JE (Journal Entry) 1

Buenos Aires

Tim

Welcome to My South American Travel Journal

My goal is to update this as often as internet connections allow. Starting out the posts will likely be pretty simple. Hopefully my skills will improve over time and the site will look a little more professional! I’m also thinking you’re going to want mostly pictures and less of my writing. Which is fine with me!

Thursday, January 10 – arrived Buenos Aires

Arrived at Ezeiza airport around 9am. The immigration line was massive. Took approximately 90 minutes to clear! Reminded me of entering Nepal, or maybe Sydney (haha)! For a city of nearly 3 million people, the international airport is badly in need of expansion.

Opted to take the bus (similar to a van galder) into the city center, then transferred to minibus for transport to my hotel/apartment. Cost was 12USD versus 40 for a taxi (I’m cheap, plus I like the local immersion). Total transit time (from Chuck’s generous pickup on High Point Rd to the hotel drop off): 26 hours.

I’m staying in the Recoleta area of the city. It’s near the city centre, and a great place for walking. The architecture and streets have a very Parisian style. I ventured out for a while today, but was pretty tired. No pictures unfortunately. Sorry! Definitely tomorrow!

Friday, January 11 – Buenos Aires

Today was a beautiful day – clear skies, low humidity and high of 75 degrees. Perfect for walking!

Here’s a view from my apartment balcony this morning. (kind of nice there’s no high rise in the gap that is my view!)

I visited La Recoleta Cemetery today. An amazing place – containing the vaults of the notables in Argentinian history. Here are some pictures…

The crypt of Evita Peron – I was expecting something much more grandiose!
Adjacent to the cemetery is The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar – completed in 1732.
I love the blue & white contrast!

There is a large Armenian population in Argentina/Buenos Aires – estimated at 100,000. I saw much evidence of that in my roaming the city today. I even came across an Armenian cafe, but unfortunately they close at 2pm on Friday. I’ll be back! (saw sarma on the menu posted in the window!)

Calle Armenia in the Palermo Soho section of Buenos Aires
A little park on Calle Armenia.
I’m thinking this is the name of the company, and NOT an Armenians-only parking garage!
Main meal today was a late lunch sitting outside at a little cafe on Calle Armenia. Grilled chicken salad with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Tasted great!

Saturday, January 12 – Buenos Aires

Today was another beautiful day for walking! It was a little warmer than yesterday with a high around 80 degrees. I concentrated on the City Centre area of Buenos Aires.

The National Palace of Justice and a column in memory of Juan Lavalle, a civil war hero.
Teatro Colón, the opera house, is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. Unfortunately there are no performances taking place during my stay, but I plan on taking a tour.
The Palace of the Argentine National Congress

I mentioned before how the city reminds me of Paris. Here are some examples of the architectural similarities I noticed…

Buenos Aires is a really beautiful, clean city – with an abundance of green space!
Wait! Another Paris sighting? No, this is actually one of the many copies of The Thinker that were made under Rodin’s supervision. This one is located near the Palace of the Argentine National Congress.
Main meal today was another late lunch. This time at a little cafe I happened upon near my apartment. Rice with chicken in tomato sauce, with fresh squeezed orange juice. Hit the spot!

Finally, I realized I hadn’t posted any pictures of my apartment, so here ya go…

6 thoughts on “JE (Journal Entry) 1”

  3. Ok, I’m jealous…now I’m thinking about early retirement!
    What a great way to share you’re travels. Looks just like Paris as you noted.
    Safe travels and have fun.

    Reply

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