BUENOS AIRES

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BUENOS AIRES

Day One

I won’t even begin to tell you all that I enjoyed yesterday. I had arranged for a walking tour for the day, planning to invite a couple to join me.

Yesterday I met Tom and Dave from Honolulu in the Crow’s Nest waiting to disembark and they seemed like a good choice. We disembarked together, they helped with my luggage and we shared a cab to the hotel. We thought we were getting a really good deal at $30us plus tip. If they agree to join me they will meet me here tomorrow at 9:00am. The day was hot and humid, probably in the 90’s. Not sure how that will work tomorrow when I plan to be walking all day.

My room was ready so I sort of unpacked and set out to explore the hotel. It is Art Deco in style and very well done. It has a reading room! The rooftop café doesn’t have a great view, still it is a pleasant place to have a drink in the evening when a soft breeze cools the day. I found the pool and sun deck and went to the inside lounge for lunch. Had a hamburger of Argentinean beef and a glass of Malbec, a great combination. Then it was time for siesta, a very light dinner and a good nights sleep.

Day two

Dave arrived to let me know they had decided to do the Hop On – Hop Off bus. That was fine with me. Marcello arrived promptly at 10 and we discussed what I wanted to see and he made suggestions as well. A rainstorm came through last night and the day was overcast and breezy, perfect for touring.

It was a magical day. Later I will share some of the tidbits of information I learned but first about Marcello. He is of Italian decent, was forced to learn English by his parents (he hated going to English school on Saturdays) attended University, worked in an office for six years and then started his own tour business. He loves his work and it shows. He loves his city and that shows too. He is thirty and treated me like his favorite great aunt, ever concerned about my comfort. When he felt me tire a bit we took a taxi (very affordable) or sat on a bench where he continued to tell me about the history of the city. Did I say that this was the best decision for a tour that I ever made?

Tidbits: In Argentina voting is compulsory. If you miss the vote you can be fined and even jailed. Try to get a passport, nada. Try to renew a passport, nada. Enforcement is very strict.

Argentina allows duel citizenship. Marcello’s grandparents are from Rimini and can vote in Italy’s national elections. If all the Italian-Argentineans were put together, they would be the tenth largest city in Italy.

More later.

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Photos

BUENOS AIRES
MARCELLO & ME IN RICOLETA