our last day in los reartes was rainy & lazy. the beautiful sunny weather we had been afforded all week had vanished& it made our departure that much easier. we whiled the day away reading & snacking; an appropriate end to a week of relaxation. saying our farewells to julieta & tati, we took an evening bus from v.g.b. to mendoza; landing us in the famed argentine wine region the next morning.
the on-the-road again miranda.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
maxin' & relaxin'.
our last full day in los reartes involved packing up the cabin, transferring all of our belongings to tati and julieta’s house, and heading to the river for a day in the sun. swimming, reading, dozing, and eating occupied our day and in the late afternoon we headed back to julieta and tati’s for some hammock lounging. philip’s mom was leaving that evening but philip and i were spending one more night at julieta and tati’s before making our way down to mendoza.
after bidding philip’s mother adieu we spent a relaxing evening at the log cabin, cherishing our last day in los reartes & enjoying our time with julieta & tati.
the hammocked miranda.
after bidding philip’s mother adieu we spent a relaxing evening at the log cabin, cherishing our last day in los reartes & enjoying our time with julieta & tati.
the hammocked miranda.
ascension & asado.
feeling in much better spirits, we headed to la cumbrecita, a pedestrian only village in the sierras. we climbed our way up to a beautiful, plunging waterfall and jumped into the refreshing 8 degree water. on the hike down we stopped for a picnic lunch and then made our way back into town for our return bus to los reartes. drained from a long day of bussing, hiking, and swimming, we decided to have an asado of our own. tati graciously ran the asado for us and we had a splendid meal underneath the stars.
the starlit miranda
the starlit miranda
"sick day."
perhaps it was the meat, but more likely it was just from all of my movement, day four in los reartes was my ‘sick day.’ i took a much needed break from moving and grooving and got the cottage to myself for the day. while philip and company were out and about, i spent the day sleeping, lounging, & reading.
once all had returned, i was feeling the skip coming back into my step. that evening i had invited everyone out to dinner as a thank you for inviting to the cottage and allowing me to partake in such a lovely vacation week. we went to the one restaurant in town & had ourselves an authentic argentine meal of intestine lining stew, empanadas, maize purees, and other delicacies not immediately coming to mind.
the recuperated miranda.
once all had returned, i was feeling the skip coming back into my step. that evening i had invited everyone out to dinner as a thank you for inviting to the cottage and allowing me to partake in such a lovely vacation week. we went to the one restaurant in town & had ourselves an authentic argentine meal of intestine lining stew, empanadas, maize purees, and other delicacies not immediately coming to mind.
the recuperated miranda.
cheese, che, & chorizo.
our third day in los reartes brought an old friend of philip’s mom for a visit. we had since decided to make our way to alta gracia, a two hour drive north, the city which che guevara called home. a breath taking drive through the sierras brought us to a charming little city. our first stop was the Jesuit estancia, an impressive collection of stone buildings in the middle of the city that once housed a large Jesuit community. after wandering through the history filled buildings, philip and i relaxed in the park while his mom and her friend had themselves a guided tour (not particularly our style). we’d packed a substantial lunch of breads, cheeses, and fruits which we partook of in a waterfront, shaded park.
after lunch we made our way to the former home of che guevara’s family. full of relics of his time in alta gracia and beyond, it was a purview into the life of such a profoundly influential and dynamic man. lines of his poetry around every corner, letters to his wife and children, and photographs capturing famous and infamous moments this home is a well visited attraction in argentina.
we made our way back to v.g.b. and were treated to scrumptious coffee and pastries by philip’s mom’s friend; a delicious way to end a day of tourism.
and then i experienced my first…asado.
first of all, let me say, i broke my new found vegetarianism like it was my job. i figured if i was going to truly experience argentine culture, i had to partake in one of its largest facets: the meat.
asado, literally, means barbeque but, my friends, it is so much more than just a barbeque. asado is a way of life. it’s a process that, when all is said and done, takes about five hours. we were invited to an asado for friends at julieta & tati’s that evening an event was definitely anticipating.
