Mendoza - You get what you pay for

The bus ride to Mendoza is once again very long, but finally we have found a bus company with good service and are sitting in our seats munching away. We arrive and take the usual taxi ride to the hostel. We get off. Through the bright yellow entrance gate, noisy teenagers come towards us, inside there is a loud beat. Enzo greets us at the reception, a very sweet person, and leads us to our 4-bed dorm. The mood sinks as soon as we enter, because the low price of the room becomes immediately apparent: prison atmosphere and a bathroom desperately in need of renovation. You get what you pay for...

We have even greater desire to explore the city. So we stroll around all day, enjoying the sun and eating the best ice cream we have had on our trip so far at 'Michel'. The ice cream recommendation came from dear Enzo - muchas gracias! There is chocolate ice cream "a la casa", chocolate-orange and white chocolate...a dream! In the beautiful park, we take a little nap in the shade of a tree and observe little parrots and other birds.

But Mendoza has more to offer than good ice cream and beautiful parks, because it is surrounded by vineyards. The well-known winery Trapiche also has its headquarters here, which we decide to visit. And of course, drink the wine.

We take the 'train', more like a streetcar, to the wine village and walk to the winery. The weather is wonderful and we browse through the well air-conditioned wine shop until it starts. As a welcome, we first get a Gewürztraminer, which is not unfamiliar to us. This is followed by a short tour of the winery including a tasting of two red wines and finally something sparkling. Meanwhile, House Llama Malbec relaxes and doesn't feel particularly inclined to socialize or deal with paparazzi. In a nice tipsy state, we leave the winery and head back to Mendoza.

We are particularly looking forward to our next destination, as we are going to the capital of the country. Lisa in particular is excited about a new and nicer accommodation. We also find some nice apartments on Airbnb and inquire about the first one. Unfortunately, we receive a cancellation shortly before departure, so we inquire about the second one. Then it's time to go to the bus!