OK Just a quickie!

So last weekend took advantage of the wineries in Mendoza and went to visit some of them! Argentina is one of the worlds most important producers of wine and something like 90% of the wine produced comes from the region of Mendoza where I´m licing. We´ve over a thousand wineries here! So, took a bus and visited a family run winery and learnt about the process...a bit boring really, considering I was there for the tasting!! But the country side was beautifully, kind of like the mediterranean , with mountains,m sun, windy lines and loads of farms and vines. When you try wine, you swirl it around the glass, and if it has droplets around the glass (and the slower those droplets roll down), it means its a quality wine (none of that Lidl carton of wine s*** we were drinking at the reading festival!!!)...then you smell it and swirl it around your mouth, or something along this lines. It doesn´t really interest me wine, so I don´t remember much of it! But it was interested, and the wine was pretty tasty! We also went to an oliver oil producing place, and a liqueur and sweet treats place, which was the best!!! They had choclates and sweets to try, and liquers as well, including Irish Cream (baileys basically), and the argentine speciality dulce de leche flavour! Heaven in a shot glass! It was all (like the rest of Argentine), very European, the landscape, the produce, the mentality etc... I´ve got more pictures to add of this, so will do soon.

So, it´s Xmas! This week I finished up for the year with my Spanish classes and teaching English classes. Spent time with some of the local people I know, and helping at a Canadian lady who has come to live with us to teach English here as well. And Juan, Silvina and Celeste (my previous student flatmates) have all gone home for the Xmas and summer break (its wierd bhaving those two holidays combined) so it´s myself, Cal (from Canada), and a chap called Sebastian, who lives in Mednoza but is from Buenos. And of course Ana to care for us all!

Xmas here is celebrated with a BIG meal and present giving at midnight on Xmas eve, and typical food is the asado, wine and the Xmas specials (I guess) are nugget, sweet bread (we have it at home, but I don´t remember what its called!) and, much to my delight, CIDER! Theres big massive displays here of all thos aforementioned foods (in the supermarkets), and cider is dirt cheap (85p for 750ml bottle), but oddly enough comes in a champagne bottle style (will get pictures). Xmas looks the same here, Xmas trees, father xmas, reindeer, snow, tinsle etc... and some of our Xmas songs are played (jingle bells etc...), although I´ve not heard any Slade or Pogues (so will Youtube those to get me in the festive spirit). Despite all this I can get to feel festive without all my family and friends at home, and above all else xmas for me aint the same when it´s 34 degrees outside and instead of covering myself in gloves and scarves, it´s sun hates and sun cream!!!!! But an experience nevertheless.

So as you can tell from my location, I´ve travelled due west across the country to the capital city of Argentina, and considered one of the worlds top 10 cities, Buenos Aires. Yeh, it´s quite something. I´ve only just arrived, but am struck by how much it reminds me of London and Paris. I´m staying in San Telmo, just a stones throw from La Boca, the Obelisk and the Rio de la Plata river. I´´ve so much planned for this week, and can´t wait! Stay tuned... (I have to spend Xmas eve on a bus back to Mendoza, and will arrive Xmas morning to spend Xmas day with my flatmates, argentine style!)