in argentina there is no such thing as a gas grill and anything resembling it would be disgraceful. asado begins with either wood or coal that is lit and then let sit for between one or two hours in a pile, within the grilling area, so the coals or wood embers are glowing like a bat out of hell before any kind of cooking commences. once the coals are ready, they are transferred from the glowing pile to beneath the metal grill, then begins the parade of meats. asados, at bare minimum, have three cuts of meat but my first one had about six. from chorizo to marsilla (what i later found out to be blood sausage), i tried everything put on my plate. timing is so integral with so many cuts of meat and tati was the man for the job; such an impressive show.
the meat down here is just phenomenal. all grain fed and free range, it’s a veritable feast for the carnivore. (just to give a little perspective, there are more cows than people in argentina.) needless to say, i had a baptism by asado fire back into the meat eating world, and what a delicious fire it was.
the carnivorous miranda.
after lunch we made our way to the former home of che guevara’s family. full of relics of his time in alta gracia and beyond, it was a purview into the life of such a profoundly influential and dynamic man. lines of his poetry around every corner, letters to his wife and children, and photographs capturing famous and infamous moments this home is a well visited attraction in argentina.
we made our way back to v.g.b. and were treated to scrumptious coffee and pastries by philip’s mom’s friend; a delicious way to end a day of tourism.
and then i experienced my first…asado.
first of all, let me say, i broke my new found vegetarianism like it was my job. i figured if i was going to truly experience argentine culture, i had to partake in one of its largest facets: the meat.
asado, literally, means barbeque but, my friends, it is so much more than just a barbeque. asado is a way of life. it’s a process that, when all is said and done, takes about five hours. we were invited to an asado for friends at julieta & tati’s that evening an event was definitely anticipating.
in argentina there is no such thing as a gas grill and anything resembling it would be disgraceful. asado begins with either wood or coal that is lit and then let sit for between one or two hours in a pile, within the grilling area, so the coals or wood embers are glowing like a bat out of hell before any kind of cooking commences. once the coals are ready, they are transferred from the glowing pile to beneath the metal grill, then begins the parade of meats. asados, at bare minimum, have three cuts of meat but my first one had about six. from chorizo to marsilla (what i later found out to be blood sausage), i tried everything put on my plate. timing is so integral with so many cuts of meat and tati was the man for the job; such an impressive show.
the meat down here is just phenomenal. all grain fed and free range, it’s a veritable feast for the carnivore. (just to give a little perspective, there are more cows than people in argentina.) needless to say, i had a baptism by asado fire back into the meat eating world, and what a delicious fire it was.
the carnivorous miranda.
river relaxation
our one night of diversion at the hotel over, we packed ourselves up and made our way to the cabin for the remainder of our stay in los reartes. the morning was occupied by setting up shop, fridge stocking, and general settling in. after a delightful lunch of breads, cheeses, and fruits, we made our way down to the river and spent the afternoon exploring the river even further and reading on the shores. that evening we cooked up a huge pasta supper and ate ourselves into comfortable oblivion.
the river reigned miranda.
the river reigned miranda.
from argentina to germany.
i arrived in villa general belgrano bright-eyed and bushy tailed. we were met by philip's cousin (julieta) & her boyfriend (tati) who live in a small town (los reartes) next to villa.
los reartes, the small town in the province of cordoba, is situated on a beautiful, bumbling river with water so clear and clean it leaves little to the imagination. the whole area is surrounded by the sierras, a mountain range reminiscent of the rolling hills of england & scotland. there had been some confusion with the dates of the cabin rental so our first night in los reartes was spent at a local hotel. after we had settled ourselves into our charming, albeit musty, hotel, we sauntered down to the river to see where we would be spending the rest of our time in los reartes. julieta and tati live in a rustic log cabin with the river only seconds away and our cabin was a moment’s walk from their home; a more than pleasant setting for a week’s stay. with julieta and tati off to work, we decided to do some refreshing exploration through the river. pants hiked & walking sticks in hand, we braved the currents & calms. widely berthed & floored with beautiful water worn rocks, the river was an absolute delight. sated with exploration but hungry for sustenance, we found a small kiosk on the river that served sandwiches; a perfect respite.
