So, until I hit the road again, will enjoy what New York has to offer.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Park Pl,Brooklyn,United States
Sunday, June 19, 2011
What I've been doing since I got home...
What I've been doing since I got home: besides wearing something different every day :-) -- got hair cut and colored (#1 priority!!); received industry's Founders Award; walked high line, including new phase 2 (cool, but probably crowded on weekends); checked out mario's Eataly at 23rd street (cool); saw play, Lystrata Jones (hysterical--extended another week); went to mermaid parade in Coney Island (it's officially summer!); went to Spoon River project (play) at Green-wood Cemetery (still there another week); took a couple of long walks in neighborhood (don't want to give up on my walking); saw documentary about New York Times (interesting)...My travel made me so much more aware of everything around me here in NYC...so much to see and do right here!
So, until I hit the road again, will enjoy what New York has to offer.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
So, until I hit the road again, will enjoy what New York has to offer.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, June 13, 2011
Day 101. Brooklyn
My plane landed early....at 5:30am before customs even opened...we had to sit on the plane to wait for them to open. By the way, my plane took off at 8:15pm last night, and at 10:00pm, they closed the airport again and have said it will remain closed for at least 30 hours. (more eruptions of the volcano in Chile). That's what I would call "threading the needle."
Wow, it's weird being home!
So, back to reality, whatever that means for me now. At the advice of a good friend, instead of immediately trying to reevaluate my future, I think I will take another week or so to just be a visitor in my own hood. Food festivals, theater, museum exhibits, the High Line (the 2nd phase just opened this week)...and SLOWLY ease back into daily life. Savor the memories of an absolute phenomenal life experience, and work slowly on my re-entry.
I'll let you all know when I've figured out what direction my future will follow! The options are endless!
- Posted using BlogPress
Wow, it's weird being home!
So, back to reality, whatever that means for me now. At the advice of a good friend, instead of immediately trying to reevaluate my future, I think I will take another week or so to just be a visitor in my own hood. Food festivals, theater, museum exhibits, the High Line (the 2nd phase just opened this week)...and SLOWLY ease back into daily life. Savor the memories of an absolute phenomenal life experience, and work slowly on my re-entry.
I'll let you all know when I've figured out what direction my future will follow! The options are endless!
- Posted using BlogPress
Location:W 15th St,,United States
Day 100. RTW trip coming to an end...
I woke up on Day 100 of my trip to learn that the same flight on Saturday night to NY just took off at 5:00am this morning. So a two day delay was a good choice!
It was another beautiful, sunny day in BsAs. I had been wanting to try the Cafe Ramblas which was right on the corner, so since it was open, I headed there for another leisurely breakfast.
Then I headed back to the apartment to pack up and enjoy the apartment for this last day of my trip...a great place to reflect...
....especially on one of the two outdoor terraces...
Before leaving, I thought one more "chocolate Negro" ice cream from Volta up the street. When I got there it looked like something was going on in the plaza, so I walked over there, and some tango dancing was going on...perfect ending to my stay here.
Jason, "roadrunner" thanks you for letting him join me on my trip...
Yes, that's me in the mirror! Did you all recognize me without my green pullover? Are you all tired of that green shirt...I sure am! Katherine compared it to the travelocity gnome....the green Globedotter popping up in various places around the world. So she wouldn't let me throw it away!
Anyway, the plane took off on time....last flight, on what has been a phenomenal trip!!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It was another beautiful, sunny day in BsAs. I had been wanting to try the Cafe Ramblas which was right on the corner, so since it was open, I headed there for another leisurely breakfast.
Then I headed back to the apartment to pack up and enjoy the apartment for this last day of my trip...a great place to reflect...
....especially on one of the two outdoor terraces...
Before leaving, I thought one more "chocolate Negro" ice cream from Volta up the street. When I got there it looked like something was going on in the plaza, so I walked over there, and some tango dancing was going on...perfect ending to my stay here.
Jason, "roadrunner" thanks you for letting him join me on my trip...
Yes, that's me in the mirror! Did you all recognize me without my green pullover? Are you all tired of that green shirt...I sure am! Katherine compared it to the travelocity gnome....the green Globedotter popping up in various places around the world. So she wouldn't let me throw it away!
Anyway, the plane took off on time....last flight, on what has been a phenomenal trip!!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Day 99. Extra day in Buenos Aires. (Saturday)
I woke up this morning to the news that my plane from last night still hadn't left the ground....And it was 60 degrees and sunny in Buenos Aires...(and wasn't it raining in NY? :-).
