Hola Buenos Aires!

Remember when I had those fabulous guests over to babysit the blog for me? You might have guessed that I had taken a trip somewhere and you'd be right. We spent the Thanksgiving weekend in Buenos Aires, Argentina.



The trip started off badly as I managed to pick up some kind of virus right before leaving. I felt like garbage for the first few days. (And when the entire trip is 4 days long, that is a very bad thing). Thankfully I did feel better in the last part of the trip just to whet my appetite for this interesting city although I didn't feel the usual gusto while experiencing a new place.



We were lucky enough to be there while their beautiful vibrant purple Jacaranda trees were starting to bloom. I wanted to take these home with me.

Because I wasn't really feeling up to it, I didn't take nearly as many photos as I normally do - except in one place, Recoleta cemetary. Its a huge tourist attraction and the place is crawling with foreigners looking for Evita's tomb. Forgetting her famous resting place, the entire cemetary is just breathtakingly beautiful. We happened to stumble in right before closing which was a great time to experience the aisles mostly alone. Well, alone except for the resident cats.




As closing time passed, the guards shoo'd us out of there but I would highly recommend a visit.

It wasn't all seriousness. We took some corny cut out photos to up the cheese factor.


We set aside our final day there to stop at the flea markets. The first stop was the most famous Sunday market, San Telmo.


On the recommendation of the Brinsons, we headed out to Mercado del Pulgas. A warehouse flea market filled with beautiful old furniture and other big pieces that I wish I could have taken home with me. Its the kind of place I wish we had here. Not surprisingly, I was totally infatuated with the vintage luggage. There was a whole room full of it! Also would have liked to bring home some of the rusty old metal chairs they had in spades. It was such a great place to wander and oogle everything on offer.




On a down note, there were virtually no prices listed and that made me uncomfortable. I realize I can't negotiate the best deal without speaking the language but I also don't want to be robbed. So my paranoia got the best of me and I left emptyhanded.

On our last night there we went to a tango milonga (a dance event). I had hoped to see a room full of energetic dancers swaying all night. What we got was a bit less exciting - a small crowd of elderly dancers (with a couple of professional dances thrown in randomly). It was surreal to say the least but we laughed the whole time.



So that pretty wraps up our trip. Buenos Aires seems like an amazing place to live. A lovely mix of cultures, loads to do, a laid back lifestyle, interesting neighborhoods and great shopping. What more could one ask for?

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