It´s Christmas in Argentina again

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Saturday 19 December to Saturday 26 December.
We left a shivering UK to head south to arrive in a hot day in Buenos Aires. Arriving at the airport was almost like coming home, little seemed to have changed in the 21 months we have been away. Little that is except prices - more later on this.
We cabbed into the centre to our hotel near Plaza San Martin and checked in, revived ourselves with showers and went out for a re-orientation walk down and around Calle Florida which was not too busy as it was Sunday. Some window shopping in Casa Lopez (there was definitely a "need a new bag" thing going on there and in Galerias Pacifico.
Panetonne in the shops and cafes was a tangible sign of Christmas as were the sales and discounts. After a snack and a siesta we caught the subte out to meet up with friends in Palermo for dinner. Terry and Cesar had cooked up a cuban feast which was washed down with a bottle or three of vino.
Realised later that we had missed out on a go-karting event which had closed off the area round the Obelisco and added to the normal traffic chaos. A mini race track had been built for the afternoon and evening. Ah well never mind.....
Started to move to the Argentine late night living habit already.

Monday
Blue skies and noisy busy streets as the city started the working week. We meandered around and through the centre and down to sit in Plaza de Mayo outside the Casa Rosada and watch the world go by for a while. A lunchtime coffee in the once grand, but now in need of a bit of TLC, Confiteria Ideal. Susan noted down the times of tango classes - for future reference. (not sure if that is a threat) Walked back in the heat for a siesta.
Roused ourselves to go out to see "Bien Tango" at the Borges Cultural Centre. Nice small theatre space and very good dancing.
After the show we went for dinner at El Mirasol, a classy parilla restaurant near Alvear that we had seen earlier in the day, and only 10 minutes walk from the hotel. Not sure how to tell you how good the Asado de Tira was but it was really excellent. Accompanied by a very decent bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Probably if not certainly the best steaks since last time we were in Buenos Aires.

A brief note on prices and inflation: in the less than two years we think prices for hotels and eating out have virtually doubled, at least in the cities. Still a relative bargain compared to the UK but a bit of a shock.

Tuesday to Saturday
Up reasonably early to catch the LAN flight to Mendoza, away on time. Mendoza was hot with intense blue skies of a colour we never see in the UK. We came here to do very little apart from relax and slide into holiday mode. We stayed in Chacras de Coria a peaceful southern suburb that was, until not too long ago, a separate village and it still retains a bit of a village feel.
We stayed in a really nice small parador, converted from an old house. Great owners, only six rooms and only three of them occupied. Fellow guests were two German couples and we all got on well. Our afternoon walk showed us what there was to see and do in Chacras: sit in the square, doze, eat icecream and enjoy a late dinner - not too difficult. Our variation included getting up late, sitting in the parador garden and reading - both working our way through the Stieg Larsson Millenium trilogy.
We had some good intentions of visiting local vineyards but ... too hot, too far, done it before. But we did go horse riding one evening, riding through an old vineyard and around for a couple of hours. No real after effects even from some gentle trotting!
On Christmas eve we had a splurge at a local restaurant, good dinner sitting outside with a big fireworks show at midnight. Christmas Day was an even later start than usual and a very quiet day, we found one bar open in the evening and we sat out under the stars.
All in all a really relaxing few days.

Saturday afternoon we had to leave and go into Mendoza from where we were heading further north. We dropped our bags at the bus station and in the afternoon heat we strolled out to the Museum built over part of the original city - mostly flattened by an earthquake in the 19th century. Good displays and much needed excellent air conditioning. After an early dinner in the city centre we walked out to the bus station to catch the overnight Flecha bus to Tucuman. Possibly the flashest and most comfortable bus we have ever been on. The whole bus was super executive cama with seats that went into flat beds - only six on the whole bottom deck. We even had complementary champagne. Turned down the bed time whisky! Slept from about 11pm until about 8am and woke up a couple of hours south of Tucuman.

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Photos

Parador cat
It's a piece of art, Susan has not gone to the land of the giants