FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 3
February 28, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 3
The ABC’s of Chile
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 24 – Friday, February 22 – Mendoza, Argentina – sunny, high clouds, 90’s
- 7:30 – wake up – hot coffee w/ hot milk
- 9:30 – breakfast is typical – fruit, toast, cereal, yogurt, ham & cheese w/assorted breads
- 9:45 – arranged for car & driver to take us into Andes
- A – drive through wine country on way
- 10:00 – start winding up the mountains – no trees just short scrub brush, grasses & bushes
- A – you can see snow on the tallest peaks
- A – colors range from sandy beige, terra cotta, gray, brown & volcanic flat black
Aconcagua
- A – drive past big Potrerillos lake (from a distance you can see Tupungato volcano which we saw from the plane on the way in)
- C –1:00 – arrive @ Aconcagua – take a short walk – Chris is pretty sore from the fall
- 3:00 – lunch @ Estancia de Elias, in only town on the way – more Argentinean beef – meet couple from Chile who drive here because” it is the best” – tells us to order beef de chorizo, get 2 mixed salads, fried potatoes & local beer Isenbeck – only $30 & VG
- 5:00 – drive thru Parque General San Martín on way back
- 6:00 – arrive B & B
- 9:30 – dinner next door @ Florentina – 4 dipping sauces w/bread & seafood risotto – just so-so
- 11:30 – so tired, hit the bed since I had no time for room R & R or siesta
FF– (FUN-fact) – Aconcagua is the tallest peak in all of the Americas at 6962 meters.
Not so FF – You can’t see the Andes from Santiago because of all the smog.
Parque General San Martín
FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 2
February 27, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Mendoza, Argentina – Day 2
Plaza España
The ABC’s of Chile
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 23 – Thursday, February 21 – Mendoza, Argentina – overcast, high clouds, cool morning turns clear – low 80’s
- 7:30 – wake up – sleep fitful even w/very quiet room
- 12:00 – walk through town – lots of trees shade the streets & keep you cool – 4 small plazas are equal distance from the grand main plaza
- 1st Plaza Italia – fountain & playground
- 2nd Plaza España – colorful tiled mural walls & used as accents on walkway
- 3rd Plaza San Martin – big statue & water feature
- 4th Plaza Chile – playground
- 5th Plaza Independencia – 4 times the size of the others
- 1:30 – lunch Tomaso Trattoria – mixed salad w/tuna, egg, carrots, tomatoes, onion & putanesca pizza – supposed to be spicy & not
- B – just so-so
Plaza San Martin
- 2:45 – gelato break – best in town @ Sopellsa, corner of Sarmiento & Belgrano – incredible amount of flavors & options
- A – 3:15 – The Vines of Mendoza – wine tasting bar – 20% off w/the map from TI @ airport – nice Malbec (forgot to write it down)
- 4:00 – room R & R siesta
- 6:30 – Chris takes off to find store for snacks & water
- B – “Mendoza Moment” – Chris tripped @ fell – smacked his knee hard & busted his lip
- C – 8:45 taxi to dinner @ 1884 to eat w/cruise buddies Don & Steve – beautiful outside seating on patio – definitely a meat place, they had rib eye & filet VG – we ordered eggplant cannelloni & not VG
Lesson Learned – the sidewalks are uneven & broken up so you have to be very careful walking.
FF – (FUN-fact) – The colonial city of Mendoza was destroyed by earthquakes and was rebuilt and expanded by settlers from Italy and Germany who gave it the airy plazas.
FUN:travel – Viña del Mar, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina
February 27, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Viña del Mar, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina
B & B Plaza Italia
The ABC’s of Chile
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 22 – Wednesday, February 20– Viña del Mar, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina – warm sunshine, blue skies, cool breeze – low 60’s
- 7:10 – wake up
- B – another horrible night of no sleep
- B – 7:30 – head to Starbuck’s – doesn’t open until 8:00
- B – McDonald’s is open but no cream because McCafe doesn’t open until 8:00
- 11:00 – taxi to Santiago airport takes 90 minutes
- A – we stay @ airport Hilton on way back from Easter Island, plan to drop 2 bags of heavy clothes & coats so we don’t have to schlep & get hit w/outrageous baggage fees
- B – 11:30 – OMG! we are in downtown Santiago
- B – taxi driver has no idea where the hotel is – he is stopping & asking people – he has a phone but doesn’t use it!
