We Begin in Buenos Aires
Days 287-292 (May 11-16, 2017):
We began our adventure on our last continent together in Buenos Aires, capital city of Argentina. And while we were very excited to see this European-esk capital city, we found our time there to be a bit of a bust. Now, most of the reason I didn’t find it to be one of my favorite places probably had nothing to do with the city itself, but all of our states of mind when we were there. You see, we had just spent four months on the other side of the world. This led to the most epic jetlag I have ever experienced. The first three days of our time in the city, our sleep schedules were so screwed up, we found ourselves pretty much unable to leave the Airbnb. We would be up until five or six in the morning and asleep until around dinner time. This led to some epic Netflix binge-watching sessions, in which Katie and I became completely invested in Downton Abbey.
The only highlight in the first few days of our time in Buenos Aires was the one night we drug ourselves across the street to a restaurant called Las Cabras. At this neighborhood hot spot we enjoyed one of the best steak dinners I have ever had in my life. Adam and I, and Katie and Justin each split a two pound T-bone steak with sides including grilled cheese (provoleta), risotto, mashed sweet potatoes, french fries, grilled onions and peppers, rolls, and a fried egg. And we were given ample chimichuri to go with the steak. All for a whopping $22 per couple. I could get used to that.
Once we emerged from our fog, we were joined by Katie’s youngest brother, Joey. Now that someone else had joined us, we found more motivation to get out of the house. Our final three days were spent exploring the city. We participated I two free walking tours including a tour around the city center and a tour of the Recoleta neighborhood. The city center tour showed us important sites such as the National Congress, Government House, Plaza de Mayo, and main cathedrals. It explained a lot about the history of the city including the dictatorship in the 1970s in which several citizens disappeared who opposed the regime. The Recoleta tour focused more on the city’s architecture, upscale neighborhoods, parks, and the famous Recoleta Cemetery. We all very much enjoyed the wandering through the cemetery and we even got to see the grave of Eva Perón (Evita), the famous second wife of President Juan Perón.
The days we were not doing the walking tours we enjoyed exploring the city’s many markets. We perused antiques at the San Telmo Sunday Fair and watched tango dancing in the main square. We also strolled through the fresh produce markets and sampled Argentina’s other famous cuisine: pizza, including their well-known fugazetta pizza which is cheese stuffed inside a focaccia-style dough and then topped with caramelized onions and more cheese. Finally feeling better and tired of big city living, we rented a car and headed for the Iguazu Falls.
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