Coastal Brothers and Sisters: Buenos Aires

I was supposed to blog about my great Argentina adventure months ago. I mean, I went in January of this year. What a great start to the #alwaysbeadventuring resolution/mantra/motto of 2013. The plan was to head down to Argentina with friends a few days before the rest of my class arrived to do some general exploring and get the lay of the land before embarking on the business school aspects of the trip. That was one of my best decisions of life - I fell in love with Buenos Aires even in the midst of economic turmoil, the drama of elections and political instability, and January (when the streets are empty). Because it's been much too long to go day-by-day playback of this particular adventure I'm just going to write about my top three experiences. Maybe I'll just type my travel notes as I hand wrote them months ago.

San Telmo Park

BIKE TOUR: After having been in the city for 48 hours, walking around, getting the lay of the land, and realizing that I could communicate in a minimal manner knowing no Spanish, I convinced a classmate of mine to join me in a 7 hour bike ride through the entire city. We looked up an amazing organization started by a few American Expats (www.bikingbuenosaires.com) and signed up for the Ultimate City Tour. It was definitely one of the best decisions ever. Not only did we get to see the entire city in a day, we also learned some interesting pieces of trivia and secured recommendations on additional "must-sees" and "must-miss" from our tour guide, Brett.

In front of Graffiti in La Boca

Boca Juniors Stadium

La Boca - Caminito

skyline from Puerto Madero Ecological Reserve

Recoleta Park

Street Performers

Santo Domingo Convent

San Telmo Market

SAN TELMO: I ended up walking around this neighborhood twice. The first time was with the girls with the intention to browse the Saturday market just to see the local wares and maybe pick up a few gifts for friends/family back home. Liz & I walked into every church we passed to see the stained glass. It just so happened that every time there was a service taking place. Thankfully, not awkward or disrespectful to hang out for a little while, say a prayer, and walk out. This is such a fun and eclectic place to hang out. We had been warned which blocks were set up for tourist trapping and which included legitimate locally made products that Argentine's would purchase. I bought a ceramic mug and straw made specifically for Yerba Mate and an incredible wallet that fits in my "tiny purse" just perfectly. Looking back, I should have bought 20 of those things. After a full morning of walking & shopping we were all ready for lunch and a beverage. Even though I spoke no Spanish, I was the only one that had done any research about places to see/eat so I was left in charge. Luckily, at this point I had learned to ask for a table of four, had a rough idea of what menu items were, and could ask for a bathroom. What else is there to know? (must. learn. Spanish.) We were a little concerned at first, because no one was in the place eating yet. But we remembered that as Americans, we eat too early and go to bed too soon. The empanadas and ravioli dishes were some of the best food I have ever had. Seriously. We couldn't stop talking about them.

The second time I found myself in San Telmo, Nate & I had decided to break off from the group and go exploring on our own. This meant taking the subway down to Plaza Dorrego for a beer, some people watching, and some futbol playing. We walked the street named Defensa looking for a place called El Zanjon de Granados in an effort to get some architectural and culture lessons. The space is part museum, part event rental space, completely beautiful. Nate and I were disappointed to see that they weren't offering tours at that hour. When the man asked what brought us to the site in the first place, I mentioned reading about it on lonely planet and being interested in the restoration project (specifically the process of keeping the structural integrity while digging out tunnels, drainage systems, and removing bricks). For good measure, I threw in the fact that I am a civil engineer and BAM, Nate and I are in, getting a private tour. We're about halfway through the tour when we ask how long the guide had been working on the restoration. "Since its inception" he says. I am certain he is pulling my leg but he says he is the one who discovered the site and was excited to share his passion. Moral of this story: Don't settle for no, and always ask questions. On cloud nine (and a few WTF exclamations later) Nate and I head back over to San Martin Plaza to kick the ball around with some locals. It was an excellent day.

Adventures in La Boca

MALBA - Art Museum

Santiago Bridge

The moral of this story is DO NOT WAIT when trying to blog about adventures. I haven't told you about the ride with head gaucho, or the many, many Chili bombs at a random bar with an unmarked red door. We rode horses in a torrential rain shower. I haven't mentioned the Tango show at Carlos Gardel theater, or that we got a peek into the Boca stadium through a construction hole. There are stories of walking miles in one direction only to discover that the Pink House was the other way. I saw a changing of the guards at the tomb of Juan San Martin, liberator of Argentina. I tried alfajores every day, drank wine, and coffee. I learned minimal amounts of Spanish. I'm not sure if that drunk young person was really trying to practice her English or if she was trying to hit on Nate (or me). The beef was delicious, plentiful, and cheap. The Argentine people are wonderful. I can't wait to go back and do more exploring; this time I might try the west side of the country.