before WW2 ended. There was speculation one of them was Dr. Mengele.
Wow! wonderful photography Cindy! The rainbow is breathtaking! Thanks for sharing.
There are lots of stunning rainbows in this part of the world. Thank you for appreciating them!
Those are some impressive photos as always but 3600 year old trees tops the list. Wow!!! I did not know that about the German colonists. Such interesting facts. Thanks for sharing the beauty of it.
Thank you for looking, seeing and appreciating my friend & cheers to you~
Such beautiful photos! Makes me melt. 🙂
Awww, your kind words make me melt <3
Such beautiful destinations. These trees are amazing. Just yesterday my husband and I were talking about how fabulous it would be to visit the giant Redwoods ! Thank you Cindy.
Oh please go! They are magnificent and also go see the lesser visited Bristlecones nearby. They are up to 4,765 years old!
I hope to, over 4000 years old, it boggles the mind!
You have truly seen the world and from both ends of a rainbow.
We were supposed to go to the far southern arctic last year but had to cancel. I hope we make it this year. I want to see both ends of the earth.
Your travels and the recording of them in pictures are awesome Cindy. Thank you.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
You make sharing them a joy my friend. Thank you!
Hello Cindy, these are beautiful–I would like to reblog them, and the only way I can find is to use the “wordpress” button and to copy and paste. Are you ok with that? I will attribute everything and link to your site.
Of course. I am honored. You never have to ask me. I trust you implicitly and am touched by your thoughtfulness Charles.
Hello
Cindy , your pictures are so beautiful in this nice place
It is so gorgeous environment that any Master Gardener will enjoy 😊
Thanks again for sharing.
Your kind comment makes my <3 smile. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.
It’s really beautiful. I think I’ll have to add this my list of places to see. Also, partly b/c of my German ancestory too. It’s really neat they sponsored them to live in this part of Chili 🙂
Plus there is German food. I run for good German food all over the globe! <3
Wow, those Alerce trees are incredible. And the quaint German house! Too perfect.
The Germans who moved here in this era were lucky, they avoided a lot of catastrophe to come in Europe.
Very lucky indeed!
<3
Just brautiful Cindy. Gary
Awww, so happy you enjoyed & thank you!
Amazing beautiful, Cindy 😀
Hugs to you sweet friend <3
Hugs for you too <3
🌸🌸
I’m in awe – always in awe… not just at the landscape, but at your skill of capturing it. Never give up – it’s one of the highlights of my days!
Oh my gosh! You very much touched my <3 with such incredibly kind words.
I’ve never been but your beautiful photography transported me there. 🙂
It was such a better experience with you along <3
Looks beautiful, a country I don’t know much about!
I didn’t it either at first, but I have read most of Isabel Allende’s books, always while traveling through this unusual country.
♬♫♪◖( ง ´◇｀)ง◗♪♫♬ I will follow you…follow you wherever you may go…♪~♪ ヽ໒(⌒o⌒)७ﾉ ♪~♪
You sweet <3! You make my life better.
(´∩｡• ᵕ •｡∩`) ♡
I could have ended up in Chili buy instead my German ancestors immigrated to Canada!! Gorgeous photos!!
That was a good choice too. Smart ancestors <3
Simply beautiful, Cindy; you’re a lucky girl to see it and your photos, as usual, are stunning. I had no idea about the German immigrants – fascinating how culture spreads.
Chile is a bit interesting in that they actively recruited Germans to settle in the area, and settle they did, while still retaining their culture.
Beautiful photos, Cindy. I don’t have my Reblog button back but shared this post on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. 🙂 — Suzanne
You are such a kind friend and so appreciated. Thank you Patricia!
magic!
Muchas gracias mi amigo!
Thank you for sharing these awesome photos. 🙂
I love traveling with you Ranu <3
Absolutely gorgeous images. I especially love the wooden walkway through the trees.
Thanks so much! I love trails that twist into mystery in front of me <3
Me too 🙂
Beautiful series, but what impresses me the most are those stunning Alerce trees. What a joy it must be to walk throughout the forest.
They were simply gorgeous and the forest was too. Thank you for appreciating them <3
such a beautiful place. I especially love that pond. You are blessed to visit. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you more for the kind appreciation! <3
Photography as good as ever
You are very kind & most appreciated too!
🙂
Cindy! You take us to the most amazing places. Just gorgeous.
The climate is said to be similar to Dunedin NZ. You would love it here <3
I am sure I would.
<3
This is a beautiful area no wonder the German settlers picked it. I saw a documentary on the settlement and was very taken with how odd in looks in its surroundings. Your photos are absolutely stunning. Lovely post! 💜
Yes, it is an unique and unusual place in all the best ways!
Lovely 💜
<3
Your photos are simply breathtaking and make me home sick for places I’ve never been! 😁
Oh, that is the sweetest comment and you made my <3 smile!
