Buenos Aires - individual travel nights

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Between Antarctica and Uruguay, we stayed in the nice Paz Hotel, getting a taxi from the EZE airport. This hotel was near where we had previously stayed at the Sheraton with Atlas Ocean Voyages. This time, we just had one short night before our ferry to Uruguay early the next morning. I chose the location because we would be able to walk to the ferry terminal. I looked up nearby restaurants for dinner and found a speakeasy with good reviews. So, I booked at the Floreria Atlantico a few weeks ahead of time and now it was time to check it out. It was about 3 blocks walking distance and we passed by a flower shop and stopped outside a little restaurant bar area. I thought I had read that you go through the flower shop and it was confirmed at the restaurant. We walked in as another couple did and the flower shop attendant asked if we had reservations, which we did, but not the others yet. She pulled out a walkie-talkie and we were led to a door in the wall and down some stairs. Very cool. This was L's first speakeasy experience and I think it was a good one to start.

The speakeasy was long with a bar all along one side and small tables along the other. The draw here was the changing drinks menu, this time focusing on the 'native people' and the types of ingredients they use. The drinks were nothing spectacular, but were quite interesting.

The next morning, we walked early to take the first ferry to Montevideo.

Between Uruguay and our returning flight to UAE, we stayed in the San Telmo area, and this was our last adventure in South America for now. L had only one request to see the National History Museum and this was the closest hotel I could get that seemed decent and in a decent neighborhood. Our taxi from the ferry took us right to the location, but we had to look around for a few minutes before we actually saw the tucked away hotel. We also had to get buzzed in. Inside at the desk, an older couple were clearly upset about the condition of their room. Uh-oh. This was not looking great. Just one more night, right?

We were finally checked in and....well, the room was big. I would not be surprised if this was the scene of a couple of murders. It seemed to be somewhat clean, just very, very old and dated. The floor was chipped wood, the ceiling was stained, the bathroom was from like the 70's. Very weird! Needless to say, we did not hang around too much here. We wanted to get some lunch as we were both starving at this point, so we asked the nice guy at the front desk for recommendations. He gave us two and one was what I had previously noted: Atis Bar. It was on the way to the museum so we headed that way. I will say, the neighborhood seems very old and slightly more rough, but the restaurant and bar selection appeared to be very good.

We were super happy with Atis Bar. It took a minute for us to find our way in as the entrance was under construction, but then you are led around back and you walk into a courtyard reminiscent of fancy Italian villas. Just beautiful. Our waiter was so friendly and helpful too! We had a small table in what little shade was left and we just went, yet again, for a big grilled meal. Basically, it is a meal for two people with all kinds of meats. We also got an order of fries and cold beer as it was a very warm day. It was so good and the atmosphere was perfect. Highly, highly recommended!

We continued down to the National History Museum, which was free entrance. We walked around and looked at the Museum, which is located in a beautiful old building next to a park, and is generally well done. The history is primarily focused the War of Independence and the May Revolution. We had some similar story lines in the Cibaldo at Plaza del Mayo, but this was more detailed and provided some more context, though much of it was only in Spanish. It was interesting to see some of the articles of clothing, paintings, and everyday items, especially a room devoted to weapons that was guarded by a soldier. There were signs that guided you to view the exhibits in a certain order, and I loved the last large room with black and white tiles and huge paintings. Very nice.

We sat in the park afterwards to rest for a few minutes, people watching and birdwatching. Then we got up for the long trek back to our sketchy hotel room. We rested for a bit before L suggested to go out for one last drink. He found a brewery just down the block, Santo Remedio. Sure, why not. I am so glad we did because it was great! It was a really nice, friendly brew pub in the middle of this confusing neighborhood. The bartender was super nice and had me try a few different beers then made great selections for me. I had a regular beer, then two different types of sour fruity beers, which were delicious! They also serve hot dogs if you want; I had a piece of L's since I am not a huge fan, but this was all I needed to tide me over after that huge lunch earlier. The brewery is housed in an old pharmacy, and they kept much of the original furnishings, so it had a great vibe. I think we stayed for two hours or so.

The next morning, I had the provided breakfast, which was extremely basic. But L was quite ill, unfortunately. Soon, we left and headed to the airport to head back to Dubai (well, Abu Dhabi). Thankfully, he was feeling better once the flight took off.

Just a quick snippet about our travel back to UAE.

First of all, I will never fly Air Europa again. It was extremely unorganized; we had to wait over an hour to check-in in a long line that extended the length of the departures hall (just this airline!). I think they only had three people manning the desks for a fully loaded 787. On board, the seats were so close together even my short legs were touching the seat back in front of me; L was miserable the whole 12-hour flight. That is absolutely ridiculous. Plus, there was a couple in front of us with their seats back even as we were sitting down! Whatever. I got my meal this time because I knew it was the only thing they would provide on the very long flight.

Secondly, I'm still flabbergasted about the Madrid Airport. Most international flights are connected in some way at every other airport. Not here. Here, you have to go through customs, get your bag, take a bus, check in, go through customs again, then again through security, and another train to the satellite terminal. We had a 5-hour layover, FIVE HOURS!!!, and it was still so tight that we had very little time to grab a bite to eat before getting on our flight!

So, never again with Air Europa and never again with Madrid Airport transfers.

Thankfully, Etihad Airways was much more comfortable and the arrival at the airport seamless.

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