Buenos Aires: Day 2

Here is a photo of the spectacular "Congresso" in the heart of the city.  This and the other parliament buildings borrow styles from both Spanish and French architecture.  This shot was taken while on one of those sightseeing buses.

                               The Congresso government building


Sue and I braved the noon day sun on the upper, roofless deck, while Push stayed below in the airconditioning.     The bus was a good way to see a lot of the city;  however, after about 2 hours we were only on stop 10 out of 20, so we decided it was time for some lunch and a drink to really cool off.  The sightseeing bus can be caught on Avenida Florida which is a pedestrian shopping street right in the centre of the city. And even though we were instructed what to do in Spanish (which none of us understood) we figured that as long as we were in the right line, we would eventually get on the bus - which we did. As I mentioned, most of the people we have come into contact with speak a fair amount of English, and those that don't are patient and adept at using a variety of hand signals.  Finger pointing when it comes to ordering at a restaurant is also a useful technique;  as in, "I'll have what he's having."

Later some shopping along the Avenida Florida and then another hotel rooftop cool off.  Then another fantastic traditional dinner - this time a more rustic Argentinian barbecue - meat, meat and more meat.  Oh, and some roasted red pepper for colour.  Another walk back to the hotel along the Avenida Florida under a full moon (I tried to capture it in the photo below) and back to the hotel.

                                   Full moon over Avenida Florida


We have a 2:00 a.m. wake-up call and a 4:30 a.m. flight down to Ushuaia at the southern tip of Argentina where we will catch our ship the following day.  We are getting closer to our ultimate goal - Antarctica!  But until then, it has been like having two trips in one.  Tropical and urban, and eventually rural (that's an understatement!) and polar.
Until then....

Arrival in Buenos Aires!

Here we are enjoying some relaxation on the rooftop terrace of the hotel in downtown Buenos Aires!

The air is warm, the breeze is refreshing, and the view is spectacular.

The flight from Toronto to Buenos Aires via Santiago was relatively uneventful - luckily.  Some much needed sleep, a couple movies (The Ides of March was rather disappointing, as was The Dream House.  Thank goodness for Modern Family reruns) - a couple mediocre meals, and voila - here we are!

Checked in to the hotel - the 725 Continental - very nice boutique hotel in the heart of downtown. We would definitely recommend it - here is the link - http://www.725continental.com/continen-ing.htmAfter our rooftop drink we were off to sample Argentinian beef at a fantastic riverside restaurant called Happening - which it definitely wasn't until around 10:00 p.m. - as per Latin dining culture.  So our early arrival at 8 only added to our obvious foreign sensibility.  But once the crowd started pouring in the place came to life. Had a lovely conversation with a retired couple from Kamloops B.C. who warned us to travel with a personal supply of toilet paper (you never know) and gave us a good tip on a free walking tour of the city which starts at the "Congresso" - we are assuming that is the parliament buildings, but will find out for sure tomorrow.  A brief chat with an Argentinian woman whose children and grandchildren were throwing her a birthday dinner - the people, by the way, seem very friendly and helpful with a pretty good grasp of English for those of us not worldly enough to speak Spanish - and then a leisurely stroll along the river to walk off the heavy beef dinner.  Passed a bridge somewhat in the shape of the Nike swoosh which a sign by the river informed us was supposed to be in the shape of a couple dancing the tango (artistic license, I suppose - but beautiful nonetheless) and finally a walk back to the hotel, after a brief disagreement about which way the hotel was.  Push was right, just for the record.
And now I am once again indebted to Erin for the relative ease with which this blog is coming along, photo and all - and if the technology gods are smiling down on me again, you will all be able to recognize us in the photo above and it won't seem as if we are seated behind a heat mirage.
Tomorrow more exploration of the city and perhaps some shopping.
Until then....