The afternoon city tour was a terrific overview of Buenos Aires. We witnessed tango dancers outside restaurants, soccer fans sporting their favorite team for the night’s big game, and market goers perusing sellers’ tents.
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| Casa Rosada |
Sunday, December 18 (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
The 4520 mile flight from Miami to Buenos Aires took approximately eight hours. The 80 degree temperature was a pleasant contrast from the 20 degree weather I was experiencing back home in Kentucky. As we approached the Sofitel Hotel in downtown Buenos Aires, its ornate gate reminded me of the numerous opportunities ahead. I walked through without hesitation.
The other Grosvenor Teacher Fellows (Dave Walker and Randy French) and I share a love for adventure. Our first adventure began as a leisurely walk to a nearby market that almost ended in disaster. Shortly after leaving the hotel, we proceeded down a quiet street. Behind us a voice shouted, “Hello! Are you American?” I suppose it was the cameras hanging around our necks and the outstretched maps that gave us away. We soon discovered the person behind the voice, a lovely lady from North Carolina. She nicely informed us to avoid a certain street ahead and take a safer route to which she led us. Our “rescuer” had been living in Buenos Aires for several years and from her we learned a great deal about the city’s cuisine, shopping, and sites. Upon arrival to the market, I purchased a mate gourd for 200 pesos ($14 U.S. dollars).
Mate is a traditional South American caffeine-rich infused drink that many drink from a hand-crafted gourd. Mate is traditionally drunk in social settings, such as family gatherings or with friends. In fact, the same gourd and straw are used by everyone.
The afternoon city tour was a terrific overview of Buenos Aires. We witnessed tango dancers outside restaurants, soccer fans sporting their favorite team for the night’s big game, and market goers perusing sellers’ tents.
We strolled outside the Casa Rosada, the office of the President of Argentina before visiting the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral (Pope Francis’ mother church), and then La Recoleta Cemetery which contains the graves of notable people like Eva Perón
Just when I thought our day in Buenos Aires could not get any better; it did. The Fellows and I met up with Lindblad staff at El Mirasol de la Recova restaurant for a delicious rib-eye steak. It was the best cut I have ever tasted. Believe it or not, I would be thinking of this meal when I awoke the next day.
The afternoon city tour was a terrific overview of Buenos Aires. We witnessed tango dancers outside restaurants, soccer fans sporting their favorite team for the night’s big game, and market goers perusing sellers’ tents.
