Buenos Aires

When B and I first met we found that we both had a love of travel and of exploring.  We were the ideal travelling companions and we tended to scratch the travel itch quite often B.C. (Before Children).   We did not plan.  We did not make lists.  Rarely did we see any attraction that would make anyone's top 5 list (For example, we have been to New York City countless times together and still have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building).  Unless of course it is something we truly wanted to see and may never have the chance to again - the Parthenon in Athens, the Mona Lisa in Paris, the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  Those were things we just couldn't miss and I am glad we saw them. But I am equally as glad that we spend almost an entire day wandering around a barrio in Rome that would never have made any to do list and is now one of my favorite memories of that trip.  

We still travel quite a bit.  But with children in tow.  Which  makes flying by the seat of your pants a bit more difficult.  Now we plan.  We make sure that we are near food somewhere around mid-day and near a hotel somewhere around dinner time.  We still do what we want but with more of a plan in mind of what will keep the girls entertained too.  And luckily, we have been doing this with them so long that they think going to a winery for a tour followed by a museum is fun.  It's great that they have the travel bug.  

But sometimes you just need to get away for an adult vacation.  And for the first time in two years we found the stars had aligned just right and we had time for a 4 day getaway.  Without the kids.  Excited was an understatement.  We booked it in June and then I promptly forgot about it until about a week before we were leaving.  I figured I would just wing it when we got there.  But I did want to have some sort of idea what there was to do in Buenos Aires and what neighborhoods we wanted to visit.  What were the "must see" things of this trip?  And then all of a sudden, I realized I had booked 2 half day excursions, a dinner and a Tango show...and, worst of all, the hop on, hop off bus!

We were going to be playing tourist.   

I was a bit surprised at myself.  Rigid plans are not my usual method when planning (and I usually do the loose planning).  What happened to the adventurous couple that used to just jet off on a moments notice?  Did they get old?  Did they lose their inspiration when they had kids?  What was going on???

But I did breathe a sigh of relief when I realized that I may have booked a few things but most of them still wouldn't have made the list of most touristy things to do in the city (except the hop on, hop off bus - but there was a method to my madness on that one).

We landed very early (after having left the house at 5 am) and I really enjoyed travelling with just a camera case as my carry on.  And not yelling at anyone to hurry up, slow down, sit down, or stop hitting.  It was a peaceful flight and all too short.  But Buenos Aires was just getting over a lot of rain so the blue sky was clean, the weather warm and the breezes slight.  I was so glad that I had booked a private sailing tour of the Rio de la Plata (the river that runs to the Atlantic Ocean) for that afternoon.  So we wandered around the area by our hotel - the uber trendy Puerto Madero - had some coffee, some lunch and then headed to the Yacht Club to meet our boat and Captain.

We spent the next 3 hours sailing around the river hearing the history of the area and just relaxing.  Well, at least I relaxed - B got put to work.  He did not mind - he misses sailing.

Worn out from our early start to the day, and an afternoon on the water in the blazing sun, we had an early dinner (early being 8pm) and were tucked in to our bed by 10:30.  We needed our beauty rest for tomorrow.

Bright and early, after a cortado and media luna (Coffee and Croissant), we were off to meet our bike leader.  In my research, I had found a half day bike tour of the city.  It would take us through the South East side neighborhoods of Palermo and Recoleta.  Two of the most famous areas.  Not to mention two with the most old money.  We would visit the Rose Gardens, the memorial of Eva Peron and her grave at the Recoleta Museum.  We would see so many other things too - things we probably would have missed had we tried to walk the whole area because it was pretty large and even on bike it took us over 4 hours.

Floralis Generica - It opens and closes with the sun.

The Rose Garden

The Eva Peron Memorial.

The Recoleta Cemetary - with the grave of Eva Peron.

For dinner we took our one and only taxi back to Palemro for dinner.  Highly recommended neighborhood.  Highly recommended food.  Highly recommended company.

Our view on the walk back to our hotel that night.

And then we really played tourist.  We cashed in our tickets for the hop on, hop off bus, picked up our headphones and settled in on the top deck of the open air bus.  We took pictures of the city from a new vantage point and listened to a lot (a lot) of history of the city as we drove around.

Very Touristy.  But there was a method to my madness.

There was one place that I really wanted to see.  A place that makes my to do list and that was La Boca.  The birthplace of the Tango.  It is where it started in dark and dirty bars, where it became poplular and turned La Boca into the place to live and sadly, now a place you do not head into without a guide (or bus) to drop you there.  A taxi would have worked - but would have cost us more one way than both of our day tickets for the bus combined.  

So, we sat through 7 stops without getting off but learned a lot about the area.  Finally, we hopped off in La Boca and spent the next half hour scouring the streets and watching the touristy wonder that abounds here.  It was cheesy, it was fun, and it was a not to be missed experience.

We hopped back on the bus.  Rode it to an area we wanted to have lunch and then said goodbye to our transport.  For us it was a one time hop off.

We had some time to kill and were near the Teatro Colon so we thought we would go in and see if they had a tour for us...they did.  So we ducked in and saw, up close and personal, one of the greatest theaters in the world (their acoustics are so great that Pavarotti said that they were too good as you could hear every single mistake in breathing and note)

Exhausted from our riding around on the bus, we decided to head back to the hotel for a bit of a nap because we had a big night ahead of us.  Our driver (yes, dinner was sending a driver for us) picked us up promptly at 7:45 and whisked us to the Faena Hotel for dinner at their famed El Bistro restaurant.  And afterwards we were catching their equally famous Tango at the Rojo Tango.  SO. INCREDIBLE.

Dinner went beyond even my expectations.  And when you are seated in a room, designed by Philippe Starck, that is all white with red accents and unicorn heads on the wall, you have a few expectations.  The room was impeccable, the presentation of the food was flawless and the flavors were out of this world.  Pair it with world famous Argentinian wine and you have a dinner you won't soon forget. 

And then we had the show just next door.  Talk about changing decor.  Yes it was red too - but red velvets and dark lighting.  Smoky almost - without the smoke.  It was sensual.  As was fitting for a Tango show.  We settled in and got our first glass of champagne (free for the whole show - I liked this place already).  But as much as I liked the atmosphere I wasn't sure about how much I would like the show.  I knew it would be interesting.  I knew it would be entertaining.  But I didn't know that I would totally LOVE it.  The dancing is incredible but the strength and balance and all out rhythm it takes to do the Tango was just so impressive.  I was mesmerized - as was B.  No pictures - as they are not allowed but this I stole from their website -

We collapsed into bed late that night with no plans of rising before noon.  We had nothing to do the next day except pack and check out of our hotel by 3 pm.  But we are not used to lounging in bed all day.  So we got up and out by about 11 and headed across the bridge to see if we could catch a tour of the Presidential Palace (only open to the public on Sundays).  We didn't want to wait for the formal tour so we did the self-paced tour.  Had a leisurely lunch and headed out to the airport.

A palace guard.  Picture for MadHatter as she loves uniforms!

As much as I loved our vacation, I was very happy to see this sight.  The great mountain range always makes me smile and feel like I am home!  I was so happy to wake up my sleeping little girls and give them a big kiss.  I love my time away but I am equally as happy to be back home with them again.

Next up - Machu Pichu and Lima...And this time the whole family is going and we are meeting Nana and Grampa!!!  We leave tomorrow morning (at 5 am) and I will keep  you posted when I get back.  In mid-November!!!