Today, we explored the cemetary at Recoleta where many rich and famous, including Eva Peron, are buried. As you’ll see in the photos, there are hundreds if not thousands of tombs, all built up and decorated in different ways – some old, some very modern. Then, we stopped at the La Biela cafe for beers and snacks – there were a lot of locals mixed in with tourists, and a passionate singer, who couldn’t quite sing. But the dramatic lyrics, dry ice smoke, and Stella Artois made up for it.
Hola Buenos Aires. We’re staying in the Palermo Viejo barrio for a few days before heading to el Calafate in southern Patagonia. The area reminds us of a mixture of New York SoHo chic, with its designer clothing stores and cool cafes, and a bit of grit and indie from the East Village. And having followed fashion in my last job, it looks a lot like L.A., though maybe a season ago (can’t believe I am actually able to comment on that… thanks beso)? Haven’t spotted any hipsters yet, but it’s only day 1!
What I’m more excited about is the food. Folks, I think we’ve found meat heaven. Palermo is known for its restaurants and bars and we’ve been advised to go to parillas like la Cabrera for dishes like lomo a la pimienta (tenderloin with peppers) and the bife de chorizo (like a NY strip, called a rump steak). Yum. Can’t wait to see how it compares to what we’ve had in the States. Even more exciting though is that there appears to be a wide variety of restaurants beyond parillas, so it’s not all about beef here.
Finally, the weather right now is about 80 degrees F with 80% humidity. For those New Yorkers following along, it feels like New York in late summer – sticky but tolerable, and hoping that the next rain cloud brings a breeze and a bit of relief…
Here’s a shot of Mambo and Cha Cha, a couple of Havanese dogs who belong to Lisa’s parents, Ommy and Dudley. As you can see, they’re definitely sad to see us leave San Diego. One of my goals this year is to improve my photography skills and learn to really use my camera. So, I’m going to post one “photo of the day”, every day, going forward!
Today, we finally finished packing our lives in to 3 carry-on roller bags, 2 day-packs, and 1 camera bag, between the two of us. This is probably the lightest I’ve ever packed with just enough clothes for about 4 days, and lots of different layers, since we’re going to be in South America at the tail end of summer going in to fall. Not ideal for packing light, but we figure you can always buy more clothes or shed things along the way. In fact, most of the clothes we are bringing are old clothes we found in our closet as we were packing up our apartment. They may not look the most fashionable or match, but who cares, right?
Tomorrow is Day 1 of our international travel – Los Angeles to Buenos Aires. I don’t think it will really hit us that we’re embarking on a year-long trip until the plane accelerates down that runway.
Beijos to Vanessa and Marina for hosting and feeding us as we make our way south to San Diego – the new apartment is beautiful and the food was fantastic! Lisa finished up her last day at Disney after 6 years of service and she leaves with great memories, residual fairy dust, and hopes to return some day!
