Out and about on a beautiful day in Argentina, Day 9 was mostly a travel day. Having left the Salentein Winery behind we were making our way to the city of Mendoza, when all of a sudden Marcello called for our driver to pull over. Here was our view:
Can you see what is in the two areas I highlighted? They are Lesser Rheas! Large flightless birds that resemble ostriches, the Rhea is only found in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Marcello spotted an adult with four juveniles roaming the open plain. They were quite a distance away and with the heat distortion the photo didn’t turn out great, but we did get to check off this unique bird.
The restaurant for the Casa Vigilia Winery was, as expected by now, spectacular! We sat outside under a large awning, and gazed out over the vineyard with the Andes Mountains in the background. Between the first and second course we were served this unique dish to cleanse our palates – a ball of fruit (pear?) sitting atop an ice-cold stone! I’ve never seen anything like that, although I felt sorry for the server who had to carry out seven of these stones at a time to our table.
My main course was delivered in a clear glass cover and inside was filled with a fragment smoke and…
the biggest T-bone steak I’ve ever seen. Easily one-and-a-half inches thick and as big as a catcher’s mitt, no wonder Argentina is known for its beef! It was delicious and yes I ate the whole thing (and had to resist picking up the bone and gnawing off the remaining meat).
While having lunch I spotted a hummingbird foraging in the flowers planted at the end of the rows of grape vines at the Casa Vigilia Winery. It was a Glittering-bellied Emerald.
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Wow what a tremendous experience! Life is good! Thanks for sharing1