About grapes, Andes and fellowship

 By Grace Dickinson

This weekend, the CIEE Liberal Arts students ventured off to Mendoza, Argentina, a beautiful province in the northwestern part of the country famous for its incredible mountain views, friendly people, and exceptional wine. Upon arrival, we took a tour of the city, stopping at the Parque General San Martín and the Museo del Área Fundacional to learn about the history of the colonial city. We then traveled into the Luján de Cuyo region for a delicious, parilla style lunch at the Niceto Senetiner bodega, where we got to enjoy sunshine and beautiful views of the mountains as we learned about the business of winemaking.

On Saturday, we woke up early for our next adventure, which took us deep into the Cordillera de los Andes, a mountain range that expands across a large part of South America. We explored Uspallata, a small mountain village, and got to see the incredible Puente del Inca, an ancient and colorful geological formation formed by the flow of mineral waters over rock. We then bundled up and embarked on a gorgeous two-hour hike of the Aconcagua Summit, which is the highest peak in Latin America. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Potrerillos Dam, and took in the incredible contrast of the tall dark mountains and the bright blue body of water. For all of us, the trip was an absolutely incredible chance to get out of Buenos Aires and experience a vastly different landscape within Argentina. Most of us can barely believe how much there is to see here—from mountains, to waterfalls, to deserts, to glaciers, Argentina really seems to have it all.