I headed up to the La Biela Cafe for a leisurely breakfast. Then took a swing around the Saturday market at the plaza. Then I walked up to Plaza San Martin and caught the subway over to the San Telmo neighborhood where I walked around the cobblestoned streets, and grabbed a late lunch...before walking to the Plaza de Mayo to see if I could find the Parisian Cafe Tortoni....where I got my favorite, chocolate and churros! By 7:00pm, I was all "walked out" and so popped back on the subway and headed back to the apartment. What a great day on an unusually sunny, winter day in BsAs!
(I checked, and last night's plane finally took off at 3:30 this afternoon).
I headed up to the La Biela Cafe for a leisurely breakfast. Then took a swing around the Saturday market at the plaza. Then I walked up to Plaza San Martin and caught the subway over to the San Telmo neighborhood where I walked around the cobblestoned streets, and grabbed a late lunch...before walking to the Plaza de Mayo to see if I could find the Parisian Cafe Tortoni....where I got my favorite, chocolate and churros! By 7:00pm, I was all "walked out" and so popped back on the subway and headed back to the apartment. What a great day on an unusually sunny, winter day in BsAs!
(I checked, and last night's plane finally took off at 3:30 this afternoon).
Day 98...not time to go home yet! (Friday)
As I previously reported, I moved my flight from tonight to Sunday night to avoid the chaos at the airport due to the closure yesterday, and continued cancellations today. My Round The World ticket allows changes, and the apartment we're in was still available for the weekend, so it didn't make sense to get into the fray. Katherine headed on to the airport for her Delta flight to Atlanta, which, surprisingly, took off on time.
So instead of heading to the airport, I headed to the Teatro Colon, which was staging a piece by Puccini which included three one act operas. I was able to get a seat in Row 5. It was long (3-1/2 hours), and mostly "dark and brooding" (even the costumes were all black, except for one little boy in white in the last act...reminded me of the little girl in red in the movie, "Schindler's List."), but I still enjoyed the experience, and the conductor/orchestra did extreme justice to the Puccini music. I wasn't, however, impressed by the acoustics, which they are so proud of? Maybe I was sitting too close? :-) When people were on the back of the stage, or when they turned sideways, I felt their voices were quite faint. Of all of the places where I went for music or opera, the best acoustics were at the theater that I went to in Budapest for the jazz concert. Royal Albert Hall also had awesome acoustics (but then, that was Eric Clapton!).
I got back to the apartment to find out that my plane still hadn't left! So, right choice to postpone....I would have been in the airport all night!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
So instead of heading to the airport, I headed to the Teatro Colon, which was staging a piece by Puccini which included three one act operas. I was able to get a seat in Row 5. It was long (3-1/2 hours), and mostly "dark and brooding" (even the costumes were all black, except for one little boy in white in the last act...reminded me of the little girl in red in the movie, "Schindler's List."), but I still enjoyed the experience, and the conductor/orchestra did extreme justice to the Puccini music. I wasn't, however, impressed by the acoustics, which they are so proud of? Maybe I was sitting too close? :-) When people were on the back of the stage, or when they turned sideways, I felt their voices were quite faint. Of all of the places where I went for music or opera, the best acoustics were at the theater that I went to in Budapest for the jazz concert. Royal Albert Hall also had awesome acoustics (but then, that was Eric Clapton!).
I got back to the apartment to find out that my plane still hadn't left! So, right choice to postpone....I would have been in the airport all night!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Day 97. Tango Show. (Thursday).
On Thursday, I opted for a day of rest. Katherine still wanted to see some sights (and do some more shopping :-). One of the highlights of her excursion was doing the backstage tour of the Teatro Colon. It has just reopened after a major renovation....and she was impressed. They claim it has some of the best acoustics.
A second highlight for her was going to the Plaza de Mayo to see the Thursday march of "the Madres". This ritualistic march started out as a quiet, peaceful demonstration by the mothers whose children disappeared during the military dictatorship in place between 1976 and 1983. They wear white head scarves to symbolize the blankets of their children...These scarves are painted on the ground in their honor around the plaza where they march...
Katherine saw this group who appeared to symbolize the original marchers...
However, as we have learned while here, the "madres" has turned into a political machine, supporting specific political candidates and receiving contributions from various politically-motivated sources. They now view their organization as a bigger-picture human rights organization, and have a lot of political clout. Katherine's guess was that this group represents this new direction...
It is also known as a peaceful demonstration, but this week, the media was out in force...
Our guess was that this was related to the breaking news this week that one of the administrators of the organization has allegedly been pilfering funds for "his" own use.
