hollisandbeyond2015: First Day in Mendoza

After the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires, Mendoza seemed very peaceful when we arrived yesterday morning. We dropped our bags off at our hotel at 8:45 AM and walked around the central area of this small city. The streets were lined with large trees, providing good shade on a beautiful sunny day. The city is organized around a large central square called Plaza Indepencia and located two blocks away from each corner of Plaza Indepencia is another smaller plaza. These five plazas form the historical core of Mendoza. Today more people live in the suburbs of Mendoza than in the city proper. Not far from our hotel is a wide pedestrian street leading to Plaza Indepencia. On a Sunday morning, it was quiet and the cafe owners were just setting up their outdoor tables when we began our walk. Mendoza has a unique irrigation system for its many wonderful trees. These are rock lined ditches into which water is released from a dam on the Mendoza River and dispersed regularly using gravity. This idea was adopted from the Incas and the concept is also used for irrigation of the huge number of vineyards in this region. After exploring all five plazas and stopping for coffee and medialunas, we returned to our hotel for a rest. Later we discovered an excellent restaurant for supper. On our way back to our hotel in the evening, there were many more people gathered in the central square than there had been earlier when I took the photos below. Families were enjoying an outdoor concert, visiting the craft stalls, or eating at one of the food areas set up for the day. Closer to our hotel, the earlier peace of the day was replaced by jubilant crowds singing, cheering and waving flags on the pedestrian street. We learned that a favoured football (soccer) team had just won the national championship. Argentina takes this sport very seriously!