- 1:30 – arrive airport for 3:50 flight
- A – airport has tons of shops so you can easily entertain yourself
- C – airport security is great – shoes, laptops, liquids no problema
- C – no baggage police or baggage nazi’s @ LAN in Santiago (unike Ecuador & Peru last year)
- B – 3:50 – flight delayed
Downtown
- B – we lost our jetway & now have to take a bus & schlep our bags up & down stairs
- A – flying in, clouds are so thick & packed together in some spots, they look like heads of cauliflower at the market
- A – blue skies for the Andes, incredible & see snow capped volcano
- 5:00 – arrive Mendoza
Plaza Italia
- B – Argentina makes you scan all bags when leaving the airport
- B – takes an hour to get through customs
- A – taxi to city costs $10
- 6:30 – arrive B&B Plaza Italia
- A – Javier, son of owner Mercedes, welcomes us & spends 45 minutes telling us about their family home (where we are staying) & where to go in Mendoza & asking what our plans are during stay
- C – fast, free internet
- C – big, quiet room w/our own bathroom
- 7:30 – dinner Azafran recommended by Javier – 1st salmon tartar on bed of thinly sliced cucumbers topped w/guacamole & plantain chips – 2nd arugula salad w/guacamole between 2 thin wafers of fried provolone & grilled shrimp, citrus vinaigrette – 3rd quinoa crusted chicken breast stuffed w/ricotta goat cheese, topped w/buffalo mozzarella, spinach cream sauce, crispy fried carrots & eggplant rolls – bottle Monteagrelo Malbec , $38 – total dinner $90 & VG!
Lessons Learned – don’t get out of bed before 8:00 if you want a good cup of coffee. Pad extra travel time for less stress!
FF – (FUN-fact) – Viña del Mar is very clean, has lots of parks, and lots of horse drawn carriages.
Not so FF – Chile is a lot more expensive than Argentina for everything.
Really Good Malbec!
FUN:travel – Ushuaia, Argentina – Seabourn Cruise – Day 7
February 11, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Ushuaia, Argentina – Seabourn Cruise – Day 7
The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 11 – Saturday, February 9 – Ushuaia, Argentina – Cruise Day 7 – windy, balmy 60’s
- A – wake up 7:30
- A – smooth sailing all night
- B – head up to coffee bar & miss Chris coming down w/my cappuccino
- A – beautiful day – sunshine & high clouds
- 9:00 – fruit outside deck
- 12:30 – walk off pier to town takes 5 mins
- A –spectacular snow capped mountains surround harbor
- A – town is filled with colorful buildings
- 2:30 – back to ship after nice long walk
- A – we’ll be back here in 3 weeks & not sure what excursions will be included in that trip
- pizza break @ patio grill
Ushuaia Harbor
- nice chat w/couple we saw @ Houston airport & then met outside a restaurant in Buenos Aires
- 4:00 – room R & R – need nap from getting up so early
- C – 5:00 – book Croatia cruise in October & save 5%
- C – 7:00 – dinner @ specialty restaurant called 2
- A – 8 course tasting menu w/nice small portions
- have table w/another couple
- C – Don & Steve from Boston are them – what are the chances!
- A – 10:30 – rock the boat dance party @ the Club – lots of singing & dancing
FF – (FUN-fact) – Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world.
More FF – There are wool throws in all of the outside seating areas to keep you warm.
FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina to Valparaíso, Chile – 15 days – Seabourn Cruise
February 5, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina to Valparaíso, Chile – 15 days – Seabourn Cruise
The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 5 – Sunday, February 3 – Buenos Aires, Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay – sunny, nice breeze – low 80’s
Chris Learns Tango
- A – 8:00 am wake up – get cappuccino this morning!
- A – pack up & ready for next big adventure
- 12:00 – taxi to ship terminal for Seabourn Cruise
- takes 15 min – $15
- place is out of control with people everywhere!
- A – Seabourn has a “speed line” & whisks us through terminal
- 1:00 – board ship
- C – nice lunch outside w/champagne
- 2:00 – cabin ready – unpack & relax
- 4:00 – emergency drill (taken very seriously since Costa Concordia ended up on the rocks)
- 5:00 – siesta
- 7:15 – dinner in main dining room – escargot, strip steak
- 8:00 – Super Bowl “tailgate” party in grand salon
- B – on ESPN & none of the good commercials
- 2:00 am – last ones to leave the theatre
FF – (FUN-fact) – We have to move our clocks ahead one hour.
