Last Journey post....Home sweet Home

Well, I have just a couple more stories I need to share in order to wrap up "Carl and Bev's Great Adventure." We are home now but we had a couple of last days with, again, some stories.

Our journey from Explora to Calafate took about two hours, but our flight was much later that evening so we had about 3 hours in town, which we were both pleased about for two reasons. One, we could have a long, leisurely lunch, and two, we could look around the town a bit more since we only had 30 minutes the last time we flew through.

Our driver was Juan, the same driver we had for our first Patagonia transfer to Helsingfors. He lives in Calafate and took us to the best Parilla (Grill) and Asado (BBQ) Restaurant in town. BBQ does not mean the same thing as in the States, i.e. ribs, chicken, and beef smothered in BBQ sauce. BBQ in Patagonia refers to the method of cooking which is basically hanging up a lamb over a fire pit to slow cook it.

We decided to have Empanada's (we love them!) for appetizers and then shared a steak. We ordered a beef, caprese (cheese, onion and tomato) and vegetable. Well, we sliced open the vegetable empanada, and of course, wait for it....yes, it was ESPINACHE'. Could not have been more perfect ending to our trekking adventure. We were literally LOL!!!


It was a long flight back to Buenos Aires because we made a stop along the way and were finally at our hotel at about midnight. We hadn't had dinner, but luckily, restaurants are open very late in BA and most people don't even go to dinner until 10:00. We found out the great steak house we went for lunch the first day would have their kitchen open until 1:00 A.M. We heading over and had just ordered our food when I looked across the room and saw this guy that looked very familiar. That didn't make any sense because how could I know anyone in BA? Then, I realized it was Seth and Ephram--the two guys from New York that we met at Los Notros and had dinner with!!!!! Unbeleiveable. We went over to their table and as I am walking up I am saying "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe you two are here", they both turned around and about fell off their chairs!!! "OMG! no way" "OMG!!"

Then, we find out they are also staying at the Sofitel (where we are staying) and also leaving the next evening. They had just arrived in BA about an hour before we did. Now people, understand, Buenos Aires is a city of 10 MILLION PEOPLE!!!

We saw them at breakfast the next morning at the hotel and we all set off separately for a last day of shopping. Carl and I had been shopping for over half the day and had just finished a fantastic lunch at Cabrerra (see the photo above of the fantastic side dishes that accompany your steak - mashed potatoes, pumpkin/squash, olives, applesauce, etc.) and he was trying to find this great ice cream shop that Ephram had told us about. We had been walking for some time when we saw a coffee and ice cream shop and Carl decided he would just go there since we couldn't find the other one. Just as we head to the front door who walks out? SETH AND EPHRAM!!! Unbelievable again. You will also see a photo of the ghetto rental car we had to use for shopping ;-).

By now we realize our paths are fated to cross so it is no surprise to any of us when we run into both of them again at the hotel when we return from shopping and they have just checked out and are getting ready to go to the airport. We look forward to a trip to New York where I am sure we will run into them the very first night at dinner! If not, we will surely reach out to be sure we do.

As we headed to the airport, we had to cross through two toll stations and it was "rush hour" in BA (this is at 8:00 p.m. - they eat til 1:00 a.m. and then don't go to work until 9:00 or 10:00 a.m.). People begin to get impatient and start honking horns loudly because if they honk long enough, the operators will open the gates and just let everyone drive through. Carl got a great video of this action - see below.

From there, it was just a very, very, long journey home - total of about 20 hours with wait time, travel and layovers, but otherwise uneventful. 14 loads of very smelly, very dirty laundry packed the weekend along with getting the house ready for Christmas and our Sons arrival.

Back home is bittersweet and a bit melancholy. There is nothing quite as delicious as ones own bed. Nor the familiarity of knowing where everything is and the beauty of a common language. That being said however, the excitement and challenge that is part of traveling in foreign lands cannot be replaced. Sometimes it's OK not to know all the answers. Sometimes, just sometimes, it is also alright to be off balance, a bit uncomfortable, a little disoriented. That is when true adventure actually begins.....

Until next time, we bid you adieu

Ciao. 

Grupo de Ocho!

