Yay for me, Marianne is back flying! So much to see and do! Buenos Aires here we come!

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina called the “Paris of South America.” It has European architecture and rich cultural life. The famous dance called the Tango originated in Buenos Aires.

We left New York Saturday night at 945pm to embark on a 10 hour flight to Buenos Aires. The passengers were very kind and thankful. After serving dinner and lots of wine, especially red wine, we were assigned are rest breaks. Marianne and I were given a 3 hours and 25 minute rest break. We still can’t believe our good fortune with all these long breaks! Work hard but rest harder. It is so important to try to sleep so you can get up and go and enjoy your layover. We arrived in Buenos Aires at 10:30am. You know you are going to have a great layover when you are picked up by a green bus.

We had a 25 minute ride to the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, it was gated off with lots of women fans and camera crews hoping to get photos of a popular Italian band and also the Argentinian National Soccer team was staying at our hotel. You can just imagine the disappointment in their faces when the bus pulls up and flight attendants get out! No time to rest, we had to get moving. On Sundays, Buenos Aires has a fabulous street fair that can’t be missed.

We truly enjoyed the street fair. I few fun trinkets were bought. The real fun didn’t start until we ran into our Spanish speaking coworker that showed us around. A quick note about our flight, since we were going into a Spanish speaking country, our crew has to consist of 2 Spanish Speakers on the plane for interpretation.

Jan showed us all her favorite places. She took us to the indoor Mercado San Telmo. For all my Boston fans, it’s comparable to our Faneuil Hall, but much more elaborate. Lots of delicious food and drinks.

One funny tidbit about the Mercado San Telmo, they do have a public restroom, but it comes with no toilet paper. A smart lady stands outside the restroom with a roll of toilet paper and rips a couple of pieces off for a small fee. I was impressed with her initiative.

Jan even took us to her favorite dress shop! She had me tempted to buy this dress. Maybe next time.

Jan even stops and talks to all the policemen. The policemen all look like they are in their 20s.

Thank you Jan for making it a day to remember. She even took us to a park to watch Tango dancers. Couldn’t of asked for a better 1st day in Buenos Aires.

DAY 2 IN BUENOS AIRES

Since we don’t leave our hotel til 9pm on the 2nd day, we decided to do a city tour. A van picked us up at our hotel at 930am and it’s a 3 hour tour.

First stop was at the Neighborhood of La Boca. A neighborhood defined by its immigrant roots. Due to the river near by, the area became the preferred settling for immigrants of a wide variety of origins. The buildings have such vibrant colors. We were told the immigrants would use the leftover paints from the ships and paint their houses with it. Many artists show their work in La Boca.

The next stop was the Centro. It’s the center of Buenos Aires, where we saw the government buildings and a lot of historic sites.

Our crew member Tim joined us on the city tour. Behind us is the Casa Rosada. (Pink House) The palatial mansion is known officially as Casa de Gobierno (House of Government). A fun fact is the President of Argentina will not go in a car, he arrives at Casaa Rosada by Helicopter. Behind the Casa Rosada is a big heliport.

BUENOS AIRES METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL

This is the main Catholic Church in Buenos Aires. Pope Francis used to perform mass here before assuming office in the Vatican in 2013.

RECOLETA CEMETERY

Great way to end the tour is at the Recoleta Cemetery, which is in the heart of Buenos Aires. They say this is the most beautiful place in the world to Rest In Peace. It’s 14 acres. It’s full of the rich and famous Argentinians. Next visit to Buenos Aires, we will have to go inside the Recoleta Cemetery and see it’s beauty.

Marianne and ended our visit to Buenos Aires with a steak dinner. Argentinian beef has earned a reputation for being some of the world’s best.

It doesn’t matter where you are going – it’s who you go with that makes it fun!