after lunch we rewarded ourselves with a siesta.
caveat: siesta can make or break lives. usually between the hours of 1 and 4 or 5 in the afternoon, the entire south american world closes up shop (literally). the only thing to do is join the culture and have yourself a little siesta, because to do otherwise is futility at its peak.
recharged from our siesta, exploratory glands still pumping, we decided to hop on a bus and make our way into villa general belgrano. v.g.b. is an odd little place. settled by a group of german soldiers who had survived a shipwreck in uruguay during WWII, the german influences are more than subtle. german architecture, an oktoberfest, and beer steins sold at every other shop, v.g.b. feels more european than south american. after wandering the main drag & getting an idea of the requisite things to do in the area, we hopped back on the local bus to our hotel.
dinner at a local pizzeria of empanadas (a south american staple; basically, they are mini calzones usually filled with seasoned ground meat or ham and cheese or just cheese, or, let’s be honest, anything you darn well please) of all sorts of persuasions closed a lovely first day in los reartes.
the german (?) miranda.
los reartes, the small town in the province of cordoba, is situated on a beautiful, bumbling river with water so clear and clean it leaves little to the imagination. the whole area is surrounded by the sierras, a mountain range reminiscent of the rolling hills of england & scotland. there had been some confusion with the dates of the cabin rental so our first night in los reartes was spent at a local hotel. after we had settled ourselves into our charming, albeit musty, hotel, we sauntered down to the river to see where we would be spending the rest of our time in los reartes. julieta and tati live in a rustic log cabin with the river only seconds away and our cabin was a moment’s walk from their home; a more than pleasant setting for a week’s stay. with julieta and tati off to work, we decided to do some refreshing exploration through the river. pants hiked & walking sticks in hand, we braved the currents & calms. widely berthed & floored with beautiful water worn rocks, the river was an absolute delight. sated with exploration but hungry for sustenance, we found a small kiosk on the river that served sandwiches; a perfect respite.
after lunch we rewarded ourselves with a siesta.
caveat: siesta can make or break lives. usually between the hours of 1 and 4 or 5 in the afternoon, the entire south american world closes up shop (literally). the only thing to do is join the culture and have yourself a little siesta, because to do otherwise is futility at its peak.
recharged from our siesta, exploratory glands still pumping, we decided to hop on a bus and make our way into villa general belgrano. v.g.b. is an odd little place. settled by a group of german soldiers who had survived a shipwreck in uruguay during WWII, the german influences are more than subtle. german architecture, an oktoberfest, and beer steins sold at every other shop, v.g.b. feels more european than south american. after wandering the main drag & getting an idea of the requisite things to do in the area, we hopped back on the local bus to our hotel.
dinner at a local pizzeria of empanadas (a south american staple; basically, they are mini calzones usually filled with seasoned ground meat or ham and cheese or just cheese, or, let’s be honest, anything you darn well please) of all sorts of persuasions closed a lovely first day in los reartes.
the german (?) miranda.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
logistics.
my last day in b.a. before hitting the road again was full of logistics & tea. i had a leisurely morning, dropped off my laundry to be done, & began organization for the rest of the trip. once we left b.a. we would not be back until my departure so i basically had to bring everything with me. i allowed myself a pleasant lunch out while philip & his mom did errands around town. i went to this jazzy little tea restaurant that give you hour glass timers so you can steep your tea for the exact appropriate amount of time. it was delicious & a nice treat. after several pots of tea & numerous chapters in my book, i took leave of the tea connection. that evening we were taking an overnight bus from b.a. to the cordoba province, the central part of argentina, for a week's stay at a cabin philip's mother had rented. with everything packed we made our way to the station & hit the road for an 11 hour ride. the transportation in argentina is unbelievably inexpensive & wonderfully comfortable. i had a seat that reclined almost completely, with a full leg rest; they served dinner that evening and breakfast the next morning & i slept like a baby all the way there.
the (bus)tling miranda.
the (bus)tling miranda.
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