Politics seems very interesting in Argentina, and there was lots of activity while we were here, as there is a presidential election this year. Lots of candidates. And much speculation about whether or not the current president will run again, or if her husband, who was the president before her, will run.
So enough about that...may be hard to follow in the US, as it has become evident while here that the US doesn't seem to cover what's going on down here very well.
For our last night in Buenos Aires (or Katherine's last night anyway :-), we opted to go to one of the tango shows. They have gotten mixed reviews from folks as being too tacky, too commercialized, not very good food, etc. But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We went to the Piazola (sp?) show (he is a famous tango composer whom Katherine knew about). First there was a tango lesson included. It was not quite the same as our private lesson with Cherie and Ruben, but we got to try out our moves that we had learned, so it was fun (Cherie, I still can't get the hang of moving my feet so far backwards!). Then dinner, then the show. They have singers in between the dancing, and Katherine and I would agree with the critics that we could have done without that. They also did a couple of folk dance numbers which we thoroughly enjoyed. Then they invited audience members to come on stage and dance with the dancers, which we of course did, which was a fun cap-off to our tango evening!
A second highlight for her was going to the Plaza de Mayo to see the Thursday march of "the Madres". This ritualistic march started out as a quiet, peaceful demonstration by the mothers whose children disappeared during the military dictatorship in place between 1976 and 1983. They wear white head scarves to symbolize the blankets of their children...These scarves are painted on the ground in their honor around the plaza where they march...
Katherine saw this group who appeared to symbolize the original marchers...
However, as we have learned while here, the "madres" has turned into a political machine, supporting specific political candidates and receiving contributions from various politically-motivated sources. They now view their organization as a bigger-picture human rights organization, and have a lot of political clout. Katherine's guess was that this group represents this new direction...
It is also known as a peaceful demonstration, but this week, the media was out in force...
Our guess was that this was related to the breaking news this week that one of the administrators of the organization has allegedly been pilfering funds for "his" own use.
Politics seems very interesting in Argentina, and there was lots of activity while we were here, as there is a presidential election this year. Lots of candidates. And much speculation about whether or not the current president will run again, or if her husband, who was the president before her, will run.
So enough about that...may be hard to follow in the US, as it has become evident while here that the US doesn't seem to cover what's going on down here very well.
For our last night in Buenos Aires (or Katherine's last night anyway :-), we opted to go to one of the tango shows. They have gotten mixed reviews from folks as being too tacky, too commercialized, not very good food, etc. But we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We went to the Piazola (sp?) show (he is a famous tango composer whom Katherine knew about). First there was a tango lesson included. It was not quite the same as our private lesson with Cherie and Ruben, but we got to try out our moves that we had learned, so it was fun (Cherie, I still can't get the hang of moving my feet so far backwards!). Then dinner, then the show. They have singers in between the dancing, and Katherine and I would agree with the critics that we could have done without that. They also did a couple of folk dance numbers which we thoroughly enjoyed. Then they invited audience members to come on stage and dance with the dancers, which we of course did, which was a fun cap-off to our tango evening!
Location:Ayacucho,Buenos Aires,Argentina
Day 96. Back to BsAs (Wednesday)
We had thought we would have to wait until Thursday to fly back to Buenos Aires. We were also checking the option of taking the bus. There is an executive overnight bus that has beds (like the first class section of the airplane), and they feed you and serve wine from Mendoza. Several people had told us about it and had indicated it was quite a comfortable option, and many of the portenos (Argentinians) utilize this method of travel to Mendoza. I was game to give it a try (although I'm not sure Katherine was too excited about that option, but was also willing to give it a try, if need be, especially since they served Malbec!). But when we called the airlines last night, they indicated that flights would resume on Wednesday morning, so we boogied out of there at 9:30am. We were a little nervous about the ash and whether or not it had really passed, so were glad when we landed at home base, Buenos Aires. We were lucky to get out on Wednesday (and maybe our concern about the ash was justified), when we learned that both the domestic and international airports in BsAs were then closed on Thursday. So, back, safe and sound.
Just in time for dinner with Tina's (and now our) friends, Bob and Miguel. We had drinks at their adorable, well located apartment in Palermo Viejo, and then headed out for a parilla restaurant...which is all about every day Argentinian food...grilled meats and grilled side dishes. They really love their steak here! For the three of us (Katherine had chicken), we ordered what would be a platter for two people which had four steaks...two lomo (or filets) and two rib eyes. The grilled cheese was great (they just put a hunk of cheese on the grill and grill it--you have to eat it right away, while it's hot). It was more than enough for the three of us, with some to spare.
