Eat. Revel. Travel.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Abrasador at Bodega Toneles

Start off with sliced pears marinated in Malbec coupled with silky goat cheese and crispy almonds, move on to a juicy T-bone steak with the perfect blend of house spices, and finish with a white chocolate soup topped with citrus ice cream and fresh fruit… These delicacies are selections from Abrasado’s new Fall/Winter menu. Abrasado is Toneles winery’s in-house restaurant.

In a historic winery just outside Mendoza city centre, the property is impressive with large gates that greet guests with a feeling of grandeur as they slowly open to reveal the large fermenting vats, a monumental tower, and rows of the winery’s grapes. One of the best parts of Abrasado is its display of dried meat cuts and wide window into the kitchen, providing a view of the culinary process from start to finish.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

International Malbec Day

Written for The Squeeze Magazine

Happy International Malbec Day! The holiday is celebrated around Mendoza with Malbec wine tastings in pretty much every store that sells wine in the center of the capital, including plenty of delicious varieties for passersby to taste on the pedestrian friendly street. The red mock wine spewing from the fountains in the main square reminds everyone that it is time to celebrate what this city is really about. The wine. As the number one exporter of wine in the world, the amount of different Malbecs that are produced in Mendoza is astounding. The best of the best came out to play displaying the wide variety of talent in the region ranging from pretty, light, pink Malbec to deep, dark, juicy purple from the towns of Valle de UCO, Maipu, Lujan, and San Rafael.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Valparaiso, Chile

Written for The Squeeze

The hills are steep and filled with colorful houses squished together like the favelas in Brazil, the air is salty and the bay of the Pacific Ocean, visible. The energy is unmistakable. This is a city with street culture. Its rebellious graffiti artists who claim their territory with a spray can one blank surface at a time are the heart of this energy and the historical architecture, the port to the sea, and the fast-speaking street vendors give it definition. To walk Valparaíso is to experience this sensory medley.

Street Art and Walking Tours

The street art of Valparaíso is not something that one needs to seek out. Some of the best discoveries are made by accident. The graffiti artists range from goofy teenagers signing their name on a wall, to highly respected and world famous artists like Xavier Prou aka Blek le Rat, father of stencil graffiti.

While street art is highly accessible in Valparaiso, a walking tour can illuminate the history, the attitude, and the messages in a way that will enhance your experience and make you feel like a budding graffiti expert. A walking graffiti tour meets at Plaza Anibel Pinto in front of the Neptune statue at 10:30AM and 3:30PM every day and is tip based.

Destination Guide: Ushuaia

Written for The Squeeze Magazine

Ushuaia’s (pronounced oo-swy-ah) claim to fame as “the most southern city in the world” draws tourists in, but the town’s charm is much more complex than the cutesy phrase. Although, be sure to indulge and get the Ushuaia passport stamp saying “Fin del Mundo” or “End of the World” in the tourist information building a few blocks from the bus station. More than just an item on your travel checklist or a quick stop before a luxury cruise to Antarctica, Ushuaia keeps visitors’ interest with its many on and off land activities.

Hiking and Tierra del Fuego National Park

Hiking in Ushuaia can entertain for weeks on end as paths lead you to beaver dams, ice caves and crystal clear lakes on terrain ranging from easy to difficult and, at times, treacherously muddy. There are a few different options when searching for a trail.

The Tierra del Fuego National Park is accessible by booking transportation through your hotel or a travel agency. Paying the park entrance fee is required and with it, you will find no shortage of routes to explore the forest, mountains, and glaciers.

Laguna Esmerelda is not a part of the National Park, but is one of the most popular day trips in Ushuaia as the trail through the forest leads you to a transparent lake surrounded by mountains. If you plan on taking a break and eating your lunch by the lake, be sure to bring some warm clothes!

Read the full article here...

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Summer

It has been about a month since I left Mendoza and began my travels to Southern Argentina. For the first week or so, I Couchsurfed in Bariloche with a strange, alchemy-reiki practicing 70 year old man as my host. I probably should have left his house much sooner than I did. I spent the week exploring Bariloche, kayaking, hiking, eating chocolate, seeing spectacular views, and even went to the local theatre and watched a musical mash up of Les Mis, Mama Mia, and Annie.

Once my friend left to continue her trip with her family, I headed over to El Bolson to begin my work on a local farm. The farm ended up being 1.5 hours away from town (walking) and did not have wifi. The work was at times tedious and physical, although I did enjoy picking fruit (grosechas and rapberries) and watering the garden. My "boss" was very relaxed and I had a co-worker from New Mexico who I enjoyed spending time with. We spent Christmas going on a morning hike to some cherry trees and then the family who owns the farm invited us to an asado (BBQ). Despite the hospitality and buena onda of the people I met there, the lack of wifi and intense isolation led me to seek another job at a hostel in Bariloche.

And here I am writing this post from the hostel I will be working at for the next month. My goal is to post here at least once a week, but hopefully more...now that I have access to wifi and a computer!!!

Raspberries and grosechas that I picked.

The house I stayed in with my boss and co-worker.

Side view of the house. Right at the base of the mountains.

Bertha, a St. Bernard puppy, and Milka a mutt.

Strange Patagonian birds that landed on our roof every morning at 6AM.

The family garden and greenhouse in construction.

Christmas morning hike. The cat I named Cuddle came with us, but we ended up losing it, Still has not returned. ː(

Christmas asado with my co-worker. So much meat.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Cordoba

Overwhelmed by many things today. I'm leaving my mostly super comfortable host house and the city I know and love to move to the south of Argentina to work on a raspberry farm. This may be one of my last blog posts until next March because I will not be bringing my computer with me when I travel. Many changes are coming my way and, being Thanksgiving, it's the perfect time to reflect on my semester abroad. This is the first time I've been away from my family for Thanksgiving (soon to be the first time I've been away for Christmas and New Year's Day), but I'm looking forward to celebrating with my friends who have become a make-shift family.

Also important: I went to Cordoba!

Our hostel.

With a rock climbing wall...we definitely never used.

Free breakfast: toast and eggs for days.

Alisa thought the free eggs were already hard boiled.

Bus tour of the city of Cordoba! Colleen looks happy.

Gorgeous church.

Colonial house.

Where's Waldo?

There's a ferris wheel in Cordoba?

Main plaza in front of another church.

Wasn't a huge fan of this museum, but LOVED the fine arts museum.

Can you guess what flavor? Yep, dulce de leche.

We found doughnuts filled with dulce de leche!! Although, they tasted more like bagels.

I was obsessed with this walkway.

Obsession continues...

It's just so cool!!!

Museum of the disappeared. The tribute/museum is located in one of the actual detention centers during the Dirty War.

Pictures of the disappeared.

Eerie lone typewriter in one of the holding cells.

This restaurant, Mega Doner (yes, many jokes were made) was recommended by Lonely Planet for its cheap lunch specials. Sandwiches and fries.

La Cumbrecita