All ashore that’s going ashore

Anton and I are setting sail (on a ferry boat) from Buenos Aires across the river to Uruguay!  First stop- Colonia del Sacramento, a colonial riverside town across the river plate.  After a few days there we head for the remote beaches of eastern Uruguay, Punta del Diablo, Cabo Polonia and La Pedrera before seeing Montevideo.  

a few of the 3,000+ seats in the theater

seven levels of sound

a building in San Thelmo district

Buenos Aires was more beautiful than we ever imagined.  On a tour of the Teatro Colón, the opera house with the best acoustics in the world, we learned that Buenos Aires experienced a Belle Epoque at the turn of the 20th century when a lot of French architecture and culture was imported and mimicked.  I knew that Buenos Aires had a lot of European influence and a big Italian immigrant population but I didn’t know it is considered the Paris of South America.  It fully deserves this title since walking down its wide avenues filled with an abundance of stylish shops and cafes while looking at the beautiful buildings was very reminiscent of Paris.  Before arriving, I was really nervous to be overwhelmed by the abundance of activity and options for diversion.  Luckily, their January is like our July, many people are out of the city and things are calm. Not-so-luckily, many activities are in the off season like the opera house and some markets.  Also, since since it was like July, it was hot hot hot, and humid.  We spent a full week there but probably could’ve crammed all our activities into a few days although with the heat were limited with just how much we could do each day.  A good chunk of time  had to be spent in front of the fan while making plans for upcoming travel.  Plus, it was nice to unpack and feel settled in one place, especially in the great, affordable apartment we rented through AirBnB in the amazing Palermo neighborhood.  And, being there for a full week gave us a good amount of time to explore the endless and delicious dining options available.  Thanks to the leads from a friend who was lucky to live in BsAs for years a few years back and from a food blog she tipped us off to, we found some GREAT places to eat and drink. 

you can buy fresh squeezed OJ! with campari!  on the street!

believe it or not the best choripan is here at Lo de Freddy

We sampled many of the city’s regional offerings.  One almost every block or manzana as the porteños say, there is a fiambre and queso shop selling fine meats and cheeses.  

Of course we had that and of course we tried a parilla for great steak and chorizo.  We also had insanely good choripan at a literal hole in the wall, Lo de Freddy.  BsAs is not short on international cuisine either and we had another great dining experience at Sarkis, a neighborhood Armenian place.  

waiting for pizza at El Cuartito

We were so enchanted with the city.  We visited a number of old timey places that are long living city institutions.  One such highlight was El Cuartito, a pizzeria that has been in business for over 80 years.  The interior is lined with faded, aging sports posters and career waiters serve tasty pizza and fernet with cocacola from the tap.  We also checked out some new places that were nearly as awesome like the bar Floreria Atlantico.  To get to the bar, we entered a beautiful flower shop at street level.  We asked for the bar and were led through a walk-in refrigerator door downstairs to a long narrow room with a 40 foot long bar.  The cocktail menu is extensive and includes many unique drinks, some that feature locally crafted yerba mate gin.  

syphons at an antique sale and still in use at bars everywhere 

an old theater converted to a book store

BsAs may have the friendliest folk we’ve come across in South America, or at least the most charming mannerisms.  Almost everyone is gregariously friendly and eager to engage and please.  The mannerisms are very charming.  “Thank you” is never answered with you're welcome but always “no, please!”.  Departing greetings are usually “suerte” (good luck), or “buen dia/noche”. 

They really love him around here 

A lot of time was spent flanuering, people watching, and window shopping around Palermo.  We checked out two different art museums (fine art for Anton and modern art for me) and the large, opulent cemetery.  In the historical center we saw the Plaza de Mayo, infamous for the madres and abuelas looking for their desaparecido family members and the Bicentennial museum.  We crossed the widest avenue in the world, 9 de Julio, with more than 10 lanes.  We couldn’t make it in just one light!  We rode the cities buses around to other neighborhoods like La Boca to see Caminito.  We saw a humongous steel flower and real ones in a Botanical Garden.  We had a great time. 

old tenement housing in Caminito

some of the opulence at Recoleta cemetery  

steel flower

Flânuering in Mendoza and Córdoba

Flânuer is a french noun meaning "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", or "loafer".  Anton (who else) introduced me to the word and concept when we arrived in Mendoza, Argentina and we have been doing a whole lot of it.   I think it's the best way to get to know a new place.  Both in Mendoza and in Cordoba, where we are now, we've been wandering around getting to know the cities' streets, parks, plazas and cafes.  It's been lovely.  I could never complain about double summer but while I so looked forward to traveling post-Fulbright, it slipped my mind just how incredibly hot it would be.  Without stopping for drinks, ice cream and sit downs in the park, trekking around a city in this heat would be a bit dificil.

