Day 5 – Mendoza
So day 5 was actually Feb 14, Valentines Day! Marcelo was back at work today – we really lucked out having booked our trip unknowingly on this extra long weekend.
We headed back into Mendoza with Jasmine and the boys to check out the ‘squares’. Mendoza’s main square, Plaza Independencia, is surrounded by 4 other squares; Plaza Italia – where we watched a children’s performer and Bautista participated; Plaza Espana (Spain) – the fanciest with many tile murals and monuments and the pathways were tiled with many different small tiles in the mix; Plaza Chile – who recognize Mendoza for their assistance with earthquakes (reciprocal appreciation); and Plaza San Martin with it’s statue to ‘the liberator’ of Argentina. All are well treed with the acequias doing their role in keeping Mendoza green.
We visited the Mercado Central – with it’s fish, meat, cheese, nuts, fruits & vegetables, the food basic – dulce de leche, not to mention sunglasses and more. We had pizza and a beer just as it was closing at 1pm. Then some more strolling around the city – where Michael captured more street murals and graffiti along with more ‘Vendimia’ posters. And before heading home we stopped in for some coffee Havanna (espresso with sweetened condensed milk) and alfajores. So enjoying eating 🙂 And for dinner Jasmine introduced us to Milanese (basically a breaded cutlet) – which we experienced many a time later in the trip as it’s a basic menu option almost everywhere.
And before the day ended, Mike and I picked up some groceries so he can attempt Westerns tomorrow morning for some neighbours. Bautista’s friends are fixated on ‘American breakfasts’, so Mike’s on duty. But bacon is not an easy thing to get outside of Canada, so hoping our panceta ahumada works out as a substitute!
