A Day Not Expected

---

According to the package I purchased back in February, today I was supposed to go on an excursion (by bus) into the highest altitudes in the Andes, where on a clear day one can see the peak of Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas. What I discovered yesterday is that this is a 12 hour bus ride, only stopping briefly at photo-op spots and one hour for lunch in a park with a small restaurant. As much as I'm sure it's breathtakingly gorgeous, I cringed at the thoughts of (a) spending 12 hours on a bus, and (b) bundling up once again in my winter clothes when Mendoza was predicting temperatures around 70F with sun. Plus, after four consecutive late nights, three of them following days of imbibing, rest was badly needed. So last night I called the tour company and cancelled my seat. This morning, I slept past 10.

It has truely been a beautiful afternoon. I spent most of it exploring the heart of Mendoza; the plazas.

Mendoza itself is a large-ish city, complete with freeways, suburbs, and the usual. The entire city was reduced to rubble in an earthquake in 1861, and therefore there is nothing very old here. The heart of the city consists of a large plaza surrounded two blocks from each corner by four smaller plazas, each with a theme and a barrio to match.

My hotel is in the barrio near Plaza Italia. Unfortunately, the plaza itself is closed for repair, but the surrounding community has an Italian feel, with several restaurants surrounding the plaza to match. Six blocks south is Plaza España, the most elaborately decorated. The entire plaza has a floor of Spanish tile, and the fountain is in a brightly mosiac'd courtyard. On weekends it is filled with artisans selling hand crafted products. It was my favorite of the four smaller plazas, both for its tiles and its gardens.

Six blocks east is Plaza San Martin. General Jose San Martin was Argentine born is credited with liberating the Andean region from Spain, and thus there are monuments, towns, and thoroughfares throughout the country (as well as, I've been told, in Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Turn north and in six more blocks you will find Plaza Chile, which today was mostly filled with pierced people smoking pot.

Each of these plazas is one square block. In the center of all of these is Plaza Independencia, which comprises four square blocks. This too becomes a craft market on the weekends, as well as a community gathering spot. On its northwest corner is the Park Hyatt Hotel, the fanciest hotel in Mendoza. I enjoyed a glass of wine on its patio.

As this plaza encompasses two blocks by two blocks, the streets extending out from it's center have their own character.

Stretching Northward and Southward is Sarmiento Street. North of the Plaza, it runs along side the immense Park Hyatt. The other side of the street is filled with the expected posh eateries and upscale boutiques. The southern blocks of Sarmiento are pedestrian only, are reminiscent of Lincoln Avenue in Miami Beach, with block after block of outdoor cafes and unique shops. Extending Eastward on Mitre is Paseo Estado Israel (Mendoza is a proud sister city of Ramat-Gan) (which is a proud sister city of Phoenix) with a menorah welcoming you to this three block long paseo that, once again, is home to a nightly crafts fair. Westward from the Plaza is Paseo Republica Arabe Syria, a residential street. I appreciate the city planner's esthetic with these two paseos meeting in the Plaza Independencia, and it certainly stands out against the other streets around the plazas, all named for either South American countries and cities, or for important dates and historical persons of the region. Oh, and other than the signs at the start of them, there is nothing reminiscent of either culture on either street.

All and all this has been a much needed relaxing weekend.

---

Comments

[lana]

what is that
what's that animal?

[awass]

It´s a stray dog.