Wow! Visiting and trekking in amazing surroundings is one thing, being able to meet some fantastic people along the way: priceless. As I mentioned in the last post, we connected very well with three other couples during our Grey Glacier Trek. Part of what I didn't share is how Explora guides take such good care of us. About midway through the trek, during one of several rest and photography stops, they bring out a tupperware container filled with trail mix and another one filled with chocolate bars, chocolate bars with almonds and granola bars.
When we stopped for lunch at the Grey Glacier Lake, we learned our guide (a young woman maybe 25 years old) although not tiny, certainly not large, carrying a 35 pound pack that contained our meal. She begins by laying out a green and white checked table cloth and then proceeds to collect three flat rocks. She sets one of the flat rocks on the other, a bit off to the side, and this become a sort of lazy susan type device to hold mustard for our sandwiches. She then pulls out a thermos of Tomato soup and pours each of us a cup. She has set out sandwiches, Turkey, Salmon and Cheese. Along with tomatoes, mushrooms, pickles and nuts.

After lunch, she brings out - no lie - Coffee and Bailey's and Chocolate Brownies! These people know how to treat you!

We had inquired about the opportunity to take sunrise pictures the next morning, and they arranged a private guide and a 4:00 a.m. wake up call to take us to the perfect spot. The Guide is ready and waiting for us at 4:30 and by 5:10 Carl (and Susan, wife of Stuart and also a Photographer, although as she says, "just for herself" except for that stint she did for the Queen of England. Not joking.) begin to take photos. Our guide is Emilio and he is 24 years old and also an aspiring photographer. Once he learned that Carl is a professional photographer, he did not leave his side. I think he had a man crush on Carl. He was, as Susan said, like a little puppy.

We also then realized they had brought us muffins, pastries and coffee for our early morning photo shoot. Emilio could not run fast enough down that hill to bring coffee and muffins back up to Carl. It was endearing.

We did an afternoon event of horseback riding, but before the riding, was an Asado at an Estancia Quincho (an eat-in BBQ-type of structure). Asado is an Argentine BBQ prepared by Gauchos. Again, we got the delicious Empanadas for appetizer (Beef and Corn - no Espinache!). They were the best we had so far, delicious. We then enjoyed BBQ lamb which was also very good - salad, vegies, wine, beer, the works. Nothing better than to drink beer and wine before going on a ride! Another note - by this time the Spinach Empanada story has started making it's way through the guides (thank you Stuart! ;-) I had two separate guides come up and ask if I wanted Spinach Empanada!









Gustav (on the grey horse, below) was not looking forward to the riding. He had, shall we say, a bad experience in the past while riding and was really, really, uncomfortable with the whole idea of riding again. I must say however, that he did absolutely fantastic! Got back on that horse, so to say! Bravo Gustav!



I also decided to ask our guide Juan if it would be possible to take my horse for a "run" as our ride was set up as pretty much a walk only, for more beginner-type riders, which is fine, but my horse (ok, and me) really wanted to run. Juan said we could only do a short run because the group would be waiting for us and in a flash, his horse took off running with mine responding immediately. One other man wanted to run as well, so the three of us were off! I must say I haven't "ran" with a horse in years. A little galloping years ago in Black Butte, but actually running free (over the plains of Patagonia no less!) was simultaneously thrilling and frightening. These horses can move! And they like to run very close under trees - ack duck! - but I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

After the horseback ride it was back to the "Lodge" with a few hours to kill (napping, blogging, etc.) and then dinner together again with Grupo de Ocho.



Another post to follow!
Ciao!

Grey Glacier - New Friends...

Torres del Paine is fantastic. We can't get over the beauty and abundance that we get to experience. So, a little layout of Explora Lodge: it is a magnificent lodge in the Park and everything is included. All of our excursions, meals, etc. When we got to the Chilean Border on Saturday, we were taken in an Explora Van to the Lodge. This is when we first met Stuart and Susan Graber from London. Actually, he is from New York, but they live in London....more on that later. 

As we mentioned in the last post, we had a small hike our first day. After that, in the evening, everyone attends an orientation session which gives a broad overview of all the various excursions and activities available. Then, that evening you sign up for the next days' excursions. The day-long trek to Grey Glacier looked very good so we met with the guide that was giving more detail on that hike and ended up signing up for it. We saw that the British couple were also doing Grey Glacier. 

