St Martin Statue

The most famous statue of St. Martin in Mendoza on a hill just outside town, this represents Argentina breaking the chains of Spanish domination and is a flamboyant and bold expression of their freedom and independence.

Parrilla (Steakhouse)

Parrilla is the steakhouse where asado (barbecue) is prepared - this one was a "tenedor libre" ie all-you-can-eat for about 8 quid. It had smoldering coals and carcasses pinned up over the flames with every cut of meat you can imagine - made your mouth water. These eateries are all over town.

Mendoza Winery

Wine is grown in Argentina along the length of the Andean foothills. Mendoza is probably the most famous spot - here the climate is ideal : warm, sunny days and cold nights give the grapes a rich flavour. The magical ingredient, though, is the water carried here in the original irrigation canals made by pre-Incan cultures which still carry pure, mineral rich, snow melt from the Andes, compensating for the low rainfall. We visited this bodega called La Rural where we saw an amazing display of implements for winemaking dating back to pre-Colombian times - skin of an entire cow where grapes were trodden in the belly and juice flowed out of the tail. All the big storage casks were made of French and American oak but now they use stainless steel as well. Argentina exports its wines worldwide, the most famous being Malbec, but its Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and the white Torrontes and Chardonnay are pretty good, too.

Museo del Pasado Cuyano

This is a beautiful 1870's mansion, one of the oldest houses in Mendoza, a museum was full of furniture, arms, documents and paintings and was the home/offices of the governors of Mendoza.

Plaza Independencia and Espana

Mendoza is full of beautiful plazas - Independencia is a popular meeting place with shady acacia and plane trees and pretty fountains.


The most attractive is Plaza Espana, famous for its beautiful tiling and a great place to sit and admire the murals displaying Argentina's historical episodes; this one depicts the arrival of the Spanish.

Mendoza

Our first night in Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina (we weren't going to miss this place out) - this is the centre of town, Plaza Independencia - and this is their municipal emblem - a handshake, a sun and a mushroom - we're going to like it here.