We never get rain here in Mendoza...

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If Cordoba encouraged me to take nothing for granted and appreciate the little things in life, then Mendoza raises her ruby glass of Malbec with a wink and whispers, ¨Live a little!¨

Mendoza is flat-out gorgeous. Unlike Buenos Aires and Cordoba, Mendoza takes such pride in her appearance that a great shifting of the natural landscape had to occur in order to make Mendoza possible- and despite the possible ecological cost, I am eternally grateful. Mendoza is not only located in the high desert, but is situated directly on top of 9 tectonic plates. The great earthquake of 1861 destroyed the entirety of the city, meaning that it is quite modern by Latin American standards. The tree-lined cobblestone avenues sheltered the grapes coming into the city to be processed all those years ago, and now shelter us as we walk around in the rain and SNOW, despite being told yesterday by our awesome tour guide that it NEVER rains in Mendoza. Never.

If Becca and I are enamored with Mendoza, Mendoza seems to be repaying the favor in kind. On our first jaunt out of the hostel on our first full day here, we were given a round of applause just for walking by a group of pubescent soccer players. Curtsying away, we both lifted our chins a bit higher. To further our mutual affections, Mendoza is ensconced on all sides by vineyards. We are braving the rain and snow and freezing temperatures today to explore these, along with a finca that produces olives to make into olive oil. The rest of the week we decided to dedicate to exploring the vineyards on our own- this will entail taking a bus to Maipu, then renting a bicycle to make our way from grape to grape. We have decided on a picnic lunch of local olives and cheeses to make our days complete. Life is rough for wayward women.

Happy 4th of July week, friends and family!

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Comments

[Leslie]

Enjoy!
It sounds like you are having a marvelous time! Mendoza sounds delightful. Pictures?

[CRC]

Pics
Oooh I miss you guys! We are having a blast. Pics won´t be up until I get home unless I start taking more with the ipod... or I figure out to download with crowding someones hard drive. I´ll take some at the winery tomorrow and load them for you.