Advertisement
Published: March 17th 2009
Edit Blog Post
Nachdaem mir ues usgrueht hei, si mir parat gsi, zum Santiago go z'erkunde...aber Santiago isch no nid parat gsi fuer ues. Woeu Sunntig isch gsi, isch praktisch aues zue gsi und d'Stadt isch wie usgstorbe gsi. Drum hei mir nume ae churzi Tour ds Fuess gmacht und si denn wieder zrugg is Hostal und churz ume Egge go Sushi zum Znacht aesse.
Am naechschte Morge hei mir de der Armin lehre kenne. Ihm ghoert ds Hostal und aer het uf sire Homepage ou gschriebe gha, dass aer Wiitoure tuet organisiere. Nachdaem mir de chli mit ihm gred hei, hei mir ihn fuer 2 Taeg "engagiert", zum ues chli um Santiago ume i de Wiigueter umedsfahre. I dene Wiigebiet muess me immer vorreserviere und es isch ziemlech wit usenand und umstaendlech. Drum isch das nid ganz die guenschtigschti Variante gsi, aber natuerlech sehr komfortabel fuer ues.
Dae Tag wo mer derzwuesche no gha hei, si mir de nach Valparaiso und Vina del Mar gange. Das si zwoei haerzigi Staedt am Meer. Aber leider isch es nid ganz eso schoens Waetter gsi und go bade het me eh nuemme choenne. Drum si mir de ou nid allzu lang dert bliebe.
Und denn het uesi Wiitour ahgfange :-)) Mir si es paar Wiigueter go ahluege, wo mir der Wii deheime im Chaeuer hei, und angeri wo mer noni kennt hei. Es isch mega spannend gsi und zum Teil hei si ou super guete Wii gha. Allerdings hei d'Qualitaet und Art und Wiis, wie die Toure organisiert si gsi stark variiert. Aber im grosse und ganze isch es aes guets Erlaebnis gsi. Und am Abe si mer de ume Egge i nes Restaurant, wo der Armin ues empfohle het, wo exkuisit isch gsi und ae wunderschoene Innehof het gha :-) Nach daem super Aesse und ere Flaesche Wii si mir de no id Bar ueber d'Strass und der Thomas het es Glas Rum bsteuet gha. Das het de der Barkeeper so ihgschaenkt wie es Glas Wii und de hei mir fuer oepe 5 sFr. ae 10fache Rum gha!
Am zwoeite Tag vo uesere Wiitour isch de no ae Australier vom Hostal mitcho und mir hei ues d'Choeschte chli choenne ufteile. A daem Tag si mir zu De Martino gange und hei ihri super feine Wii choenne probiere. Dert hets ou es Chaesplaettli derzue gaeh und mir hei choenne der Wii diraekt
vo de Taenk degustiere. A daem Abe si mir de aui mitenand und no mit der Fruendin vom Armin i nes Restaurant in Santiago go aesse, wo me ou sehr guete Wii pro Glas het choenne bstelle und so waehrend em Verlauf vom Abe mehreri Wii probiere.
Nachdaem mir ues jetz scho chli "warmtrunke" hei in und um Santiago, si mir parat gsi, zum nach Mendoza witer ds fahre. Mir hei ou scho mis Geburrigschaenkli (1 Nacht i der Cavas Wine Lodge), reserviert und mit Zweifel glueget, dass mir no einisch bi Salentein verbi choei gah....
And for the English speaking audience - and thus who find it easier to read this stuff than the Swiss-Bernish-German
Got to Santiago on a Sunday early morning, took a cab to a Swiss run B&B and got some 'real' bread for breakfast. Then got a map and went for a quick stroll through town... did I mention that it was Sunday? The city looked like a ghost town - just melting hot under the blue sky and the ever shining sun. Luckily found the only open restaurant and had ourselves a cold beer.
I had somehow caught a cold
and couldn't smell nor taste anything - superb for when you're planning to go out to the wineries.
Back at the B&B we met Armin the owner of the place. After chatting about CH and Luzern (where A. is originally from) we mentioned that we intended to go on a whine tour, that however we hadn't found any agency yet that was organizing such. Good Swiss businessman that Armin is he offered us to organize a tour just for the two of us!
As it is usus in Chile and Argentina to call the winery ahead of your visit and make a reservation, Armin wanted to take the next day to get everything organized. Time for us to do a quick trip by bus to Valparaiso and Vina de Mar, the later one being the summer town of the Chilenians and its said to look like in the south of France during the summer holiday time.
Got to Valpa by bus - the town is known for its colourful houses and the approx. 15 cable car lifts that were built around 1900 and are still running. Did a walk through town and took several of the cable
cars and thought it amazing that these were really still being used. Then went to Vina del Mar by public bus and hoped to find some of this south France feeling... well, vacation time was over, the weather at the coast rather cool and cloudy and the beaches empty - so nothing with a romantic drink or lunch/dinner at the beach. Made it back to Vina and decided to take an early bus back to Santiago the next morning.
Back in Santiago just in time for lunch and believe it or not the town was really busy and busting w/people. Enjoyed another stroll w/restaurants and stores all open and had dinner at a secluded restaurant - front door looks like nothing and it appears as if the interior is just another pub, however if you keep on walking you get to the back- and outside area, all closed in by a 3m high wall that is covered in green brush and some waterfall running at one side of the wall - food & wine were superb. After dinner we went just to the other side of the street for a late night drink. Ordered an old rum in a
cognac glass and was expecting to receive about an amount similar to what we would get in CH - the glass I got was filled like a wineglass and cost USD 9.-; we slept really well after that.
Next day we started the winetour - Armin driving - at Perez Cruz, then went to Santa Rita (which also produces Carmen) and at the end to Concha y Torres. The tours and the tasting at the different wineries varied a lot, some were really professional whereas others were a mere quick tour w/out any tasting (Santa Rita).
Conche y Torres is the owner and producer of the very high thought of wine 'Alma Viva'. Didn't get to taste that one however noted that you could've bought a bottle of 6.6lt for a 'mere' USD 1100.- ...
Next day we toured the vineyards a little more and had a superb tour and tasting at Vina de Martino (who's wines are sold at 'The Wineshop' (Zweifel) in Zurich where we had celebrated my birthday last year). I believe they have one of the best Carmenere that you can buy!
Back to town, dinner w/Armin (who's into wines as well when he's
not driving) at a restaurant where we got to by the wine by 'Copa' (glass) and by that continue /complete the afternoon's tasting tour.
And over all these wines it got time to move on over the Andes to Mendoza - where by chance they have more wines (and meat...). And Caro's birthday present was waiting too - one night at the Cavas Wine Lodge; waiting was as well a VIP visit to Bodega Salentein (arranged w/the help of the lovely staff of The Wineshop in ZH).
Advertisement
Tot: 0.111s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 13; qc: 53; dbt: 0.061s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb