I woke up at 7:45, and my heart sank. There had been no phone call, which all but clued me in that my luggage still hadn't arrived. I changed out of my AA pajamas and had to put on the same clothes I'd had on for 36 hours. Black and brown boots, black slacks, black ROH t-shirt, blue, button down, short-sleeve, silk shirt. I really tried not to be upset, but I was getting more apprehensive, and I guess I wasn't the best time for someone to be around me. I guess I annoyed my mother since I wasn't speaking much. But I walked over to McDonald's on Florida St, about a block, for mom's coffee. Cost 7.50 pesos, or about $1.50 American.
We took a city tour on a bus with about 15 other people. They were from all over: Brazil, San Francisco, even a couple from Flossmoor, IL, about 45 minutes east of St. Charles. We started the tour in Puerto Madero, which is one of the newest areas to be developed in the city. It's also the most expensive neighborhood in Buenos Aires to live. Then we went to the Plaza de Mayo, right in the heart of downtown. We saw the Government House, the National Cathedral, the Cabildo (the only building influenced by Spanish architecture still standing in the city), the National Bank, and several diagonal streets, which is a French influence.
From there, we went south to San Telmo, which used to be the rich area, then became the place for immigrants, and is now a spot for tango, cafes, and art exhibitions. Then we traveled to La Boca, which is kind of the artsy barrio in Buenos Aires. There's a lot of poverty in this area. But there is also the soccer stadium for Boca Juniors, a very popular and successful club team. We stepped out of the van and explored Caminito, a very colorful neighborhood with cobblestone streets. We watched a couple doing the tango in the front of a tavern, it was pretty cool.
Then we went back north, to Palermo and Recoleta. We saw United Nations Park, home of the enormous Steel Flower, and we passed by Luna Park, where many concerts and recreation events take place. The highlight was visiting the Recoleta Cemetery, the most visited tourist attraction in the city. We saw the mausoleum of the Duarte family, the final resting place for Eva Peron. The place reminded very much of a New Orleans cemetery, with so many mausoleums and so little room. Some of them are much better maintained than others, it just depends on what families are willing to spend the money to keep their sites looking good.
By now it was noon, 85 degrees, and I was feeling disgusting. They started dropping us off at the hotels, and we were first. My bag still had not arrived. Mom and I began walking down Santa Fe, which is a major shopping street in Recoleta and Palermo. Somehow, we got into another fight and we just separated for the afternoon. I went into a pizza parlor that the business man had told me about. It was called El Cuartito. But with the crazy lines, lack of order, and Spanish-only menus, I didn't feel comfortable ordering, so I took off.
After an hour or so of walking and window-shopping, I found a parrilla, or steakhouse, with a lunch special. A choice of ten main dishes, choice of five side, and a drink for 95 pesos, or $19. I went with a chargrilled kabob of steak, chicken, and bacon with a side of mashed potatoes, and mineral water to drink. I admit wine would have been nice at that point, but I guess I wanted to stay hydrated more than I wanted to get a buzz. So I was eating alone, the owner didn't speak great English, but he did his best.
I ate a couple of rolls and I liked that i got served three different sauces. There was some kind of spread with tomato and onion, a sweet pepper relish, and a chimichurri, one of my favorites. I knew the latter was going on my steak. Form my seat, I could see the chef grilling the meats over charcoal, always a good sign. Just a great aroma. The meal was really great and with the $3 tip (10 percent is standard in Argentina), it was a great lunch deal for a nice restaurant.
I then spent a lot of time hunting for souvenirs. But there just wan't really a shirt or picture or belt or figurine that really jumped out to me. I was hoping for a belt, since Argentina is known for their leather goods. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. I even checked out the major mall, about two blocks away from the Marriott, Galerios Pacifico. But all I bought in the three-level shopping center was a bottled Tazo Giant Peach iced tea in Starbucks. I gave them an American $20 bill and got back my first Argentine pesos. It tasted just perfect, my first taste of tea in maybe four days. Even though it had only been two days, I really needed a break from Coke, water, and red wine.I was really proud of myself as I walked out onto the street. I was able to have a meal in a foreign restaurant and overcame the language issue.
Around 4:15, I headed back to the room, where I found Mom sleeping. But I found something else. My bag finally arrived, apparently just minutes before I walked through the door. I had spent maybe 60 hours in my those clothes and it felt so liberating to throw on my workout clothes and sneakers. But with the very present tension filling the air, I said nothing and made as little noise as possible as I walked out.
The gym was of pretty good quality, certainly better than the Comfort Inn, which had nothing but three cardio machines and a TV. This one had 15 cardio machines, towels, dumbbells, nautilis equipment, and several benches. I only did maybe five or six exercises, but I did make one major error in judgement. I had been lifting dumbbells for most of the workout. Then I decided to use the bench press. What I didn't know was the weights were in kilograms, not pounds. So I put the 40's on each side, with the weight of the bar, that would mean I'd be lifting 130 pounds or so. Well I laid down, lifted the bar, and immediately knew I had no chance to lift it. I could feel my right elbow really straining. Thankfully, the trainer picked it up and I was ok. I looked at the convert chart on the side of the bench press and I just froze in terror. what I thought was 130 pounds turned out to be 130 kilograms or 286 pounds! It's pretty funny now, but I know I could have been seriously injured.
I headed back to the room, showered, and Mom and I played another game of Scrabble. Then we went to La Estancia for dinner, where she and David had gone maybe 15 years before. We had a really old, curmudgeon waiter who spoke no English and I think was having trouble with his eyes. Mom thought he was adorable, I just liked that he had some attitude. We split a bottle of Merlot-Malbec wine and water. He then bought us each a meat pie. It looked like an empanada. Also included was a side of hot giardiniera, just like in Chicago. I was very impressed with the pie. It had a very flaky crust and the meat was seasoned really nicely. And the relish added a nice punch of heat and extra flavor. I could have just eaten several of those and been very happy. I really wanted to order Provoleta, which I heard was a big appetizer in Argentina. I think the reason is it blends the flavors of Spain and Italy in an approachable, simple way. They take an inch-thick round disk of provolone, grill it so it starts to melt and gets crispy on the outside and really gooey on the inside. Then they season it generously with oregano and chili powder. It tasted just great, especially with some bread.
We decided to take a break from steak and ordered a half chicken and French fries. It was good, but not great, not as juicy as I expected. We wound up saving the leg and thigh that we of course forgot to take with us. On the way back, I picked up a Coke for me, a diet Coke for her, and a large bottle water for us to split.
We wound up playing more Scrabble. I still can't believe a word as simple as jeer gave her 40 points and wiped me out. There weren't a whole lot of TV channels in English, but we did watch "When Harry Met Sally" on one of them. That was a fun way to end the night. We fell asleep around 1 in the morning with every intention to sleep late.
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