Walking in Tunnels Under BA!

Today we went to San Telmo - the scene of my pickpocket debacle - and visited El Zanjon. It is a former mansion in the old city that is the site of the first settlement in Buenos Aires. The mansion has been meticulously restored right down to the underground tunnels that were dug in the early 19th century. We had a fabulous tour guide and we got to walk under the street in the restored tunnels. We then went shopping in the artisan area of San Telmo. Gisela got a fabulous purse, I got some great jewelry, Tom bought an art print and Roland looked for a briefcase but didn't find anything he liked. There is a football match tonight between Argentina and Uruguay so the city is filled with soccer fans from Uruguay in their black and yellow jerseys. We're off to dinner soon so will post again tomorrow. Love to all.

Cindy

Latin American Art and Rain

It was raining today so we shopped in our neighborhood - so many shoes, so little time - and then we went to the Malba. The Malba is a 20th century Latin American art museum. The building is very impressive and the art was memorable, albeit in short supply. They do not have a very large permanent collection and their temproary exhibit area was closed so we were a bit disappointed. The rain let up later in the day and we got a chance to sit on our rooftop deck and relax. We are just finishing happy hour and are about to leave for dinner. Adios Amigos.

Buenos Aires, city of graffiti

It's a small city of masoleums

Relaxing on the roof

Setting off to explore the necropolis

Busy BA

Today, we spent a great day walking in Buenos Aires through the neighbourhoods of Palermo and Recoleta. We visited the famous cemetery in Recoleta - it was very interesting. It is the cemetery where Eva Peron is buried and the sheer number and opulence of the mausoleums is quite amazing. The day was sunny and hot so after exploring we relaxed on the rooftop terrace of our rental apartment. Our apartment is in Palermo so it is well-situated to many stores, shops and restaurants.

BA is almost unbelievably busy - nonstop traffic and thousands of people on the streets. It is very exciting but we have all commented that it would be an exhausting place to live. Tomorrow, it's off to a Latin American art museum and Gisela and I plan to also try to squeeze in some shopping.

Cindy

Buenos Aires At Last

It was a long day but we are finally in BA in our vacation rental. We flew here via Ushuaia which is the southern-most city in South America. We did not get off the plane but landing there provided some amazing scenery. Our vacation rental is in the neighborhood of Palermo and after settling in we just went out for the most delicious pizza I have ever had. Gisele agrees that it was also the most delicious pizza she has ever had. We also went to the local grocery store and stocked up on breakfast food and wine - not to be eaten together of course! Tomorrow we are off to explore the neighborhood and will post photos and more info then.

Cindy

Our Luck Has Run Out

We arrived at the airport this morning for our flight to Buenos Aires only to be told our flight was cancelled due to flooding at the national airport in that city. There was a torrential rainstorm in BA over the past few days and many areas received flash flooding. The water has gone down and the weather has cleared up but flights are still backed up so the airline has put us up in a very nice boutique hotel in El Calafate. It is lovely but it is not where we want to be. We don't know if we will get out of here tomorrow or not. With our limited Spanish, it is difficult to figure out exactly what is going on. Meanwhile, our beautiful vacation rental in BA is sitting empty. We are disappointed but plan to drown our sorrows with some good Argentinian wine this evening while we eat a lovely dinner paid for by the airline.

Cindy