14 Feb: Buenos Aires (ARG).
We figured that BA would be one of the places that we could pick up some nephew/niece friendly gifts even if it means that we carry them around for another 2.5 weeks. Marc didn't feel like coming to CrossFit with me so he went shopping and I went to hear more "vamos!"
All of the movements are in English even if the cues are in Spanish, so it is pretty easy to follow. The coaches and athletes were nice, and we talked about the Nisman craziness, Jason Khalipa and wineries to visit in Mendoza. I picked up a shirt with a Spanish saying 'Mas Fuertes Que Ayer'. Bonus points for anyone who can guess what that means.
Marc met me after the WOD and we went to lunch at a place recommended by the concierge. Wow. We went to La Rosa Nautica for ceviche (don't worry, Marc had items for him as well). The flavors were awesome and the food was wonderful. It turns out that this restaurant is very famous in Lima and they decided to open an outpost in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires. We sat outside and they had Maroon 5's "Songs About Jane" playing on a repeat loop. We almost felt like Lisa and Jarrett were with us!
After lunch, we walked over to Museo del Bicentenario. The museum was actually built into the true terrain next to where the President's office is in Plaza de Mayo. Even though 95% of the content was in Spanish, the video editing was so good that you could get a sense of the stories that were being told about Argentina's tumultous history. They had a timelapse video going back 200+ years of how the city main gathering places have evolved over time. Bonus in that it was FREE!
The Obelisk had been passed by a number of times via taxi, but we hadn't caught a picture of that or the opera house, so we walked in that direction as we made our way up north. The architecture and grand avenues are definitely similar to Europe and it was great taking it all in. We made our way back up to Recoleta to our guide's favorite 'helato' place. Lots of dulce de leche and chocolate flavors. Someone was very happy.
We then had to pick up another gift related to the Boca Juniors and ended up having to hit 2 stores in completely different sections of town to finally get the right size. All in all, Marc and I walked 8.5 miles plus Marc walked another 2.5 miles shopping and I did the WOD earler. We were pretty beat, but had to get back to pack because of the early start the next day. But the walking should serve us well for all of the hiking we will be doing over the next 12-13 days.
Normally, Marc and I do not celebrate "Valentine's Day" as we think you should be in that frame of mind every day. But many of the restaurants were doing a special menu, so we went out and had drinks/dinner at another great restaurant called Aramburu. On the way back in a taxi, we witnessed what was our 2nd "near accident" because of a bus driver jumping red lights, etc.
Our visit to Buenos Aires has been brief, but we really enjoyed it. We hope they can get things sorted out economically for the citizens soon.
All of the movements are in English even if the cues are in Spanish, so it is pretty easy to follow. The coaches and athletes were nice, and we talked about the Nisman craziness, Jason Khalipa and wineries to visit in Mendoza. I picked up a shirt with a Spanish saying 'Mas Fuertes Que Ayer'. Bonus points for anyone who can guess what that means.
Marc met me after the WOD and we went to lunch at a place recommended by the concierge. Wow. We went to La Rosa Nautica for ceviche (don't worry, Marc had items for him as well). The flavors were awesome and the food was wonderful. It turns out that this restaurant is very famous in Lima and they decided to open an outpost in Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires. We sat outside and they had Maroon 5's "Songs About Jane" playing on a repeat loop. We almost felt like Lisa and Jarrett were with us!
After lunch, we walked over to Museo del Bicentenario. The museum was actually built into the true terrain next to where the President's office is in Plaza de Mayo. Even though 95% of the content was in Spanish, the video editing was so good that you could get a sense of the stories that were being told about Argentina's tumultous history. They had a timelapse video going back 200+ years of how the city main gathering places have evolved over time. Bonus in that it was FREE!
The Obelisk had been passed by a number of times via taxi, but we hadn't caught a picture of that or the opera house, so we walked in that direction as we made our way up north. The architecture and grand avenues are definitely similar to Europe and it was great taking it all in. We made our way back up to Recoleta to our guide's favorite 'helato' place. Lots of dulce de leche and chocolate flavors. Someone was very happy.
We then had to pick up another gift related to the Boca Juniors and ended up having to hit 2 stores in completely different sections of town to finally get the right size. All in all, Marc and I walked 8.5 miles plus Marc walked another 2.5 miles shopping and I did the WOD earler. We were pretty beat, but had to get back to pack because of the early start the next day. But the walking should serve us well for all of the hiking we will be doing over the next 12-13 days.
Normally, Marc and I do not celebrate "Valentine's Day" as we think you should be in that frame of mind every day. But many of the restaurants were doing a special menu, so we went out and had drinks/dinner at another great restaurant called Aramburu. On the way back in a taxi, we witnessed what was our 2nd "near accident" because of a bus driver jumping red lights, etc.
Our visit to Buenos Aires has been brief, but we really enjoyed it. We hope they can get things sorted out economically for the citizens soon.