Day 19, More of Mendoza

Mendoza was a surprise! I spent the day on a walking tour (Mark was taking a rest) and had not expected a city in the heart of a desert to be so green and leafy. Almost totally destroyed by an earthquake in 1861, it was rebuilt by a French-trained architect and has large squares, wide streets, and broad sidewalks. Lots of smaller parks also. Least ‘Spanish colonial’ city in Argentina. Very clean/no graffiti. Also one of the ‘11 great wine capitals’ of the world (and why we are here😎). My guide, Ignacio (Nacho) was a very enterprising young guy who decided at age nine to teach himself English and was fluent enough a couple of years later to win a scholarship to space camp in Huntsville. He is finishing up university while building a thriving tour business. Very impressive. We are staying in a little suburban town, Las Heras, with cute shops and restaurants (and wine stores🍷) and an outdoor market filled with jewelry and pottery. Hard to figure out the crazy economy with so many lovely consumer goods. But anyone with USDs is in luck.Read more