Wednesday, January 16 – Buenos Aires

I know you’re all dying to hear about my Tango experience, so I’ll lead off with that! 🙂 First off, the hotel pickup went smoothly, that was a good start! I was pretty skeptical going into this, but I must admit I enjoyed the evening. I sat at a table with a friendly Brazilian family. They spoke some spanish and a little english, I speak a little spanish and no portuguese, so it worked out great! The dinner was surprisingly good. I had butternut squash soup, chicken involtini, and mousse cake. There was also free-flowing wine. And that “special attention” that I was promised? A glass of champagne following dinner. OK, apology accepted. Now on to the show! The dancing was amazing. There were four different couples dancing either as a pair or in groups. A band accompanied them, also performing instrumentals or with a male and female singer during the interludes. I attempted a couple pictures, but the low lighting in the theatre didn’t accommodate.

Earlier in the day I visited the Museum of Latin American Art (MALBA), mainly because I wanted to check it out, but also because it was 1/2 price Wednesday! ($2.50, rather than $5 – yes, I’m cheap!) As with yesterday’s museum post, I’ve included a couple of my favorite pictures, but I’ve also set up a link to the museum’s web site if you have further interest.

I thought of another one of my travel safety habits to share. I do NOT walk around staring at my phone! Mainly because I like to observe my surroundings, but I also want to be aware of my surroundings. Crime is an act of opportunity. Not paying attention is an opportunity. In fact, when I go out here in Buenos Aires I leave my phone in the room safe. I have a map for directions and a little Canon Powershot for pictures.

Oh, I’m pleased to report that, following the “locked PIN” incident, I have used my credit card on several occasions with no issues! Whew! Crisis averted! 🙂 And finally, a BIG thank you to everyone for your comments! It’s great to hear from all of you while I’m away.

Thursday, January 17 – Buenos Aires

Today will likely be my last full day in Buenos Aires. 🙁 It’s been a wonderful experience. Beautiful city. Clean. Safe. Much green space. And very friendly. Hopefully I can return one day. (there’s a lot to see out there though!)

It was another beautiful day, so I took advantage and did some more roaming around. In the eastern part of the city is the Palmero Rose Garden – containing more than 18,000 roses, a lake, fountains and busts of famous writers. It was a perfect day to visit!

Came across another Armenian business. I thought it was cool that they included genocide remembrance signs in their window!

And I made it back to the Armenian cafe, Viejo Agump, that was closed when I stopped by last Friday. Very nice place! I had an excellent meal of sarma frio, pilav, and fresh squeezed orange juice. I’d have to say though that I prefer the Sergenian sarma and pilaf recipes (but I may be biased!) .

By the end of the meal I was stuffed, but I had to try some Baklava, so I ordered a piece for take away. Tasted great later that night!