So I'm off to the Teatro Colon to see if I can get a ticket to Puccini for tonight!
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Location:Ayacucho,Buenos Aires,Argentina
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
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
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