The next morning, we had to be in the lobby at 7:30 a.m. (don't ya love vacation?) and then we were driven to the starting point of our trek and divided into groups. It didn't appear as if we were going to be in the same group as Stuart and Susan, but somehow she made a switch and we were together. Also with us were an adorable young couple from Brazil, Gustav and Franciny, and another great couple from Israel, Anat and Opher. This was the beginning of "Grupo de Ocho", Group of Eight.  We all just hit it off so well and this was a very long hike - 8 miles, all the way to the lake and then a boat ride to the glacier.

So, Stuart, as a good New Yorker should, LOVES to talk. I mean really loves to talk, even more so than Amoth's. The great thing is, he has fantastic stories and has us all in stitches! Then we have the wonderful Brazilian couple, who are gorgeous and funny as well. Add in our new Israeli friends and we had a mixture for happiness for the next four days.

Suffice to say from that point on we are all doing the same events, eating our meals together and literally laughing to pieces all the time. It has made this trip even more enjoyable than we could imagine. We are determined to keep in touch and I will start an email stream to ensure that we keep in contact. We have included pictures from the Grey Glacier and the Sunrise pictures we took the next morning at 4:30 AM!!!!!!!!!!!

We will add in pictures and more stories on the next post of Grupo de Ocho!

Adios!

Long day, good day - Torres del Paine

Once again, the beauty continues. We had to get up early this morning (Saturday the 13th) to be taken to Torres del Paine (TDP). The good news is that we had a private driver in a very large 15 passenger van all to ourselves. He took us to the Chilean border (4 1/2 hours from Los Notros) where the Hotel van picked us up for the last leg (1 1/2 hours). We were immediately initiated with the amazing Chilean hospitality - these people are determined to be sure you have a wonderful time and that you see as much of the park as possible. We met a nice couple from London (the husband is originally from New York and still a New Yorker after 25 years in London).

Once we got settled in the Hotel, we went down for late lunch before an afternoon hike. They actually get it that after sitting in a car for 6 hours you want to move your body. As we headed down to lunch, we ran into the Austrian couple we had met in the Buenos Aires airport on our way to Helsingfors. For such a large territory, it is indeed a small world. They had a wonderful time at TDP and were heading out to their next destination. We told them about both Los Notros (Perito Mirano Glacier) and Helsingfors (Alfredo Glacier, Fitz Roy, etc.) and they decided they really want to go to Helsingfors for a more remote and rustic experience.

We had a great lunch of grilled salmon and then headed out for our afternoon hike. Not too long, only about 5K but a pretty good uphill at the end. VERY WINDY here, unlike the last two places. However, it is magnificent and beautiful for what we have seen so far. We are going on a day-long hike tomorrow to Grey Glacier. There is also a great 1/2 day horseback ride that we are interested in doing and a Gaucho BBQ.

So much to do, so little time......

p.s. Pam - they had these great red lentils served with the salmon today that were delicious - I was thinking about you!







Love you all,

Adios!

Trifecta in Calafate!

Three excursions, one day! We are determined to eek out every last drop of adventure from this trip. We have only one full day here at Los Notros, so we made sure and filled the day.






Our first excursion was Glacier Trekking! It started with a boat trip around the front of the South Face of Perito Marino Glacier. We then made a short hike to the starting point and got strapped into crampons and instruction on glacier trekking 101. There were approximately 25 people in our group along with 4 guides. Once you get the hang of it (wide stance, kick the ice, bend your knees when going down) it really was a breeze, but also a fairly good workout. We some some amazing blue holes, undulations and crevasses. Carl got some really interesting photographs, both abstract and picturesque.

When we were nearing the end of the hike, we hiked up one more level and there was a wooden table set up and the guides proceeded to chip ice out of the glacier, then fill real "glass" glasses with glacier ice and Famous Grouse whiskey! It's so funny, when they take your picture for you instead of saying "cheese" they say "whiskey", I guess now we know why. They also gave us a lovely little chocolate cookie. What a hoot!

We finished the hike and then had lunch at the pagoda at the base of the glacier and watched as large chunks of ice broke off the glacier and fell into the lake. You can hear them coming, it is a loud "crack, crack, pop" cannon-like sound and then a "whoosh" and splash, there it goes. I think Carl was able to catch one or two on film and I think I got one on video, but we haven't reviewed everything yet.