What a fun evening!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Just in time for dinner with Tina's (and now our) friends, Bob and Miguel. We had drinks at their adorable, well located apartment in Palermo Viejo, and then headed out for a parilla restaurant...which is all about every day Argentinian food...grilled meats and grilled side dishes. They really love their steak here! For the three of us (Katherine had chicken), we ordered what would be a platter for two people which had four steaks...two lomo (or filets) and two rib eyes. The grilled cheese was great (they just put a hunk of cheese on the grill and grill it--you have to eat it right away, while it's hot). It was more than enough for the three of us, with some to spare.
What a fun evening!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Ayacucho,Buenos Aires,Argentina
Day 95. Mendoza. (Tuesday)
On our second day in Mendoza, Katherine headed out for her dream of horseback riding in the Andes. The following is provided by Katherine, as a contributing author :-).
--------------------
With mountains on all sides, and the vividly blue lake formed by the Potrerillos Dam (which is the source of water for Mendoza and all those grapes!) in view, I enjoyed one of the thrills of my life – horseback riding in the Andes!
Lucia and Juan...
own an estancia (a ranch, including a log house!) at 2000 meters elevation, in Los Carditos, Potrerillos, in the heart of the Cordillera mountain range, an hour from Mendoza.
Their 100 horses run free in the foothills, a two-hour trail ride (how distance is measured!) from the estancia. Juan rides there daily with their four border collies and brings back ten or so horses for their weekly rides, using his handmade braided leather lassos. Lucia rode with me (and Marlo, my gentle horse)...
and provided interesting insights into mountain life, including commuting daily with their three children to school in Mendoza.
Judith, from the tour company, also joined me....
Next time, I hope to be able to talk Dottie into joining me!
------------------
What a great adventure for Katherine! As most of you know, I'll try just about anything (except sky diving is not on my bucket list....yet), but I tried horseback riding in Costa Rica and had a bad experience with a feisty horse, so its tough for me to "get back in the saddle." (Harriet (my cousin), as I recall I had another bad experience on a horse at a very early age at your farm in Kentucky). So, as they say, been there, done that :-).
I had chosen to do a spa day instead, however, this was the day that the volcanic ash situation worsened, and I spent the day changing our flights and moving us out of the horrible Hyatt Hotel, and into the very friendly and helpful Villagio Boutique Hotel, which was right around the corner.
When Katherine returned from "the Andes" we went to have lunch at Azafran, the restaurant we had gone to on our first night, which was wonderful (and managed by a delightful young lady from Dallas)...so that Katherine could fill me in on her adventure, as well as her interesting discussion on her ride up and back with her guide, Judith, about life and politics in Argentina.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
--------------------
With mountains on all sides, and the vividly blue lake formed by the Potrerillos Dam (which is the source of water for Mendoza and all those grapes!) in view, I enjoyed one of the thrills of my life – horseback riding in the Andes!
Lucia and Juan...
own an estancia (a ranch, including a log house!) at 2000 meters elevation, in Los Carditos, Potrerillos, in the heart of the Cordillera mountain range, an hour from Mendoza.
Their 100 horses run free in the foothills, a two-hour trail ride (how distance is measured!) from the estancia. Juan rides there daily with their four border collies and brings back ten or so horses for their weekly rides, using his handmade braided leather lassos. Lucia rode with me (and Marlo, my gentle horse)...
and provided interesting insights into mountain life, including commuting daily with their three children to school in Mendoza.
Judith, from the tour company, also joined me....
Next time, I hope to be able to talk Dottie into joining me!
------------------
What a great adventure for Katherine! As most of you know, I'll try just about anything (except sky diving is not on my bucket list....yet), but I tried horseback riding in Costa Rica and had a bad experience with a feisty horse, so its tough for me to "get back in the saddle." (Harriet (my cousin), as I recall I had another bad experience on a horse at a very early age at your farm in Kentucky). So, as they say, been there, done that :-).
I had chosen to do a spa day instead, however, this was the day that the volcanic ash situation worsened, and I spent the day changing our flights and moving us out of the horrible Hyatt Hotel, and into the very friendly and helpful Villagio Boutique Hotel, which was right around the corner.
When Katherine returned from "the Andes" we went to have lunch at Azafran, the restaurant we had gone to on our first night, which was wonderful (and managed by a delightful young lady from Dallas)...so that Katherine could fill me in on her adventure, as well as her interesting discussion on her ride up and back with her guide, Judith, about life and politics in Argentina.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, June 10, 2011
Day 98. Extending trip to 101 days!
