Merry Christmas from Mar del Plata!

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Welcome to our last entry of 2012...and yes, Merry Christmas to all of you and your families...even few days after Christmas!





Last entry for 2012, time flies! It is also our half way mark for our stay in Argentina. We already have close to 6 months behind us in South America. During our first 6 months, we have mainly explored the South of Argentina. In 2013, we still have to go to Cordoba, Iguacu, Salta and Mendoza…so a lot more for us to discover…and even maybe a little more…





Mar del Plata is a special place for my family. My Mum spent here most of her teenager years…so for Christmas, it’s a family reunion…back in time. My parents are there, but also my sister and her daughter.






Let put it straight, I do not consider Mar del Plata a nice city, and I would not spend my holidays here if there was not the connection to the past of my Mum.





Argentinian have some very peculiar points…they make their friends for life…at school. Try to move her and integrate if you are 30….not easy. You make your friends at school, and you keep them for life. In Europe this is way more oriented to time spent at university, here it’s way before that. And looking at the way things are going for Leslie and Tiffany, things haven’t changed in generations here. So yes, my Mum still have most of her school friends, back from 50 years ago even if she only lived here 6 years.






Christmas family time seems to be pretty universal, you spend a lot of time eating and drinking…well, Argentina has both in great quantity and quality, so we did like everybody else.





We arrived on the 23^rd evening after I picked up my sister at Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires, than ride the 5 hours bus to the seaside resort. Mar del Plata is a city of 2 million inhabitants, by the sea…and in January and February, the place is packed with local tourists.





On the 24^th, while the girls were at the beach, we had a round of golf with Leslie and my Dad. It doesn’t happen very often to have a three generations golf game in my family, so better savor it. And yes, Leslie is improving pretty fast! We went to church at my Mum school, another moment back in time…and than, the usual family Christmas…





25^th was spent sharing a long lunch at the port…yes, paella, but not the best we had, followed by the usual ice cream, and a little walk to say hi to the sea lions…ending a very relaxed Christmas day.





26^th and 27^th, we spent our time going around and meeting my Mum friends. We even saw the house where she lived 50 years ago…I guess it was clearly not in the same state as we saw it this time. And yes, the kids even had a little horse ride.







The beach was not that crowded…but that’s not really a great beach….well, the kids had their time to enjoy!




If you are in Argentina for few weeks, I guess you don’t really need to include Mar del Plata in your trip, really not much to see here. But for us, it was different, it was a trip in the teenager years of my Mum, and if only for that I was happy to make that trip.






Next entry we are way north. I’m writing this in the bus on our way to Buenos Aires where we are spending the night before flying out of the country for few weeks.






Merry Christmas to all of you one more time, we hope you had a great celebration. New Year is coming very soon….with a well-known place for Leslie and me, but a discovery for Tiffany!

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Comments

[Bonne Mamy]

Mar del Plata
Thanks for coming !!!!

[Jo Trouble]

Where has the time gone?!
Wow - already six months gone in Argentina! Lovely to have the time with your family - I was almost expecting a 3 generation golf photo like your old profile pic :-)