Over the Andes and to Mendoza! - Day 3

After the hustle and bustle of Santiago for the past 2 days, we set off for Mendoza, Argentina Thursday morning. The original plan was to take a 7 hour bus ride over the Andes mountain which has some spectacular views, but unfortunately the highway from Santiago to Mendoza is closed during the day, which would have meant a night bus and no views. So next best (and quickest) option was to fly. It was a 40 minute flight which consisted of taking off, going over the Andes, and descending.

The views from the flight were amazing, and we were glad to have a window to peer out of. We were on LAN which was very efficient, but also very small - a vague reminder of Spirit or Ryan Air - we were packed like sardines, but for 40 minutes that was okay!!

Through customs we went, and had another stamp added to the passport (YAHOO) and we were met by our private driver for the weekend (we felt very special) who sped us away to where we were staying.

Arriving in the afternoon to Posada Verde Oliva, we were warmly greeted by Samira, one of the managers of the property, and shown to a gorgeous room. The building is very old (maybe 17th century) and recently remodeled as a hotel. The property has a beautiful pool surrounded by the vineyard and olive trees.

We were starving, so we headed off to Casa del Campo, recommended by Samira. We of course had to get a malbec, and had our first Argentinian empanadas - one filled with cheese, the other with meet. They were delicioso! Kind of remind me of English pasties a little! For our main course, we had a stuffed pasta with meat and vegetables with homemade pasta. A very delicious meal!

After our tummies were full, we headed to our first winery which is 300m from our posada. We had a tasting of a malbec and a Cabernet Sauvignon - both of which were delicious at Vina Maria. The original founder of the vineyard came from Italy in 1889 to make wine. We enjoyed our wine on the patio accompanied by our new found dog friends.

Off in search of another winery, we came across a olive oil grove, and had to go in for a tasting. We learned that the older olive oil trees were, the more olives they produce - they had some on the property that were over 100 years old.

That night, we had a wonderful three course dinner back at the Posada with a malbec straight from the grapes that were grown on the land. A fantastic start to Mendoza!

Pics below:
View from Posada Verde Oliva
Walking around Mendoza
Cheers at lunch at Casa de Campo Cafe
New dog friend at Vina Maria
the Andes flying from Santiago to Mendoza