We have more to share with you for days 95-97, but just wanted all of you to know that I have extended my trip for two additional days! I was to fly home this evening, but the airport has been closed for two days due to the volcanic ash cloud from Chile. The airport is scheduled to reopen at 6:00pm tonight, and my flight was to have departed at 8:15pm. But they had already announced two delays. So I decided that instead of dealing with the hassle at the chaotic reopening of the airport, and the risk that my flight would then end up being cancelled anyway, and since I have the flexibility with my Round The World ticket, I decided to rebook for Sunday night.
So I'm off to the Teatro Colon to see if I can get a ticket to Puccini for tonight!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
So I'm off to the Teatro Colon to see if I can get a ticket to Puccini for tonight!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Ayacucho,Buenos Aires,Argentina
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Days 93-94. Mendoza....wine country!
(posted Day 96....we are now back in Buenos Aires....they reopened the airport a day earlier than expected).
As most of you know, Argentina is famous for its Malbecs, and Mendoza is "the" place...so on Sunday, June 5 (day 93), we headed out of Buenos Aires for wine country. When we arrived, Katherine hit the spa, while I relaxed, caught up on some sleep, and read my book. I finished Stones for Schools..it was very similar to his original one, Three Cups of Tea. I know he got some grief for inaccuracies in his book(s), but his concept of educating the girls and women, who can then support themselves, and then make sure that their boys and girls are educated, is the original premise behind the formation of the CREW Foundation...systemic change for women and girls...an issue that is therefore close to my heart, as the founding Chair of the CREW Foundation. I am now reading a mindless book by Baldacci. As mindless books go, he's one of my favorites.
We woke up Tuesday, rested and ready to hit some of the best wineries (bodegas) in the valley with our guide, Kendra. Our first question to her was, how do they grow grapes in a desert? Mendoza has a natural ditch irrigation system which is fed by the snow run-off from the mountains. This system was instituted for the valley after the earthquake in 1861, when many people perished due to the lack of drinking water. It actually allows the wine growers to set up their own systems where they can determine exactly how much water they want to release to their crop...right to the amount of drips of water.
We first stopped at Archaval Ferrer, at their Finca Bella Vista (estate with a beautiful view)...
...the view being of the Andes. It was unfortunately cloudy, so you can't see it in the above photo, but behind the mountains that you can see is a second level of the mountain range, that, when we could see it briefly throughout the day, appeared to be twice as tall, and was snow-capped! Must be spectacular when the fog lifts!
Our host took us through the winery, explaining their process and business philosophy...
For one thing, many of the local estates use netting on their vines to protect the vines from hail, which occasionally is so huge here that it can destroy an entire crop of vines....but Ferrer believes that this does not allow the proper amount of sunlight to reach the vines and so would rather take the risk in order to produce the best wine...and this is reflected in their ratings. They produce wine on four estates, three of which, Finca Mirador, Finca Altamica, and Finca Bella Vista, have their top brand that is named after them which have been ranked 96, 97 and 98, respectively, by Robert Parker (although we can't remember which vintage year(s) they obtained those rankings-- might have all been in 2008). They produce a total of about 200,000 bottles per year (including only 10,000 bottles of each "Finca" brand) and about 80% of it is exported, 30% to the US.
Then it was time for our tasting...
Yum. We tasted a new Malbec 2010 from their Bella Vista estate, which was a little young (I say that like I know what I'm talking about :-)...
....a Quimera (impossible dream), which was a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot from different regions of the province, which was Katherine's favorite...
...and the Finca Mirador (ranked "96") -- my favorite...
They had also just finished bottling a new Dolce wine, which is a red dessert wine, so they gave us a taste...not bad...similar to port.
Because of the high percentage of their wines that go to the US, they have a US distributorship, so they made it very easy to buy some of their wines, as they ship it to you from that distributorship in the US.....considerably less expensive shipping. so if I invite you to a dinner party, you might want to come :-).
Next we were off to Belasco De Baquedano, where we tried their Malbec Roble, Guentota Malbec and Swinto Malbec. (there are bodegas that produce Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet, but we were on a Malbec mission :-). Their wines were good, but they had the disadvantage of coming after Ferrer....what can I say?
Time for lunch to soak up some of the redness in our systems....so off to Cavo de Cano (cavo meaning cave)....and there was quite a surprise spread out for us in the "cave"......
