Our first Saturday in Mendoza

Today was our first Saturday in Mendoza, and we packed it full of fun. Jeff didn't have class, but his school organized a tour out to Villavicencio, a natural oasis in the otherwise barren Andes. The natural springs there provide the water for one of the most popular bottled waters in the area and one of the best sparkling waters we've ever had. There is a lovely hotel that is in the process of being restored with the goal of reopening next year. And the grounds contain a lush garden and spa that is beautiful now but must have really been something in the former heyday of the hotel. Even though the whole tour was conducted in Spanish and was a little difficult for most of us to follow, we still had a wonderful time and enjoyed the experience.

A fun outing to Villavicenio

It was fun to visit the home of
one of our very favorite sparkling waters.

In the afternoon, Jeff and I took Clay to the main plaza and park in Mendoza, while the other kids stayed behind to rest. Clay was determined to make a friend and use as much Spanish as he could remember. He played hard on the playground and also had a chance to do some painting, buy a balloon sword, and see a mimi magic show. Jeff and I took turns watching him at the playground and strolling through the rest of the enormous park, where there were tons of craft vendors and interesting characters set up enjoying the beautiful day. We found one vendor selling wooden kitchen utensils and were able to add some unique pieces to our collection.

So many lovely wooden utensils to choose from

The great playground defender

This boy's happy place

A new friend

Deciding on a special treat on the way home

Since today was Weston's half-birthday, he got to drive the plans for the rest of the day, which included a dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, and gravy, and a trip out for gelato after dinner. We also decided to revisit Plaza Independencia so we could see what it was like after dark. The answer is "happening." There were so many people and vendors and the whole park was lit up and full of life.

You can take the kid out of Texas,
but you can't take the Texas out of the kid!

Half-birthday gelato party

Plaza Independencia

Friends and Fun in Lima

One of the things Jeff has been working on as part of the process to become a diplomat is being able to show fluency in Spanish. So, he has been working with a few tutors on italki. There is one tutor he has been meeting with consistently for months. She is Venezuelan, but she lives in Lima, and it was a privilege for  us to meet up with her and her family for a day of fun. We met at a lovely park (Parque Maria Reiche) where much of the landscaping is designed to look like the Nazca drawings. Eventually, we all headed out to grab some lunch in a small, local restaurant with delicious food. After lunch, we decided to Uber into the city center to see the Circuito Magico del Agua, an impressive display of fountains and flowers in the Parque de Reserva. It was a wonderful day, and we had so much fun! Interestingly, in the course of our conversation, we found out that Ruth's italki Spanish tutor, who is Venezuelan but lives in Argentina, is the cousin of the husband of Jeff's tutor. It's such a small world! When we had said "Adios" to our friends, we headed back to our apartment for dinner. After dinner, Jeff and I went for a walk along the malecon, while the kids opted to stay at the apartment reading and playing games. Our walk took us through a large, fancy shopping area, where we popped in to a restaurant overlooking the ocean called "Popular" for pisco sours. Unexpectedly, we also ordered a dessert called "Ponderacion." We ordered it simply because of the vague description on the menu, thinking it would be a fun surprise, which it definitely was.

Nazca lines landscaping

Wheat tea (or something similar),
which was served with our lunch

Circuito Mágico del Agua

Water Tunnel
(Just before this picture was taken,
my oldest son ran his hand along
 the outside of the fountain, 
causing the water to fall inward 
and effectively soaking us
 and also causing the
attendant to blow his whistle!
I did not kill the child, but he
had better produce an
 amazing Mother's Day gift!)

Gardens at Parque de Reserva

Other diversions at Parque de Reserva

A fun day with friends!

Date night at Popular