Mendoza, a city full of possibilities

It's been a few days now, but I don't want to withhold from you what Tanja and I experienced in Mendoza (Argentina's wine capital near the Andes).

When our coach arrived at Mendoza's bus station early Sunday morning (after a 10-hour drive), I still had some sleep in my eyes. Tanja, on the other hand, was already wide awake and enthusiastically told me about the wonderful mountains that had passed by our bus during the journey.

We shouldered our luggage and set out to find our hostel. After about an hour and a few detours, we finally found the Hostel Internacional. We immediately liked the accommodation because we couldn't even drop off our backpacks before being pushed towards the breakfast buffet and enjoyed coffee, bread, and orange juice in peace. Refreshed, we set off to explore the city, where we had arranged to meet our favorite Russian, Aljona (we couldn't check into our rooms until 3:00 PM anyway).

Aljona had arrived the day before and was already busy organizing activities. She led us straight to a wine parade that made its way through the city center. The procession consisted of various wagons, on which the wine queens of the different regions of Mendoza and their entourage were enthroned. Instead of throwing sweets, as they do at carnival in our country, they threw all kinds of fruit. Grapes, pears, apples, and even watermelons found their way into the curious crowd. (This was sometimes quite dangerous. Anyone who has ever been hit on the head by a honeydew melon will surely agree with me!) The wagons were escorted by gauchos on their horses.

Why all the hustle and bustle? As luck would have it, the annual wine festival 'Vendimia' was taking place in Mendoza on the weekend of our arrival (Vendimia is the largest wine festival in Argentina and always takes place in the first week of March). The festival lasts a whole week, with its highlight being the big celebration in the open-air theater, including the election of the Mendoza wine queens.

And guess what, our private tour guide Aljona had already organized tickets and transportation for us! So on Monday evening, we made our way to the huge theater in Mendoza's Parque San Martín. It was incredible how many people came together here. Everything was crowded, tight, bustling. There was an infectiously good mood among all the attendees. Unfortunately, there was very little wine to consume, which was somewhat disappointing since it was supposed to be a wine festival. But as soon as the show started, all thoughts of alcohol were forgotten. The show consisted of music, dance, fireworks, and history. The activity on the stage was so colorful and diverse that we didn't know where to look in order not to miss anything. After the show, the 2017 wine queen was crowned, and then the spectacle was over. It was already 2 o'clock when we arrived back at our hostel. We fell into our beds sober but quite happy. Vendimia... definitely worth a visit!

The following day, we took it a bit easier. We strolled around, bought a few souvenirs, and relaxed in the sun. But in the afternoon, our schedule continued. Because as we were assured, it would be a sin not to participate in at least one wine tasting in Mendoza. So we signed up for a wine tour organized by our hostel. We visited two different wineries, an olive factory, and a chocolate shop. They showed us how the grapes are crushed, how the juice is stored, and at the end of the tours, we were allowed to taste the respective products. Whether it was the Argentine weather, the good mood of the group, or the impressive vineyards, I can't say, but every wine seemed to be the most delicious wine ever. Even Tanja (a passionate beer drinker) liked the different red wines!

Since we had gotten a taste for it during the tour, we decided to repeat the experience on Wednesday and did a wine tour on our own. Tanja, Aljona, Nief (an Englishwoman from our hostel), and I rented bicycles and headed to Maipu (the main wine region and also the hometown of the newly crowned 2017 Mendoza wine queen). We had a wonderful day with lots of sunshine, fun, and above all, lots of wine. We only participated in one wine tasting, but our glasses were filled so generously each time that we ended up slightly tipsy in the end. In our opinion, not drunk enough, so we bought a bottle of the most delicious wine and went to the nearest park. We sat down on the grass, unpacked our bread, cheese, and oil, and enjoyed the tasty wine. The day ended with an Argentine BBQ at our hostel. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to its promises. But since we already knew the trick, we quickly ordered a watermelon wine cocktail at the in-house bar and let the day come to a cozy end.

Originally, this should have been our last day in Mendoza, but Tanja and I hadn't managed to book a bus or even a hostel in Santiago with our full schedule. So we decided to extend our stay in Mendoza for another night. We asked at the reception, took out our credit card, and once again, had a roof over our heads for another night.

Thursday morning was dedicated to internet research, and we booked a bus and hostel to and in Santiago. The rest of the day, we actually wanted to spend in the park, work on our tan, and enjoy mate tea. But then this 'going according to plan' came in our way again. Quite spontaneously, we decided to participate in a horse riding tour on the same day. We rode through the untouched nature of Mendoza during the sunset and finally got to enjoy a really great Argentine BBQ at the horse ranch. That was the perfect ending to our very eventful time in Mendoza, and by now we should be used to it, but once again, the spontaneous actions were among the most beautiful ones!!!

All the best

Anna