After a quick stop in Buenos Aires we headed west to Mendoza.  Much like the cities of the west coast in North America, Mendoza was noticeably newer, more laid-back, and calmer than the east.  There was room to breathe.

In Mendoza the houses were the colours of ice cream and candy.  Out of the context of food though, I usually think of pastel colours as being more feminine or for babies.  Was this a city of just girly girls and babies?  Nope, there were definitely men there, but oddly they didn’t seem out of place or any less masculine in a sea of pale pinks, light blues, lavender, and butter yellow.  For whatever reason the pastels just worked and being surrounded by soft colours was somehow calming.  It has also made me reconsider the neutral and dark colours I always seem to surround myself with.  How hard, cold and manly of me . . .

Another great thing about Mendoza and the nearby town of Chacras de Coria is the ice cream.  I wasn’t sure what half the flavours were, but the ones I tried were amazing!  One guy even let us try his secret stash of Malbec ice cream.

On our last day in Mendoza we visited a few wineries.  The one that stood out for me was Salentein.  It was straight out of the Da Vinci Code or maybe it was like Dr. Evil’s dark lair.  Anyway, if you’re in the area, Dr. Evil makes some pretty great wine.

Tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, ice cream, Mendoza, wine

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