Buenos Aires

Argentina in 2012 and six of us set off to explore this large beautiful country.  Jim and Kaye Geiser, Gary and Charlene Shippy along with Jon and I.  We had lots of help planning this trip from Nick and Janet Cane and their tour agent in Argentina, Aliwen Incoming.  That put us in funky trendy Palermo Soho in the hotel Legado Mitico, an 11 room boutique hotel that was like a lovely city home.  Outside the neighborhood was full of boutiques, restaurants and bars. It was like living a slice of local life.  Being there on the weekend meant local fairs with lots of neat booths and artisans of all sorts.   People are strolling the streets and filling the outdoor cafes.  Instead of getting a hotel experience we feel like we visited our friends in their lovely town house in Buenos Aires.

After overnight flight the girls set out to try the shops.

Then we try the restaurants.  Ahh life is good. 

Chile and Argentina get along like oil and water. Getting this picture was the first chance we had to get in trouble.  Our Texas flag looks a great deal like the flag of Chile.  We almost had the driver and guide ready to dump us off when we pulled this out.  After this episode we were real careful to explain first and then bring the flag out.

Buenos Aires

Please note the Argentine flag they superimposed on ours.  This was after peace was declared.

Hotel lobby and garden

There is only one way to see a city and that is the all day city tour.  Because we were 6 we had a small van, guide and driver.  All the must see sights and more.  The fun neighborhoods and the impressive city parks.  One of the things that is a real treat is the expanse of green parks and the glorious trees and flowers.  Many of the trees are flowering and the mild climate allows sprays of orchid draped  branches to arch 40 feet overhead.  Many exotic and unusual plants have been brought in so Buenos Aires is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen for an area of over 13 million people.

This park in Palermo is one of the loveliest.  As the sign says they take good care of it.

Just don't do anything but breath when you walk through it.  However we saw lots of children playing and families strolling so I think they do enjoy it.

The lovely old Jesuit mission church in the heart of Recoleta has clean, simple and elegant style .  Beauty that transcends the centuries.

The famous Recoleta cemetery and Eva Peron's grave.  More interesting than we expected for something on the must see list.  The city of the rich dead. From ancient Egypt to China, Normandy, Arlington and the Inca's there are all sorts of burial rituals as humans try to cope with this phase of life.  In this cemetery is the one grave that gives me creeps.  A young girl, in her teens, was buried. When the grave was opened for her grandmother to see her after some months it was evident she was buried alive.  There are several graves here that have cords running into the Masoleum from a bell.  Shivers.