A couple weeks ago, I went to sunny (summer) Buenos Aires and Mendoza with my family. Even with only one week to get there and back, I'd say we managed to fit in quite a few of the iconic "Argentinian" activities, or at least as my friend from Buenos Aires suggested. It was an incredible trip, filled with brand-new cultural experiences and tastes.
The tango originated as a dance form from Argentina in the 1890s: (we went to Cafe de los Angelitos, a highly recommended show)
(yes, the blur perfectly captures the motion)
Tango, if nothing else, is a breathtaking feat of colorfully dressed and incredibly coordinated dancers twirling and kicking their feet here, there, and everywhere (except into their partners, miraculously). Musicians played above the main stage, a live mini-band of piano, bass, accordion, guitar, and violin:
Nearly 750 miles west, our experience in Mendoza was much more focused on the great outdoors...vineyards, naturally:
(Catena Zapata, a grand winery with particularly interesting architecture, both inside and out)
As well as the High Mountain tour (a 12-hour round-trip, winding car tour through the Andes to the border of Chile, where the tallest mountain in the Americas (Aconcagua) looms):
(The now-closed Hotel Villavicencio along the trail)
(Guanacos, a relative of the llama and camel)
(Aconcagua, the "Stone Warrior," in the distance)
Of course, we ate the local specialty, barbecued goat (chivitos), which was some of the most flavorful meat I've ever tasted:
The blend of herbs and open-flame slow cooking made for tender, juicy, tasty meat and crisp skin.
Having not really left the country in quite a few years, I definitely caught a bit of a traveling bug. (Where to next??)
No comments:
Post a Comment