Maipu

We left the Tibet house at 9am. The streets were empty. We passed no more than 10 people on the street. Felt like we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But then I remembered that when I worked in BA (Buenos Aires), the work day often did big start until 10am. Restaurants often re-open for dinner starting at 8pm, hence this is a late to bed late to rise culture. And it's quite chilly this morning. I am thankful our hostel has old school heaters (the entire hostel reminds me of Ukraine). 

On our walk to catch the bus to Maipu Chris decided he needed breakfast with protein. A typical breakfast in Argentina is coffee/tea and crossants. As we walked passed McDonalds we saw egg, ham, and cheese breakfast sandwiches. And we stopped. Yes. We ate at McDonald's. 

We caught the bus to Maipu, a city southeast of Mendoza, to rent bikes and ride to different wineries. We also discovered that today is a holiday in Mendoza, hence the quiet streets and a number of vineyards will be closed. The bus driver dropped us at Maipu Bikes where we rented bikes & were given a map of vineyards (bodegas) within 10 km and we were off! 

We were surprisingly chilly as we rode into the crisp morning air. We were thankful for our hats under our helmets. We'd read blogs that suggested to go to the farthest out first to not only spare the long ride when tired, but also in case of too much wine. I'd had visions of a romantic, leisurely ride on quiet roads through lush vineyards and taking in beautiful landscapes. This is a more accurate photo of our ride:

 We had a nice bike lane because we rode through town on a main road with traffic whizzing by on bumpy bumpy  "paved" roads. I realized we are in winter. Thus there will be no lush vines. But there are spectacular views of the mountains. 

Our first bodega was Di Tommaso. We both did a tasting. Chris enjoyed all three. And also finished all 2 of mine. I found them rather harsh. The vineyard was cute and the people hospitable. The place was downright charming. 

Next priority: lunch. We rode to Mevi. The view was SPECTACULAR. Everything I had envisioned. We sat outside, in the sunshine on an over-sized couch. We looked out into the vineyards and the mountains. I was actually warm as the sun beat down on us. This, this was what I'd imagined when I wanted to take Chris to Mendoza's wine country!! (The good pictures are in the camera.)

I cannot speak so highly of the wine. I drank one glass. Chris enjoyed it and would not let any go to waste. You do the math. 

Back on our bikes. We'd both had enough wine at this point. So we did a couple of laps around the vineyards. Tried a couple of others that were closed for the holidays. For the first time that I can remember Chris had the hiccups. Eventually the hiccups drove him mad & we decided to call it a day (and we'd been on the bikes for 6 hours). 

We caught the bus back to Mendoza, turned on the hot water at the hostel & washed off the grime of a good day. Finally, something worked out well!! Chris took a nap. I finished book #4 in the series and off we went in search if dinner. Our first place we tried was closed for renovation. The second place we found was a bit expensive. But our bodies were tired from the ride and so we stayed. I'm glad we did. I had one of the most delicious meals I've ever had. Wild boar in a ginger glaze with sweet potatoes (that were not orange). Chris had trout stuffed with Brie cheese. I had a glass of Malbec. Chris had had enough wine with lunch. I remembered a photo of dinner at this charming place. At first when they brought the bill they charged us for 3 wild boar dishes. Our eyes about popped out of our heads when we saw that bill. Glad it was an error. I am now a huge fan if wild boar. 

We walked home stuffed & freezing. Our hope is to take a bus to Chile in the morning. However, other tourists we ran across said the pass was closed today due to weather. I'm really praying the pass is open tomorrow because we have reservations at a darling bed & breakfast. 

At dinner Chris and I discussed ways this trip has been good for our marriage. I was thankful for Chris' wise perspective after the last few "events" of our trip going bust. Today certainly was a day of memories.