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Published: January 21st 2012
Finally, we've arrived!!
Buenos Aires, Argentina; a modern European-feel city with a tango and beef culture twist. We were fortunate enough to have Chloe's uncle, Fernando pick us up from the airport along with his adorable 3 year old daughter, Sofia. As we were driving, I noticed some of the small differences - such as how people don't really use the driving lanes; the lines are more or less a guide of where the road heads, and stop signs don't exist at intersections. Somehow everyone has an understanding that one person will stop sooner than the other!
As we pulled up to our apartment building in the Palermo neighboorhood, I could tell we had made the right decision. White marble floors, mirrored walls, and abundant light - this place was modern and chic; definitely up our alley. After thanking Fernando and saying goodbye to little Sofia, we were given a tour of our little studio apartment and the rest of the building, including the gym, outdoor swimming pool, and laundry facilities. We knew we were going to be happy for the upcoming week. That afternoon, after settling in, we tried exploring our neighboorhood (blindly, even with the GPS Fernando
loaned us). By 11:30pm we had been walking quite a while and still hadn't eaten dinner. Unlike the USA, this is completely normal. We settled at a pretty nice restuarant to treat and welcome ourselves to our newfound adventure. A few empanadas, salad, steak, and a bottle of malbec later, we were very content and ready to head home.
The next few days we spent walking all over the city from sight to sight, coming home spent from the heat and endless walking. Highlights from the sightseeing would be the Cemetario Recoleta, where the most important figures/families in Argentina's history are buried under extravagent tombs. On a bus tour, stopping at El Caminito in La Boca neighboorhood was an eye opening experience - beautiful colorful buildings, the heart/origin of tango with dancers in the streets, and of course La Bombonera, home of Boca Juniors futbol team.
On two of the nights, we spent the evening with the different sides of Chloe's family. The first, with Fernando's (Chloe's 2nd cousin) family, as well as about 25 other 2nd and 3rd cousins, mostly girls, was just like Thanksgiving at Marisa's (Chloe's mom) house - loud, energetic, fun, fueled by good
food and alcohol. Even being fluent in Spanish, I had a difficult time hearing/understanding 3 people at once, while at the same time disyphering the porteno dialect. Regardless, it was an awesome evening; I really enjoyed meeting the extension of Chloe's beautiful family.
The following night, I had the pleasure of meeting Chloe's 99 year old great grandmother, La Bobe Bobe, alongside her two 2nd aunts (Papa's sisters). We had a great homecooked meal, probably my last until I get back to the states. It was amazing to see that Bobe still had her wits and gorgeous smile about her, remembering details of Chloe growing up. I guess since she couldn't quite pronounce my name, I went by Shane, like the movie 😉 Another great night, and many thanks to Tia Deborah for the delicious home cooked meal!
Our last night in Buenos Aires, we met up with Victoria, a friend of Alexandra (Chloe's sister). She took us to an underground tango bar/vegetarian restuarant. From the outside and the entrance, you would have no idea what to expect; it appeared to be another random building in a southern Buenos Aires barrio. Once we climbed the stairs, we saw
this was no regular building. It was like a converted church, with a very old wooden A frame ceiling, funky art, and low lighting. This was a place only locals knew about. We had the option to pay for the tango class, but knew we would make fools of ourselves with no prior knowledge or understanding of the dance. So, we opted to sit and watch, drinking on cheap wine and eating various delicious vegetarian plates (almost unheared of in Buenos Aires, let alone Argentina). By 1:30, we had had our fill of wine, food, and that sexy, elegant dance known as tango and walked an hour home in one of the muggiest nights so far! I asked Chloe if it was appopriate to take my shirt off in the street but she said probably not 😞
Next, we're off to Uruguay, for some much needed time on the beach and in the water!! Hasta pronto, cuidanse! Un abrazo grande a todos!!
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Mama T
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Wonderful to read, see and imagine!
Fantastic, Jace!! What a treat to find your blogpost as I was just leaving the computer after 9 hours straight working on project documents. You have given us wonderful writing and photos ~ Now I have a smile again! Big hugs to you both ~ Gracias!!