....all of this food was for the three of us....and these were just the "starters"!!--there were salamis and cheeses and vegetables and rice and potatoes and olives and beans and wine soaked apples and homemade breads, etc., etc. And THEN they brought out the hot dishes!--empanadas, beef stew and pasta with bolognese sauce. And, of course, Malbec! They call their wines "garage" wines, or table wines. So much for my H3 rules!! They went out the window! We were feeling pretty happy afterwards...
....no, we're not holding each other up...yet...because we're not done...one more bodega to visit.
Jason (wine guide in australia), the next place reminded me of one of the places you took us to in Hunter Valley with the sole entrepreneur out of the garage (look familiar?)...
It was a small bodega....makes about 50,000 bottles per year. And is a sole proprietorship, run by a passionate Italian gentleman, Carmelo Patti, which is the name of his vineyard...
(Brenda, guess who this sweet, gracious man reminded us of)! He was adorable....lots of personality. He has no staff, but does it all himself. At this point, I don't remember what we drank, but I bought a bottle, so can try it when I get home!
Yes, the Argentine Malbecs are pretty special....not sure how we will get it all home :-)
What a great day! No dinner for us tonight, unless it's maybe a cup of soup or salad!
As most of you know, Argentina is famous for its Malbecs, and Mendoza is "the" place...so on Sunday, June 5 (day 93), we headed out of Buenos Aires for wine country. When we arrived, Katherine hit the spa, while I relaxed, caught up on some sleep, and read my book. I finished Stones for Schools..it was very similar to his original one, Three Cups of Tea. I know he got some grief for inaccuracies in his book(s), but his concept of educating the girls and women, who can then support themselves, and then make sure that their boys and girls are educated, is the original premise behind the formation of the CREW Foundation...systemic change for women and girls...an issue that is therefore close to my heart, as the founding Chair of the CREW Foundation. I am now reading a mindless book by Baldacci. As mindless books go, he's one of my favorites.
We woke up Tuesday, rested and ready to hit some of the best wineries (bodegas) in the valley with our guide, Kendra. Our first question to her was, how do they grow grapes in a desert? Mendoza has a natural ditch irrigation system which is fed by the snow run-off from the mountains. This system was instituted for the valley after the earthquake in 1861, when many people perished due to the lack of drinking water. It actually allows the wine growers to set up their own systems where they can determine exactly how much water they want to release to their crop...right to the amount of drips of water.
We first stopped at Archaval Ferrer, at their Finca Bella Vista (estate with a beautiful view)...
...the view being of the Andes. It was unfortunately cloudy, so you can't see it in the above photo, but behind the mountains that you can see is a second level of the mountain range, that, when we could see it briefly throughout the day, appeared to be twice as tall, and was snow-capped! Must be spectacular when the fog lifts!
Our host took us through the winery, explaining their process and business philosophy...
For one thing, many of the local estates use netting on their vines to protect the vines from hail, which occasionally is so huge here that it can destroy an entire crop of vines....but Ferrer believes that this does not allow the proper amount of sunlight to reach the vines and so would rather take the risk in order to produce the best wine...and this is reflected in their ratings. They produce wine on four estates, three of which, Finca Mirador, Finca Altamica, and Finca Bella Vista, have their top brand that is named after them which have been ranked 96, 97 and 98, respectively, by Robert Parker (although we can't remember which vintage year(s) they obtained those rankings-- might have all been in 2008). They produce a total of about 200,000 bottles per year (including only 10,000 bottles of each "Finca" brand) and about 80% of it is exported, 30% to the US.
Then it was time for our tasting...
Yum. We tasted a new Malbec 2010 from their Bella Vista estate, which was a little young (I say that like I know what I'm talking about :-)...
....a Quimera (impossible dream), which was a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot from different regions of the province, which was Katherine's favorite...
...and the Finca Mirador (ranked "96") -- my favorite...
They had also just finished bottling a new Dolce wine, which is a red dessert wine, so they gave us a taste...not bad...similar to port.
Because of the high percentage of their wines that go to the US, they have a US distributorship, so they made it very easy to buy some of their wines, as they ship it to you from that distributorship in the US.....considerably less expensive shipping. so if I invite you to a dinner party, you might want to come :-).
Next we were off to Belasco De Baquedano, where we tried their Malbec Roble, Guentota Malbec and Swinto Malbec. (there are bodegas that produce Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet, but we were on a Malbec mission :-). Their wines were good, but they had the disadvantage of coming after Ferrer....what can I say?
Time for lunch to soak up some of the redness in our systems....so off to Cavo de Cano (cavo meaning cave)....and there was quite a surprise spread out for us in the "cave"......
