Buenos Aires road trip

Two weeks in Buenos Aires, who would have thought it?  Well, it was more like a week but it sure felt like two.  Just needed to catch up with myself and figure out next steps. It was also a reason to stick around to hang out with some of my ship family who were staying around for a few days. That plus a two day holiday (four days of no business) and making a connection with a friend from the South Pole who happened to be passing through BA... it made for a busy R&R actually!

More photos from my local favorite cafe bar...

Some street scenes, including some great infrastructure aesthetics... It seems weird but somehow appropriate that there seemed to be thought put into making mundane public things pleasing to the eye.  

Just part of the vibe of the city maybe... Flowers in every possible balcony/window, street art everywhere and really high quality too, even parking garage spaces had plants and trees... I didn't take enough pics to really show what I'm saying but here's a neat example of the colonial architecture that survives in both well maintained and decrepite conditions, but all still charming I think

Spent a Sunday afternoon in the upscale Recoleta neighborhood where there was a lovely park with neat sculpture of a guy holding up a huge tree limb 

And some amazing street music-- found that all over BA, another find memory of the city... All of this just in fromtbof the famous cemetery that's made if monuments to the dead...

Wreaths placed on one monument by friends or colleagues in remembrance of someone special/political...

Mini chapels or homes for caskets... But I was more fascinated by the state of disrepair of many of these death houses...

My favorite tombs I thought were initially some unkempt growth of vegetation which I thought was nice that someone had planted or just hadn't removed as there was a lot if random stuff growing in cracks a and crevices...

But this one was a couple of trees and you had to duck under them to see the grave stone flat on the ground... and this one I thought was an overgrown bush...

Until I took a close look at the rock at the lower right...

Which was actually the grave marker. Pretty awesome anomalies in an otherwise stark city of graves.

Towards the end, Went out to see 'the delta' where folks from the city get away for some R&R on the water... a subte (subway line, even there was art!)

 to train to water taxi trip, and narrow waterways where big boats flew through throwing huge wakes, competing with small outboards of all sizes, plus gorgeous wooden single-rower boats, and kayaks! 

On the way a storm chased us and I couldn't get enough of the big sky... Felt like I hadn't seen the sky for weeks!

And then, the last hurrah with the ship family, we rented a car and went on a wee road trip!  Just wanted to get out of town and find a beach. Everyone talks about how there aren't any nice beaches close to BA that you have to go to Uruguay at least or abrazos... But we found a sweet cabin just a few hours out of BA at Mar de las Palmas (thanks Amelia and Nick for nailing down the car and the airbnb cabin!) and we were away!  

Daniel Amelia and Nick happy at the beach :)

Slightly windy... but the sand in everything didn't dampen the day.

Parilla at "la cabina del buen amor"... grill out in the pines, and a great cook up he next morning after a good night laughing by the fire pan 

Then it was time to have one last walk on the beach

And then back to BA, but with some classic road trip elements like a roadside stop to share a tub of leftover mixed goodness

And then maybe the best pit stop ever for baños and meat sandwiches

And then we were done.  But my last hurrah was seing a symphony performance at the Teatro Colon!  

I'd actually seen a free performance the previous week but it was daytime and I wasn't very moved by the music... More modern composition.  But it was awesome that it was free... They do that once or twice a month... Another great example of what a more 'socialist' country makes available.  And I'd taken a tour to see more of the theatre which is really beautiful. 

Event salon/hall... Can't you just imagine all of the gowns and tails that have graced this space?!?!?!

Tiled floor detail

Orchestra seat detail

But I had noticed that there was a full classical symphony performance schedules for the night before I was leaving... And I tried to book a ticket but failed and so decided to just go and see of there was a scalping ticket scene like sometimes happens at home... And I wasn't Having any luck so I asked the doorman/guard whet here there were ever any last minute ticket options and he said essentially "wait here for a minute" so I did and he came back and said if I slipped the guy taking tickets by the stairwell inside a 100 peso note ($9) I could go up to the top level-- the

Cheap seats. I said ok and that's what I did!  And ended up with a seat on the balcony so I could actually see the musicians, which I didn't think I was going to manage... So it turned out amazing!!!  This is the basic view and seat I had, taken during the tour... Who knew I'd actually end up sitting there for real!

then finally it was time to leave the city.  Great memories to take with me.  And now, I'm heading to the desert!  

Love to all :)