One of many antiquities around Mendoza

We returned from Lima to Santiago on January 10th then made our way by bus across the border into Argentina.  Only a 6 hour ride.  I can't really put my finger on why, but it has been my life long dream to visit Argentina and especially Buenos Aires.  I think it is the blend of charm and allure of Latin America mixed with the sophistication and glamour of Europe.  Imagine my shock and dismay when we arrived and most ladies and gentlemen were wearing Crocs or imitations of or ladies were sporting hideous platform sandals!  Despite the poor footwear choices, Argentina has not disappointed in its attractiveness. 

Mendoza is a small city with wide, tree lined streets with channels of water to help irrigate the otherwise dry city.  In some ways, it is a city that time hasn't touched.  The architecture and decor seems old-timey, and many people drive old cars.  It's pretty charming. Right outside of Mendoza is wine country.  On day 1 of our visit we took the city bus to the community of Maipu where we rented a tandem bicycle and had time to visit 2 out of dozens of wineries Mendocinos call bodegas.  The region is famous for Malbec and it is really quite delicious.  

Olive grove at Trapiche Wineries 

my sweetie and the captain of that ship

Tasting at Tempus Alba 

 That night we had a real treat.  We met up with, Sebastian, a friend of a friend of a friend we met in Santiago.  It never hurts to reach out to connections.  He is from France but has lived in Argentina for more than a decade skiing and leading outdoor tours and adventures.  We were lucky enough to be part of an asado that he, his girlfriend and roommates organized.  An asado is a barbecue of sorts, only way better than anything I've seen in the US.  For less than $30 USD we bought six kilos of meat including, ribs, sausages, blood sausages and various steak cuts.  Using firewoood, Sebastian got fire going and cooked the meat over the hot coals.  Meanwhile, on the rooftop of their apartment, we got to chat with his kind and interesting friends, one who was a sommelier, while drinking local wine.  There were also grilled vegetables and something I hadn't seen/eaten before- red bell peppers cut in half with an egg cooked inside while it's grilling.  There is nothing quite like visiting a new place, getting to spend time with people from there and eating delicious local food.  For a minute, we had thought about going straight to Buenos Aires from Santiago but like Anton said, Mendoza could have been half as nice and it still would have been worth the stop for the evening we had.

Pile o' meat/Sebastian's materpiece

After a few days and a difficult overnight bus ride where it stopped every two hours to let on people who had loud conversations and were on their cell phones in the middle of the night, we arrived in Cordoba.  Much busier and bigger than Mendoza, still a nice city be a flânuer, with galleries of shops and cafes, art museums and a bustling historic center.  On a walking tour of the center, we unfortunately witnessed a motochorro, a robbery by motorcycle.  We were about eight people and out of nowhere a motorbike rode up onto the sidewalk and took a bag off the shoulder of a Swedish tourist.  Very unfortunate and scary.  A reminder that crazy stuff can happen anywhere and to always be careful.  

Dancing fountains at Paseo del Buen Pastor

To escape the city heat and see some of the countryside we took a bus to La Cumbrecita.  It is a darling mountainside town founded by Germans in the 1920s.  It still has very much of a German influence in the food and architecture and has an enchanted Bavarian forest sort of feel.  We had a lovely time eating, walking on the pedestrian only streets, hiking to a waterfall and visiting three swimming holes surrounded by wild raspberry bushes.

Someone's in [hog] heaven, okay we both were

 We really lucked out with our AirBnb stay in Cordoba, it's like being in a country home with modern design in the middle of the city.  The host, Diego rented out the home a few years ago and built all the furniture on his own from recycled/repurposed goods.  He keeps it up really nice with pretty decor and plants.

Soon we head off on another, and hopefully more comfortable, night bus to Buenos Aires!!!  I have just read the tip of the iceberg of what there is to do and see there and I can barely contain myself and my excitement. A full report to come!

It has been harder than I thought it would be to keep on top of the blog.  I will have to do a back log entry on the wonders of Peru.