I’m glad, Cindy! Those photos just fill me with wanderlust! 👍😉
🌸🌸
Gorgeous. The lotus is just amazing. The colors, in the photographs ae so very, very rich and beautiful.
I think the colors must be due to how pristine this part of the world is. Even when cloudy, it shines with blue reflected light.
Very impressive post with magnificent photos showing the many aspects of Chile. I learn so many things about our planet by following your blog. Thank you!
Oh, I am humbled and honored by such a very kind comment Peter. Thank you!
You are very welcome, Cindy!
<3
Applesauce! What a gorgeous post, Cindy. Hugs.
Laughing……I must make some applesauce today sweet in your honor sweet friend! 🙂
Almost too much beauty to take in. Thank you for sharing your stunning photos with us. <3
Thank you so much more for taking the time to appreciate it dear Steph <3
Cindy it’s a joy to look at your photos. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you more for looking! <3
Wow … thanks for bring this part of the world to life for me!
You are so very welcome. Thank you for letting me show it to you!
a touch of lush vegetation and steamy warmth.. in any of your travels, should you find a sloth, think of me… today I am wanting to imitate a sloth… =^_^= big HUGS my friend
Ask and you shall receive. I did find you a sloth sweet friend, and his boy, in The Amazon, back when I first started taking photos. Check out your sloth several photos down:
https://cindyknoke.com/tag/amazon/
Gorgeous!!
Muchas gracia mi amiga!
You are welcome!
<3
You may have as many air miles as I did in my rig 🙂 Love seeing your trips.
You know what I wish, I wish I could join you on your rig. I would do a Eunice photo essay and we would have so much fun!
but alas I retired almost a year ago on my birthday as my mom requested as she was dying 🙁 but I could have shown you a world much different from the lovely spots you share 🙂 a dear trucker friend said he would pay for me to come out of retirement to drive with him 🙂 I told him to come sit with me and take in the beauty of my spot in the world and not work so hard lol hey loves THINGS so at 73 he is still driving I have had everything I could ever desire so I am all set with peace of mind. My hold world may turn in a new direction come fall fingers crossed 🙂 OH and if I was on the road I would have swung by and taken you for a spin by now 🙂 I never had a camera with me on those 3 million miles all work and no play.
Yes. I knew you retired. I never took photos in a serious way, all the years I was working and raising kids. It’s nice now to have the time to develop our creative selves and our interests. Your art will take you places Eunice. I feel sure of it. Hugs to you my friend <3
Hugs back Cindy . I do not know now how I worked so hard and had so much fun with my dogs and trucker buddies but little else did I do
🌸🌸
You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Cindy!! Such gorgeous photos. These gardens are an especially welcome sight, after the ice glazed my area overnight!!
Ahh, so nice Debbie. We got the ice too, two nights in a row now. The birds are very confused by their ice rink bird baths!
Interesting and stunning, Cindy! My hubby has been to northern Chile a few times, so I hope to go back with him some day. Lots of relatives there. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you both do go and I would love to see your photos!
Oh, wow! I’m speechless in the face of so much beauty and awesomeness. …Those trees, especially 🙂
Being in the presence of trees and a forest like this takes your voice away. You would love it.
Thanks again Cindy. I’m really enjoying your photo tours, learning about new places, wildlife, and biology.
I am so very lucky to have friends like you Brad <3
Thank you. It’s a mutual pleasure Cindy. <3
🌸🌸
Cindy, you find and beautifully photograph the most interesting places…thank you for taking us along! 🙂
I feel exactly the same about traveling with you my friend <3
Thanks for sharing Cindy, it was a real pleasure to follow you through your adventures and see those beautiful places.
Leslie
Thank you! You make the experience richer <3
🙂 <3
Gorgeous rainbow, Cindy. And we share a love of old trees. –Curt
We do indeed, and we have some beauties in California don’t we!
From the towering redwoods to the gnarled bristlecones… 🙂
Our state would be very hard for me to leave…….
If… ? 🙂
We have discussed it……
Beautiful. Are you going to have a chance to visit Easter Island?
We are home now and we didn’t, unfortunately. My grandfather traveled as much as I do, and Easter Island was his last trip. I do hope to make it there. As they say in South America, Si’ Dios quiere~
It is on my list for the next couple of years. 🙂
Oh good! I can’t wait to tag along virtually.
Looks so very beautiful. I’ve been to Sequoia National Park in the US, which has the largest surviving tree.
I live fairly close to Sequoia and I am so very glad you saw these magnificent trees. They are incredible aren’t they!
They truly are!
<3
Those are old trees! Thanks for sharing them, Cindy. Chile looks like an interesting place to visit. 🙂
Chile is fascinating and somehow she keeps calling me back <3
I love following you! Always, always, always an adventure.
I am so lucky to have you for a friend Rebecca. You improve my life <3