FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Day 3

February 4, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Day 3 

The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration

Day 4 – Saturday, February 2 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – mid 80’s

  • 8:30 wake up – nice & cool, overcast
  • 10:30 – walk to pick up bus @ stop 15 for 2nd half of tour makes 7 stops
  • 11:30 walk up to Palermo/Soho section
  • 12:30 head back to hotel
  • A – really, really long walk – 5 miles
  • 3:00 – cold beer & salad break @ Cafe Victoria – arugula, spinach, prosciutto, olives, shaved parmesan, cherry tomatoes – tasty & good! $27
  • siesta time
  • 7:45 –  dinner @ Fervor again – grilled mushrooms, French fries, white salmon, nice Malbec blend from Catena $66

FF – (FUN-fact) – US dollars will get you a much better exchange rate in restaurants. Instead of 5 to 1 you can get up to 7.25. That’s a 20% savings!

FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – 4 days

February 4, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires, Argentina – 4 days 

The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration

Day 3 – Friday, February 1 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – 95 degrees & feels like 102!

La Boca

 

  • A – 9:30 wake up – slept great
  • 11:30 – “hop on hop off” Bus Touristico picks up 2 blks from hotel
  • $120 pesos (around $24 each) for 24 hrs
  • want to go back to La Boca (we were here in 2009) lots of colorful buildings & oversized sculptures of odd looking people
  • B – city doesn’t look as pretty – lots of graffiti – dirty
  • 1:30 – get to La Boca – walk around – meet nice couple from LA
  • lots of outdoor cafes w/live music & couples Tango dancing
  • 4:30 – get off bus @stop 15 – not too far from hotel – takes about 20 mins
  • B – really too hot for good walk
  • 7:00 dinner @ Puerto Cristal in Puerto Madero

Bar Sur Tango

  • A – grilled provolone w/oregano & olive oil, spinach, lentil, veggie salad – VG – pink salmon overcooked & Alamos malbec wine – $108
  • 9:00 – Bar Sur for Tango – short walk from restaurant (10 blocks)
  • A – only 10 tables, very intimate – 2 couples dance, 1 singer, 3 musicians  – $126
  • 11:00 – take taxi back – $10 seems to be the average to get around town
  • A – get to hotel just as rain starts pouring down

FF – (FUN-fact) – Buenos Aires has lots of big grand parks.

 

FUN:travel – Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv – 71 days

February 3, 2013 by · Comments Off on FUN:travel – Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv – 71 days 

The ABC’s of Argentina
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration

Travel is very personal! We are working on finding the right mix of cruising and land tours that work for us. The best part of cruising is you get to unpack your bags. The best part of land touring is that you get to spend more time with the locals. The worst part is the physical and financial toll of flying out of the country. It has turned into a real hassle these days! That is why we choose to take longer vacations (and because Chris is now retired we can)

  • The travel motto is “I want to be surprised, and not pissed off.” And “We are only doing this once.” So we are on a journey to see as much as we can, while we can. Seeing Wonders of the World guide us to many of our destinations.

Day 1 – Wednesday, January 30 – Buenos Aires to Tel Aviv – 71 days – Longest Trip Ever Taken

  • 12:43 pm flight to Buenos Aires – 3 hr layover in Houston

Day 2 – Thursday, January 31 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – overcast, hot & humid

  • A – all flights on time
  • arrive 10:45 am
  • B – takes 2 hrs to get through customs & retrieve bags
  • taxi from airport takes 45 min – driver has no GPS and can’t find our hotel
  • A – booked Urban Suites Recoleta @ Booking.com – only $138
  • A – nice big room!
  • across from the cemetery where Eva Peron is entombed

  • A – lots of outdoor cafes
  • B – hot & humid w/overcast skies
  • light salad & wine for lunch (dressing tasteless & wine tasty)
  • A – take afternoon siesta
  • A – dinner @ Fervor recommended by hotel
  • A – split white salmon, grilled vegetables, & sorbet – nice malbec $68 US
  • 12 midnight take sleeping pill

FF – (FUN-fact) – All restaurants charge for a table. It costs more to sit outside. We paid anywhere from $2.00 to $4.00 per person.

Evita’s Tomb

 

FUN-travel:Argentina

March 26, 2009 by · Comments Off on FUN-travel:Argentina 

Are First Impressions Really Lasting Impressions?

Park San Martin

Park San Martin

  • Good News – Only 90 minutes to Buenos Aires & no Reciprocity Fee!
  • Good News – Marriott Plaza Hotel, charming, 99 yrs old, get upgrade room, 12′ ceilings, arched bay window, overlooking park San Martin

Day 9 – Thursday, February 5, 2009 – cloudy, warm, not humid

  • Good News – Buenos Aires described as “Paris of South America” (Still feels like Mexico) Very European architecture, take walk, clouds looming in sky, attempting to spit rain
  • Bad News – rain wins, walk back, have lunch, take nap

Day Rating – 7

Rosado where Evita was filmed

Rosado where Evita was filmed

    Day 10 – Friday, February 6, 2009 – crystal clear, blue skies, 75 degrees
  • Good News – Take 6 hour tour by boat & bus to the river Delta, “the Venice or Amsterdam” of Buenos Aires, 5000 waterways, 30 km from city, have lunch in old restored mansion home, take nap, Go to El Querandi for dinner & Tango show, good but expected more steamy, sexy dancing
    Day Rating – 10
Typical tree lined street in Buenos Aires

Typical tree lined street in Buenos Aires

 Day 11 – Saturday, February 7, 2009 – high clouds, 75 degrees

  • Good News – Change to Intercontinental hotel to start A&K tour, very nice
  • Good News – take half day city tour, colorful La Boca area full of music & local Tango show on streets, see Evita’s tomb in most massive mausoleum cemetery ever seen, have happy hour, go to Café Tortoni for best coffee,  reception back at hotel
Bohemian La Boca

Bohemian La Boca

Day Rating – 9
First Impression/Lasting Impression Buenos Aires – 8.5

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