With hearing so many negative comments about the city of Mendoza, we changed our plans to stay only two nights, which turned to four as we had such a great time! Initially it was intimidating to be in such a vast place after all the small towns we had been visiting thus far but quickly the pleasant plazas and tree lined avenidas softened our impressions and we wondered why people were so down about the city!
Plaza Espagna
I can’t say that there is much to see in Mendoza, although for me this was the liberating factor about the place! You can just enjoy the vibe, the streets and the architecture which was interesting and diverse. We wandered the streets around where we were staying and enjoyed taking in the different house designs, rather impressed by it all. With Plaza Espagna evoking the styles of Seville, with its painted tiles and fountains, to the grand Plaza Independencia with it’s handsome trees and cooling water fountains, there were plenty places to sit and watch the world go by.
water gutters
A feature on the avenidas and calles, also found in San Rafael and Malague, are the water channels which run along the pavement edge. Providing irrigation channels to the trees, it also helps cool the air and provide a refreshing sound of cold water on a hot day. Care is required, though, or a nasty accident could occur if you don’t watch your footing as they are rather deep!
On Sunday we headed up to the vast park, and it soon became clear that Sunday was the day for exercise in Mendoza as people ran, walked, cycled, did outdoor fitness classes (Body Pump and Body Combat when we were there!) as well as rowing in the huge lake. We soon realised that we should have ignored the comments of others and stuck to our original plan to spend a week there as it could so easily be done.
Of course, although no particular sights to see in the city, around the city there is plenty to see and do as Mendoza is at the heart of the Argentine wine industry, tours running daily through all sorts of tour companies or you can visit independently, you can go white water rafing on the Rio Mendoza and of course from Mendoza you can also access the Andes, which is most certainly a must see. We felt that Mendoza was a city we could happily live in!
