Chris and I had a wonderful time in Argentina this past month. It turned out to be even more than what we had hoped for. The city, of course, is beautiful and full of life. There is a coffee shop on every corner and you can find people in them at all hours of the day. Dinner is usually not until 9pm or 10pm, so the city is still abuzz until midnight or so, on weekdays. Argentines don't seem to sleep much...but, that explains all the coffee, I guess. The food is fantastic. Lot's of meat (of course), cheese, salads, "tostados" which are little flat, toasted ham and cheese sandwiches, and GREAT desserts ( We must have consumed two full pounds of lemon tarts and flan!). The streets are lined with beautiful big trees with dark, almost black, trunks and bright green leaves. There is lots to do, between artisan fairs, theaters, soccer games, museums, dining out, boutique shopping, or just hanging out at one of their many parks...even in a month we hadn't seen it all.
Our month began at our host couple's, the Valazzas, country house in "Romenzo", where they go every weekend to escape the city and relax. It was a great time to hang out and get to know the Valazza's and their friends.
After that first weekend, we arrived in Buenos Aires, where we stayed in the Valazza's (Arnoldo and Mercedes) apartment in the Capital Federal district. It was a BEAUTIFUL neighborhood, with cobblestone-like streets. There were lots of families and young kids. We lived right in front of the train station, so we were able to get around with no problem at all. We were so thankful to be able to spend the month with Arnoldo and Mercedes. It felt much less touristy and more authentic. Some nights Chris and I would stay out all day and night on our own, experiencing the city and some nights we'd come home and eat dinner together. We got to meet their friends and family, which was great. They were so warm and friendly and hospitable. They took us right in and treated us like their own. It really made our experience there.
We also got to meet up with some of our friends who are Argentine natives but lived in the States at one point. Gaston, a good friend of ours who spent a year in DC, was in Argentina at the same time we were. It was such a surprise and treat to spend time with him. He showed us a few of the more non-touristy spots. He took us to a River Plate soccer game, where he was just as crazy and fanatical as the rest of the fans. Our last week in the city, we were able to meet his parents and sister and have dinner together which was sooooo fun! We also met our good friend Virgina Sanchez's family, which I had waited years for! I lived with Virginia for 3 years and she is one of my best friends. Anyone who knows her knows how important her family is to her...so, I had heard so much about them. It was icing on the cake to be able to meet them and spend time in their home, sharing a meal with them. It was perfect. Towards the end of our trip we met up with a former Ivanwalder, Thomas Castilieri. Ironically enough, we met at a Starbucks...out of all the great cafeterias (coffee shops). Starbucks, supposedly, is very popular out there and they are beginning to open more and more of them.
Chris and I also spent plenty of time being tourists in the city. We went to the "Malba" , which is the Latin modern art museum. We hung out in an area called "La Boca" which is famous for it's colorful houses. "La Boca" is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in the city. Years back, many of the blue collar workers (painters, carpenters)would bring home left over paint from their different projects and use it to paint their homes. Since they were working with a limited amount of paint, their homes ended up being many different colors. It's a pretty cool area... unique. We spent an afternoon there, walking around, eating lunch and watching a tango show. We also went to a River Plate game with Gaston. There are two major teams in Argentina, River Plate and Boca Juniors. Most people are Boca fans. But, River Plate has a strong following as well. At one point, years back, River Plate and Boca were just one team....but, they split up and became the rivals they are today. So, River Plate fans HATE Boca fans, and vice versa. Going into the game we knew Argentines were passionate about their futbol but WOW!!!!! It was CRAZY! You'll never experience anything like it. Nobody sat in their seat for the entire game...not for one second. There is no assigned seating in the section we were in, so it's packed to the max...full of sweaty, shirtless, Argentines, chanting, singing and cursing at the the top of their lungs the ENTIRE game. We were in the "Barra Brava" section which are the people you always see on TV singing and banging their drum waving thier shirts and banners. It was sooo fun. They were so full of life and energy. They were not messing around. Even to the point that everyone had to wait 45 minutes AFTER the game was finished in order to leave the stadium. Why? So the fans from the opposing team could get a head start and leave without being harmed. Unfortunately, there is a lot of violence associated with these games. I thought for sure, I'd end up on the floor at some point and get trampled on...but, fortunately, only my sunglasses fell victim to the "Barra Brava's".
We got very accustomed to the culture there very quickly. A normal day was waking up around 9 or 10am, eating a light breakfast of break with coffee, make our way over to a restaurant for some yummy lunch around 2 or 3pm, and finally go out to dinner around 10pm...sometimes in between there somewhere we'd stop for a cafe cortado (coffee with milk) and alfajores (typical argentine shortbread sandwich cookies with dulce de leche in the middle) One night we came home early, around 8pm, and didn't plan on going back out...finally around 12am, we were ready for dinner...it was great!
All in all, Argentina was spectacular....we couldn't say enough about it. We loved every moment...the city, the country, Bariloche, the people, the food and wine (!!!), the passion and the life that runs through the veins of Buenos Aires...it was all perfect and exactly what we had hoped for. We feel tremendously blessed to have been able to spend a whole month there and can't wait to return someday.
**We'll post some more pictures later...right now, our internet connection won't allow us to upload photos :( **
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