Argentina

After a very interesting 6 hour drive across the Andes - including 30 curves/hairpin beds (they were numbered) and a relaxed border crossing, we arrived in Mendoza around 3pm on New year's Eve to find almost everything closed for 'fiesta'. Our host drove us around the town in an attempt to find somewhere open to buy groceries as we couldn't bring fresh food across the border. We eventually found a very small corner shop so were able to buy a few essentials.  Later, trying to find a restaurant that was open was also fun. Luckily, we managed to find a top end restaurant (Josefina) that had just had a cancellation so we got the last table. A tasting menu of 2 appetisers, 3 starters, a main course and 3 desserts with complementing wines and live music to dance the night away to (well, I did) meant a good night was had by all.

Everything was closed again on New year's day so it was nice to walk around the quiet city. 

The following day we visited a number of wineries but unfortunately they wouldn't let us in without a reservation so we didn't get to taste the Malbec that the region is famous for. Not a concept we've come across before. 

Time to head across the country towards Buenos Aires. First stop - Rio Cuarto.  Not really much to say about the overnight stop. We had a walk around the main square to stretch our legs before dinner

Next stop - Cordoba which was far more interesting as its known for its Spanish colonial architecture

And its memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives during the Malvinas (or should I say Falklands) war 

Final stop before the capital - Rosario. The city is is a major port city in Argentina, 300 km up the Paraná River from the capital, Buenos Aires. The National Flag Memorial, a massive riverside complex featuring an obelisk, commemorates the historic first raising of the national flag during Argentina's 19th-century War of Independence. 

Then on to the capital - Buenos Aires. The name can be translated as "fair winds" and the city is known for its eclectic European architecture.  It is also often referred to as the "Paris of South America" with its wide, tree lined boulevards.
Buenos Aires is the seat of the Roman Catholic church in Argentina and the former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis in 2013. The cathedral isn't much to look at from the outside, but inside its beautiful.

The port of Buenos Aires is one of the busiest in South America. The Rio de la Plata connects the port to north-east Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay and as a result, is the distribution hub for a vast area of the south-eastern region of the continent. 

There are a large number of landscaped parks and squares as well as the eclectic architecture. At this part of the city we could have been in Canary Wharf, London

We visited La Recoleta Cemetery just to see the tombs. It contains the graves of many notable people including presidents of Argentina and Eva Peron.

Floralis Generica is a sculpture made of steel and aluminium created in 2002 and was designed to move. The petals open with the light and close at sunset. Its quite a feat of engineering considering it weighs 18 tons and is 23m high.

We left Buenos Aires and headed north, a three day drive stopping at Concordia and Posadas on the way to Puerto Iguazu and the famous falls.

See my next blog for more on Iguazu Falls