Blog Post Number 18: San Isidro & Tigre

March 27 – 30

The weather is still great…sunny with daytime temps around 75. And even though the days are getting shorter (gets dark around 7:00) the evenings are still warm enough to walk around in shorts.

With less than 2 weeks to go, we’re thinking we will have to do a “practice” pack soon to see if all the stuff we’ve bought over the last 2+ months fits in our 3 small suitcases and 2 knapsacks. David, who usually insists we only travel with carry-on luggage, has resigned himself to the fact that, due to airlines weight restrictions (baggage, not people), there’s no way we could have avoided the check-in process…so we might as well make it easy on ourselves and check it all.

Our weekend is quiet, but we have plans to see our friend Jorge on Tuesday. We met Jorge on last year’s cruise; we kept in touch with him after we returned to the States and have looked forward to reconnecting with him in person.

March 31

Jorge picks us up at 11:00. He has offered to show us some of BA’s northern suburbs and our 1^st stop is San Isidro…just 20 kilometers outside of the city and you’re in another world. San Isidro lies along the Rio de la Plata and was once a weekend destination for BA’s wealthier families. Today you can still stroll along the original tree-lined cobblestone streets,

past large homes,

the occasional eye-catching store front,

through San Isidro Cathedral, which dates back to 1898,

and into Mitre Square, where an artisans’ fair is held every Sunday.

The original San Isidro train station dates back to the late 1890s; it was remodeled in 1995 but its original style was preserved.

From San Isidro, we make a brief photo stop at one of the riverside restaurants

and then drive to the Puerto de Frutos (Fruits’ Port) in Tigre. Situated on the Rio Lujan, it’s the gateway to the canals, islands and waterways that comprise the Delta area.

Shops and stalls line the river bank,

but we think the coolest things are the transport boats loading and unloading wood to be used for docks and pilings.

All this touring makes us hungry so we head over to Kansas, our favorite "rib joint" for lunch.

After lunch, we drive past elegant boathouses built at the end of the 19^th/beginning of the 20^th century and still in use today.

We follow the Victoria Walkway, a promenade on the banks of the river, toward the historic El Tigre Club, a fabulous building once used for Gatsby-like dances but now the site of the Tigre art museum.

Closed today, we promise ourselves we’ll visit it next year with Jorge and then take one of the motorboats for a cruise through the Delta inlets and waterways.

It’s getting late, so we say goodbye to Jorge and board the train that takes us back to the city. After a leisurely day…quiet sun-drenched streets, waterways, palm trees…it’s a shock when we get off the train during rush hour...hoards of people everywhere! We walk the 20 minutes to our neighborhood, where the pace is slower and we have time to reflect on a wonderful day.

Thanks Jorge.

Blog Post 17: Feliz Cumpleanos - It's a Banner Day

March 26

Feliz Cumpleanos – Today I turned 60!! Holy smoke – how did this happen?

As we are riding down in the elevator of our building to go for breakfast, David apologizes, for perhaps the 3rd time, telling me he hasn’t yet gotten me a birthday card. I tell him not to worry.

But as we leave our apartment building, I look to my left and there, stretched across our street, is a fabulous brightly colored banner…wishing me a happy birthday.

I just love it, as corny as that sounds. I feel like a celebrity in my neighborhood. It’s just so much fun. All day long, every time we go in or out of our building, every time we turn the corner to go home, there it is, making me smile. Thanks David…it’s better than a card!

Rick and Kevin drop off a beautiful bouquet of flowers,

We spend the day doing a little shopping, a little eating, a little visiting with friends. Jim brings me a lovely necklace.

David has made a reservation for dinner at our new favorite restaurant, Lola, for 2 at 8:30, or so he tells me.

But when we walk in, there are Kevin, Rick and Jim sitting at the bar waiting for us...he’s arranged a surprise party for me! We have a bottle of champagne at the bar…

then the maitre' d shows us to our table (without my knowing it, David had picked it out and planned the evening a few days before with the restaurant owner)

David and three great friends,

our favorite Malbec, fabulous food, more Malbec, fabulous desserts, more champagne, a birthday brownie covered with dulce de leche and marshmallow topping!!! What more could a girl want?





I have a wonderful birthday… and feel like 60 may not be so bad.

Blog Post 16: Abasto, Puerto Madero & Plaza San Martin

March 20 – 21
Friday and Saturday are quiet days…leisurely breakfasts, dinners at home (3 in a row, in fact – a record!!). We often try to make lunch the big meal of the day, and these 2 days that is what we’ve done.

We stay in the Recoleta on Friday, but on Saturday we take the bus to the Abasto shopping mall, a former fruit and vegetable market. Built in the 1930’s, it still retains its original art deco facade. It’s very impressive with its soaring ceilings and 3 story-high arched windows.





It’s one of several modern shopping malls in the city, complete with the largest food court I’ve ever seen (including the only kosher McDonalds outside of Israel), a 12 screen movie theater, a carousel, and three floors of stores.













March 22 – Sunday
It’s the 1st day of autumn…oh my gosh. I wonder if that means I can no longer wear white (kind of like Labor Day at home?). If that’s the case, my wardrobe has just been severely compromised!

We’re off to the port area, Puerto Madero, for lunch at one of the many Italian restaurants on the River Plate. The old warehouses have been recycled and the cobbled walkways retained. It’s the last neighborhood in the city to be built up; remodeling began in 1991 and is still going full speed ahead.





There are also wonderful old buildings to see like the customs house





and more.





On the way home, we stop at Plaza San Martin





to see the United Buddy Bears exhibit – each is 2 meters tall and represents 140 countries recognized by the United Nations,













the fabulous wrought-iron gates of the Military Circle (club for retired military officers),






and the Palace San Martin.






March 23- 25
What a relief – women are still wearing white (maybe that’s because it’s still 80-85 degrees?).

We spend time outside, we occasionally run into people we know (that hardly ever happened to me in Boston!), and then we meet Ana and Jorge at a local parilla for dinner where we also celebrate the birth of their new grandson (earlier in the day).





Stay tuned...more tomorrow.

Post Number 15: Trip to Temaikan Bioparque

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March 19

What a fabulous day! Not quite knowing what to expect, five of us meet at 10:00 a.m.,

catch the 1st of two buses and, 2 hours later, arrive at Temaiken, which is north of Buenos Aires. It’s a zoo, an aquarium, a nature preserve, a park, and an educational facility – and it’s amazing. We spend the next 5 hours exploring and having a great time.

Highlights include the merkats…

Video:

a giant hippopotamus…

Video:

animals cooling themselves under shade trees...

and those too oblivious to know any better.

We laugh, we eat, we enjoy glorious weather.

We marvel at how beautiful the grounds are…

and, best of all, we have the entire place to ourselves. Summer’s over, it’s mid-week so the kids are in school, and there can’t be more than 2 dozen other people in the park.

We sit and watch the sharks and sting rays in the oceanic tank while listening to Ave Maria, Mozart’s Flute Concert and more.

We walk into something like a giant aviary. It contains 40 or 50 bats. We are no more than a foot away from those closest to us. We’re separated by nothing more than a wire screen.

Some are flying. Others are hanging upside down. The larger vampire bats have a wing span of between 2 to 3 feet.

They’re feeding on fruit and veggie brochettes...

and after a hearty meal.....it's nap time.

Video:

It’s all pretty amazing and beautifully done. Like I said before…a fabulous day!

Only three weeks more to go in BsAs before we start another adventure in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I (David) am not ready to leave Argentina, but at least we will delay going back to the Cape for another month. Stay tuned.