Because I was in the West, I really wanted to visit Mendoza, which is home to many of Argentina's vineyards and also close to Chile and the Andes. I spent a few days there before returning to Buenos Aires, and it was beautiful and also really, really cold. I arrived late in the afternoon and went to the grocery, cooked dinner, and got to know some of the guests in the hostel.
One interesting thing about hostels here is that they are often full of people from Argentina or from neighboring countries. Of course there are also people from the UK and Australia, but it seemed different from the hostels of Europe in that there were people from nearby cities there on vacation or traveling through South America. All that is to say, I spoke Spanish as often as English with other guests at the hostel. Special thanks to Mikaela, who put up with my Spanish struggles and took the time to talk to me in Spanish every night.
The next day I went on a wine tour. I had originally intended to bike, a popular option, but it was freezing and supposed to rain. I was, in the end, very glad I chose the bus option because it actually snowed and I did not have the right clothing for that situation at all.
We went to three different bodegas: Navarro Correas, the largest; Vina el Cerno, a local winery; and Don Arturo, another local distributor whose products can't be found outside of the bodega.
We toured the facilities and tasted at each place before ending with a delicious lunch that afternoon. It was a great way to spend the day, and I met very nice people from all over the world.
To be honest, I had no clue about wine or the process of making it, but it's one of the things that makes Argentina famous and a day of learning, drinking, and meeting new people sounded like it couldn't be bad.
First stop: Navarro Correas
It's a large distributor owned by the same company that owns Jose Cuervo. It was by far the largest place we saw and the most industrial.
Wine becoming wine
Special, older process
The barrels, French or American Oak
Lobby display
Wine tasting
We tried two glasses. I preferred the white (blanco) to the red (tinto), which was a mix of different kinds. Ultimately Navarro Correas was my least favorite, but it was still really interesting and informative.
Next up: Vina el Cerno
When we got there, it began to snow. Nothing stuck but wow was it cold. Also, it was fun to see snow. Maybe it's because I'm from the South but any snowflake makes me really happy. I just wish I had had a hat.
Punny sign outside the entrance. Bienvenidos means welcome. Beber is to drink.
The wines set out for us to try
I liked this one much better than the red at Navarro Correas. It was a Malbec, for which Mendoza is famous.
Finally: Don Arturo
I'm not sure what happened to some of my pictures but this is the only one from Don Arturo.
We were then taken to an excellent lunch. We all left feeling stuffed and happy. It was delicious and the food just kept coming.
During the tour I met two other travelers staying at a hostel not too far from ours. Chloe, from the UK, was also traveling on her own. After the tour, I went to Chloe's hostel to hang around for a little while and steal some of her Kindle downloads. She had a large collection and I left with lots of new books, yay!
The next day I scheduled a trail ride in the Andes but it didn't begin until the afternoon, so in the meantime, I explored the city with Pedro. We walked to the main square and along the way stumbled upon this pink fountain. We weren't sure why it was pink, but assumed it was a prank. Sydney told me that at one point someone filled the Cordoba fountain with bubbles and now there were guards.
Fountain in yet another Plaza de San Martin
That afternoon I went to ride a horse near the Andes! We took a van out to the mountains and there waited to get started.
Our horses and dog friends
The gorgeous view on the ride
From the camp
"My horse is too far away from anyone" selfie
From the side of one of the foothills
At our destination
An asado! So good.
Cute beggars
One of our hosts playing and singing.
I really enjoyed riding through the hills. Even though they were trail horses who could have taken us where we needed to go if we had done absolutely nothing to direct (and really, we didn't. We were more like bags of flour but it was awesome still.) The country is beautiful and after being in cities for so long it was really nice to have a chance to get out, sort of like Iguazu.
The food was great, the people were nice, and we ended the night looking at a gorgeous moon and stars outside the cabin where we ate an asado (BBQ, basically, with more kinds of meat and different sauces).
On the last day in Mendoza, I went back to the park on the way to Parque General San Martin, which is huge and has a nice lake and great benches for reading. See below.
In the Parque General San Martin
The lake was being cleaned for the first time in something like 30 years so the water level was a little low, but it was beautiful still.
View from my reading bench.
That afternoon I got on a bus to go back to Buenos Aires and move into my apartment. I was tired and excited to get started in the city.
The next morning I took a cab from the Retiro station to Palermo, my neighborhood. I met my landlord, Jorge, in front of my building, and he walked me up to show me around.
My apartment here is slightly bigger than the one in Warsaw, still a perfect size for my five t-shirts, and the neighborhood is excellent. Palermo is green and when I told the teacher at my Spanish school which neighborhood she said, "Que fashion!" It was recommended to me by a friend and by a professor as well, and I'm really thankful for that because it has been wonderful so far.
There are restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, malls, and, best of all, huge parks all within walking distance or a quick subway ride away. On that note, the subway stop is just six blocks or so from my apartment, which is perfect.
Bed and shelves
Closet, dining room table/desk, oven
Kitchen and bathroom entrance
Window
I spent the first few days after I arrived getting settled and walking around. There are several grocery stores close by, so I stocked up and put together my research lists for my neighborhood and the rest of the city.
It was so nice to have some privacy again. It had been close to two months since I had been in a place of my own, with my own bathroom and kitchen and space to unpack. Traveling was wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for anything, clearly, but I was really looking forward to becoming familiar with a space and neighborhood again. It was that process that made me love Warsaw and made me feel at home there, and I imagine it will be the same in Buenos Aires.
Also, I was extremely grateful to have stable wireless for a little while. It had been so long since I had been able to talk to my family or friends or girlfriend via Skype because connections were really poor or I was running around or the time difference made finding a good time really difficult. The Watson Foundation encourages us not to be dependent on technology and to try to live life in the moment, and I try to follow that rule. At the same time, however, it's great for my mental health to be able to check in and see the people that I love.
This week I'm particularly thankful for:
1. A chance to taste wine and ride horses in a beautiful new place
2. My new apartment!
3. Friends and family at home who make my days/weeks a thousand times better with emails and stories from home
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