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

Day trip to La Cumbrecita: hiked to this waterfall.

Flavors: Strudel and flan.

Climbed up and down these rocks to get to the waterfall.

Alta Gracia

Day trip to Alta Gracia

Hanging at the Che museum. Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez visited in the 90s.

Found chocolate chip cookies in Alta Gracia!!! Still not as good as back home. 

Fried empanadas with chicken filling. We each ate 6 (not a normal person number).

Villa General Belgrano

Day trip to Villa General Belgrano! A little German town.

Maybe the best bread I've had in Argentina.

Cold cuts with potato salad...not my favorite meal.

German sausage, sauerkraut and potato salad. Again, not my favorite.

And now comes my favorite series of photos: friends with food in their mouths.

The end is near, a giant milanesa and a chocolate brownie

Right now I'm totally fine because I've been good and completing assignments, but for awhile, I was worried. The end of the semester is hitting hard and I'm leaving for Cordoba for four days tomorrow on an over-night bus. Meaning I've had to finish all of my finals before tomorrow night. And I think I've done it. All that's left is the presenting and actually showing up.

Once I get back from Cordoba I have less than a week left in Mendoza. After the "Going Away Dinner" with the program on Thanksgiving, I'm heading to El Bolson and Bariloche (Couchsurfing with a friend) and then staying in El Bolson to work on a raspberry farm for the summer. Although, I'm still waiting on a final confirmation from the farm...

I'm thinking of planning a trip all the way down south before I head back to Mendoza for the next semester and coming back to Mendoza around March 7 (my birthday!) for the Festival de la Vendimia (huge wine festival).

In honor of not being with my family this Thanksgiving and not having a traditional meal, here are a few of my favorite non-traditional Thanksgiving themed internet items I've found this season.

This one makes me want to vomit, but it's also super cool: Fast Food Thanksgiving

I would totally create a new tradition of Mojo Turkey, plaintains, and rice and beans: Thanksgiving Dishes from the 50 States (and DC and PR)

And a video on "icecreaming" Thanksgiving from my favorite actress/food blogger Lynn Chen: Thanksgiving Ice Cream

And some pictures of food that are very not-Thanksgiving...these are some of the staples I've accumulated in Mendoza.

Empanadas filled with Spinach

Bianco y Nero. Dulce de Leche Super, Amargo con Alemndras, and Dulce de Leche. Yes, I sandwich my chocolate with dulce. This store is dangerously close to my house (less than a three minute walk). Mendoza is known for its ice cream and gelatto (here comes that Italian influence again), and I've tried ice cream at quite a few places including Milo and Sopelsa, but none of them quite compare to Bianco y Nero.

Kato cafe, very close to my house. Coffee, brownie, friends. I ordered in Spanish, but accidentally said "please." It was uncomfortable, but I made the grumpy waiter smile.

The biggest milanesa I have ever been served. It does not fit on the plate. I've had some for lunch and dinner and there's still more left. Breakfast?

Tortitas. Super important and specific to Mendoza. They are wonderful when they are fresh or heated.