Peña in Salta

Wine and Ambiance

A few nights ago we spent a very enjoyable evening eating, drinking, and bopping our heads to amazing folk music with a well traveled couple from Seattle, WA. Arthur and Dina were traveling a bit before heading back to the States after being in the Peace Corps in Paraguay for the last two years. They are in their sixties and are some of the most hardcore travelers we have met. Not only were they in the Peace Corps, but they also spent seven years sailing around the world with their children (they were home-schooled on a sail boat - how cool is that?). Eventually, they settled in Panama for four years where Dina consulted for the US Army on the Panama Canal.

Cheers!

Dinner at Casona del Molino with Arthur and Dina from Seattle

Is everything more fun after three bottles of local Malbec split between four people? Most likely, but in this case we were just having a grand ole time with Dina and Arthur. Being at a traditional Peña in Salta, Argentina was awesome as well.

Playing a tune

What is a Peña you ask? It is a a grouping or meeting place for musicians who just feel like strumming on their guitar and singing or beating on their drum accompanied by a violin. The Peña we visited was Casona del Molino and is located on a random residential street in an old mansion with no sign. If our Innkeepers did not tell us what to look for we would have missed it. The Casona has multiple rooms where people sit, eat, and listen or participat in singing or playing music. We were in an in-between room and thus were able to be a part of both a drum circle and a tradition banjo, guitar, tambourine, and singing room. Each room included random Salteños performing for the fun of it - what else would one do on a Friday night? Check out the video below.

This evening we indulged in a myriad of Argentine dishes including goat stew, blood sausage, bife de chorizo, vacio, and cerdo along with (as noted above) copious amounts of vino tinto. I have to say, this may have been one of the most interesting and fun nights out we have had in a long time! I want to do it again - open mic Argentine style!