....all of this food was for the three of us....and these were just the "starters"!!--there were salamis and cheeses and vegetables and rice and potatoes and olives and beans and wine soaked apples and homemade breads, etc., etc. And THEN they brought out the hot dishes!--empanadas, beef stew and pasta with bolognese sauce. And, of course, Malbec! They call their wines "garage" wines, or table wines. So much for my H3 rules!! They went out the window! We were feeling pretty happy afterwards...
....no, we're not holding each other up...yet...because we're not done...one more bodega to visit.
Jason (wine guide in australia), the next place reminded me of one of the places you took us to in Hunter Valley with the sole entrepreneur out of the garage (look familiar?)...
It was a small bodega....makes about 50,000 bottles per year. And is a sole proprietorship, run by a passionate Italian gentleman, Carmelo Patti, which is the name of his vineyard...
(Brenda, guess who this sweet, gracious man reminded us of)! He was adorable....lots of personality. He has no staff, but does it all himself. At this point, I don't remember what we drank, but I bought a bottle, so can try it when I get home!
Yes, the Argentine Malbecs are pretty special....not sure how we will get it all home :-)
What a great day! No dinner for us tonight, unless it's maybe a cup of soup or salad!
Location:25 de Mayo,Mendoza,Argentina
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day 95....volcanic ash!
I didn't forget about days 93/94, but will fill you in about those days later. But thought I would just check in to let you all know that, yes, we are being affected by the volcanic ash. We were to return to BA today from Mendoza, but the airport here has been closed for the next two days due to the ash. The skies are blue here, and I see no sign of this ash cloud, so we will just try to enjoy our extra time here. We are currently rescheduled to fly out on Thursday morning, but they are not sure yet if the airport will reopen by then. So far, the international airport in BA has remained open, so it will be a matter of whether or not we can get there by Friday for our flights.
Also, here in Mendoza, we have been staying at the Hyatt, which has had the worst service of any hotel thus far. So for our two day delay I have moved us into a little boutique hotel around the corner.
More on all of this later, but I had gotten a couple of emails and so wanted to check in with everyone!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Also, here in Mendoza, we have been staying at the Hyatt, which has had the worst service of any hotel thus far. So for our two day delay I have moved us into a little boutique hotel around the corner.
More on all of this later, but I had gotten a couple of emails and so wanted to check in with everyone!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:25 de Mayo,Mendoza,Argentina
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Day 92. Tango!
During the day, Katherine headed over to the market, the design center and the Evita Museum, while I lounged around.
Then, the big event of the day...........TANGO lesson with Cherie and Ruben! What fun! For about an hour and a half, they attempted to make tango dancers out of both of us!
We actually weren't bad! They even gave us an advanced move, the ocho (figure eight), which they usually don't do in the first lesson!
Then......we headed over to the local milonga...
...a place where the locals meet, every night of the week, to tango. We learned that it's the woman who initiates the dance by staring at a man....then he nods...she nods back, and he approaches her to dance. We actually never put it into practice :-), but Ruben got one of his friends to dance with Katherine and he danced with me! So a real BsAs (that's the way they abbreviate it) experience!
Tomorrow we head to Mendoza, the wine country!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Then, the big event of the day...........TANGO lesson with Cherie and Ruben! What fun! For about an hour and a half, they attempted to make tango dancers out of both of us!
We actually weren't bad! They even gave us an advanced move, the ocho (figure eight), which they usually don't do in the first lesson!
Then......we headed over to the local milonga...
...a place where the locals meet, every night of the week, to tango. We learned that it's the woman who initiates the dance by staring at a man....then he nods...she nods back, and he approaches her to dance. We actually never put it into practice :-), but Ruben got one of his friends to dance with Katherine and he danced with me! So a real BsAs (that's the way they abbreviate it) experience!
Tomorrow we head to Mendoza, the wine country!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Days 90/91. Iguazu to BA
This morning we took advantage of the guided walk through the jungle with a guide from the hotel, Dora the explorer (aka, Nazeret)...
She called birds for us, including a toucan and showed us all of the different plant life. In this area, a company came in and planted a lot of pine trees to be used to make wood, and it destroyed parts of the jungle. The owner of our hotel owns almost 1,000 acres of land, and is making an attempt to reclaim the jungle by replanting indigenous plants. This is of course a long process as the soil has completely changed due to the introduction of foreign plants.
It was a lovely, relaxing walk (except for the brief moment when I fell on my backside, which Katherine so graciously captured on camera)... :-)
We then took a short, relaxing boat ride on the Parana River, the second largest river, after the Amazon, in South America...
