Our presentation at 9:00 this morning was by renowned winemaker, Andres Antonietti, who will accompany us on the rest of our stay in Mendoza. His topic was wine tasting and the international points system for ranking. At our places around a U-shaped table was a form for recording colour, aroma, taste and balance. He reviewed viniculture with us, with which we are gradually becoming familiar. What is new every time is the passion of the speaker, each dedicated to their own vision of “perfect”. He helped us understand each rating category, while emphasizing that our taste was as valid as anyone’s and that liking a wine was paramount. For me, the colour and aroma of the first wine were excellent but the taste and balance were off. Some wines the group rated very low in all ... read more

4:55 p.m. The new Pope was just declared! Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires from the Metropolitan Cathedral, which we visited a couple of days ago. Martin is so excited he has goose bumps. (He has seen the Archbishop many times.) Victor, our Mendoza guide says the new pope is very simple and humble. Of course all the TV stations are covering the story. This afternoon was “compulsory nap” for our late evening at a winery. Indeed needing a nap, I watched TV long enough to see the url=http://abcnews.go.com/International/white-smoke-pope-black-smoke-nope-conclave-smoke/story?id=18719208white smoke. (Who needs Spanish!) Then my nap. Fortunately, I woke up soon enough to wait for a few minutes to watch the announc... read more

Our goal this morning was wine tasting at a sommelierschool. We set off walking with the flowing stream of pedestrians stepping over and around broken pavement and public works. Made a few more efforts to take photos, although the light was too contrasty. We entered a narrow hallway and climbed 1 1/2 storeys – no handrail of course - and we came into a narrow reception, decorated with wine and liqueur bottles from around the world. We had lots of time to examine these and some South American artworks, because it eventually transpired that the sommelier had been booked for the wrong day. Flexibility being paramount in both guiding and touring, our Tuesday morning visit to the Colon Opera House was substituted. More trekking through throngs of pedestrians, cars, motorbikes and trucks. On 9 ... read more

Awake at 4:15 a.m., taxi at 5:00 a.m., through security by 6:15 a.m., depart at 7:28 a.m. (except for de-icing, taxiing, etc.). Just enough time in San Francisco to find my way to the international terminal, wait 20 minutes to check-in (many people with very large suitcases), wait 20 minutes for security, grab a cup of tea to go, discover that the gate was down stairs (not where I was waiting), and wait for boarding. An hour or so into the flight, ate lunch and fell into a profound sleep for about an hour. Watched Lincoln because my seat-mate marvelled at its availability. More marvelous was the long stretch of Mexican land fully lit by afternoon sun below us. After dark, another nap and some reading. In Lima, just enough time to find the ... read more

Our route this morning took us south through Longview to the Sentinel Recreation Area. My choice was the C group because both the leaders of the B group were fast walkers. Good choice because the whole way to our destination of Grass Pass was up. Our leader stopped every few minutes for a breather and for the opportunity to look into the woods. The aspens were beautiful, lit by a warm wash of light that my camera couldn’t capture. The pale, slightly golden trunks reminded me of birch used to make canoes. Scattered near the path were the last of the wildflowers, mainly Paintbrush and a lovely purply-blue flower I can’t identify. A few squirrels dashed about in the trees and underbrush, only one coming out to have a look at us while he chomped down ... read more