My friends and I made a weekend trip out to Mendoza, which is famous in Argentina as wine region. Mendoza is close to the Argentina-Chile border and sits on the eatsern side of the Andes. It's also a bustling city that is famous for its tree-lined streets and lively plazas. Mendoza is technically in the desert, and it sustains itself through its acecquias—irrigation ditches—that run on nearly every street.
Our first day, we had a leisurely breakfast at a street-side cafe before exploring the city a bit. We then went on a wine tour in neighboring Maipu, where we visited an olive oil factory, two wineries, and a chocolate liquor factory. That night, our hostel hosted an asado, where we feasted on salad, potatoes, chorizo, steak, pork chops, and lots of Malbec.
On our second day, we made our way out to the foothills of the Andes—about 45 minutes in a cab—to the termas, or hot springs. We bought day passes to the springs and spent our day hopping in and out of different pools and saunas.
Finally, on our last day, we visited one more winery (because two wasn't enough!) and had a leisurely lunch, before catching our flight back to Buenos Aires.
Lena Novins-Montague
<p>Hi! My name is Lena, and I'm a junior at Tufts University. I study English and Political Science, and I hope to be a journalist after college. In my free time, I love to run, read and write poetry, and watch movies.</p>