It was now time to say goodbye to our friends at the Posada Puerto Bemberg...Here are a few shots of this wonderful little gem...
Back to BA...
On Friday (day 91), we walked around the neighborhood of Palermo, which was a bit like Chelsea in NY. Cute little shops, cafes, art galleries, etc.
Friday evening, we had the pleasure of meeting Bob, who lives in Argentina, and used to be a neighbor of our friend, Tina. He gave us some great insights of the political climate and life in Argentina.
We were going to go hear our tour guide from Monday sing at a little bar in San Telmo, but we were bushed, so called it a day. Wanted to save ourselves for tango on Saturday!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
She called birds for us, including a toucan and showed us all of the different plant life. In this area, a company came in and planted a lot of pine trees to be used to make wood, and it destroyed parts of the jungle. The owner of our hotel owns almost 1,000 acres of land, and is making an attempt to reclaim the jungle by replanting indigenous plants. This is of course a long process as the soil has completely changed due to the introduction of foreign plants.
It was a lovely, relaxing walk (except for the brief moment when I fell on my backside, which Katherine so graciously captured on camera)... :-)
We then took a short, relaxing boat ride on the Parana River, the second largest river, after the Amazon, in South America...
It was now time to say goodbye to our friends at the Posada Puerto Bemberg...Here are a few shots of this wonderful little gem...
Back to BA...
On Friday (day 91), we walked around the neighborhood of Palermo, which was a bit like Chelsea in NY. Cute little shops, cafes, art galleries, etc.
Friday evening, we had the pleasure of meeting Bob, who lives in Argentina, and used to be a neighbor of our friend, Tina. He gave us some great insights of the political climate and life in Argentina.
We were going to go hear our tour guide from Monday sing at a little bar in San Telmo, but we were bushed, so called it a day. Wanted to save ourselves for tango on Saturday!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Day 89. Iguazu Falls, Argentina.
After enjoying the falls from the Brazilian side, it was time to explore the Argentinian side. We started out taking the park train to the catwalk...
that would get us close to the largest fall...Devil's Throat...
...quite a powerful falls...
...it was hard to keep your camera lens clear, as the mist rises above the falls, and sprays onto the catwalk...even more so than on the Brazilian catwalk, as here you are right over top of this, the most powerful of the falls.
There were lots of butterflies along the catwalk, many of which kept landing on me...this one on my shoe...
After enjoying the views of the falls, we opted to take the boat back rather than the train...
...and it was a nice, relaxing ride, away from the maddening crowd, with our guide...
....who showed us some of the flora and fauna, and the caimans which are like little alligators...
...the butterflies were hitching a ride on this one...
We went to view all of the falls from a different vantage point on the "upper circuit."
Then we took this open truck through a part of the jungle....
...before hopping on the boat...
...to get up even more close and personal to the falls....
After this shot, we put our cameras away, as they take you right up under the falls and you get soaked (I could have done without that part, as it wasn't that warm out :-). Then we walked along the "lower circuit" for some additional shots before heading back to our hotel.
On the truck/boat part of the trip, We met a woman from London who was doing a similar, six month trip around the world! She was the first person I've met doing it who isn't in their 20's, so it was interesting swapping stories.
Another great dinner before hitting the sack for the night!
Posted on Day 92.
that would get us close to the largest fall...Devil's Throat...
...quite a powerful falls...
...it was hard to keep your camera lens clear, as the mist rises above the falls, and sprays onto the catwalk...even more so than on the Brazilian catwalk, as here you are right over top of this, the most powerful of the falls.
There were lots of butterflies along the catwalk, many of which kept landing on me...this one on my shoe...
After enjoying the views of the falls, we opted to take the boat back rather than the train...
...and it was a nice, relaxing ride, away from the maddening crowd, with our guide...
....who showed us some of the flora and fauna, and the caimans which are like little alligators...
...the butterflies were hitching a ride on this one...
We went to view all of the falls from a different vantage point on the "upper circuit."
Then we took this open truck through a part of the jungle....
...before hopping on the boat...
...to get up even more close and personal to the falls....
After this shot, we put our cameras away, as they take you right up under the falls and you get soaked (I could have done without that part, as it wasn't that warm out :-). Then we walked along the "lower circuit" for some additional shots before heading back to our hotel.
On the truck/boat part of the trip, We met a woman from London who was doing a similar, six month trip around the world! She was the first person I've met doing it who isn't in their 20's, so it was interesting swapping stories.
Another great dinner before hitting the sack for the night!
Posted on Day 92.
Location:Ayacucho,Buenos Aires,Argentina
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)