Excursion number two was a boat trip to the North side of the Glacier. Carl definitely got some really amazing photographs here and again, we captured more ice breaking action. One of the funniest things I have seen was when the boat crew had to "lasso" icebergs and pull them out of the way so we could dock the boat. Seriously. This excursion had no physical effort other than the fact that it was pretty dang cold. The wind had picked up and the sun was behind the clouds a good part of the day.

Excursion number three was a trip to the Glacier Balconies, which are man made balconies that allow very easy viewing of the Glacier. However, there is an amazingly long series of stairs down to the balconies and then of course as the laws of gravity dictate, what goes down, must come up (or something like that). It was similar to spending about 45 minutes on the stair machine. But, it was beautiful and we loved it. We've met some very fun couples from Philadelphia and they were with us both on glacier trekking and the balconies.

We also met a couple of nice guys from New York. They are two "guy friends" and they are totally straight, but keep getting mistaken for a "couple". When they check in, the hotel has them as Mr. and Mrs. We had dinner with them last night and had a wonderful time with great stories and laughs - yes, I shared the "spinache empanada" story.

We also met a nice couple from LA and they and the New York guys had dinner with us and it was really enjoyable, and again, great stories. One of the best parts of traveling to other countries and experiencing strange and unique opportunities is the ability to meet new people. We have been blessed by this indeed. It's been a little bit hard for Carl to reach out to people, you know how shy he is......

Another post to follow - on to Torres del Paine tomorrow!

Adios!

BB and CC

We are doing four posts tonight to catch up (too much fun and activity!) So, go down and read up for it to make the best sense.

Ok, so there have been some, shall we say, food issues. First of all, going back to the night of the flaming Sambucca. I forgot to mention that Carl spilled his Sambucca and we had not only flaming Sambucca, but flaming table cloth....before that however when we were ordering our entrees they had a lovely, large salad on the menu. I was craving a salad. I love salads. I have been eating meat every day, every meal since we got here. Now, don't get me wrong, I love meat. I am a carnivore. But, for those of you that know me well, you know I love salads and eat at least 5-6 per week!!! I have been here (including the plane trip) 6 days and no salad.

So, as I said, they had a lovely salad at La Playa and as Carl and I were discussing what we thought we would order (we usually share) I mentioned that I thought I was going to get a salad. You would have thought I said I was going to get injected with Typhoid. I swear. The look on his face was frightening and he then proceeded to tell me that this is the worst possible place for me to order a salad. It would be very dangerous (clearly more dangerous than the imaginary man that was going to steal my purse off my chair) and that they fertilize their crops with cow manure and it isn't clean and will make me incredibly sick . He is saying this with the most pained look on his face AND using his hands! I told him "you are scaring me", he said "I am trying to scare you", not only that, but now I am thoroughly disgusted and couldn't possibly eat a salad now anyway.

We had Beef. Again.

Second food adventure:

When we stopped at La Leona for Empanadas (see previous post) they had the two options under a glass case. I asked "que es?" (what is), Beef and Espinacas (?!?!?) I asked what is Espinacas, he didn't really understand I was asking, so, as we always do, I asked again and he said "Penis" and I looked at him and said "Penis?", "Si, Penis". Now, understand we have seen testicles and intestines on nearly every menu we have seen so I quickly said "No, no, quatro beef por favor". So, later in the car I was telling Carl why I only ordered beef. First they had no chicken and the only other choice was Penis.

I then told Natalia about the conversation and that he said Penis, and I couldn't believe they were serving penis empanadas. She asked about the word he used and I tried to repeat it and then I said what I thought he said and then Natalia said, "Spinache" or what he said, was "spines" with a very soft "S".....so, they were spinach empanadas, not penis. Yea, a good laugh on that one.....

Third food story:

When we were at Estancia Hermosa and touring the greenhouse, they had lovely wild strawberries growing and Martiniano said "shhh, but we can eat one...." so I lean down and pick a luscious looking strawberry, but the whole time I am hearing Carl in my mind talking about them fertilizing with manure and I notice he is not picking a strawberry. I am absolutely sure he must be appalled and thinks I will be doubled over with cramps at any moment. The strawberry was wonderful and I am fine....

Last story:

On our very long, and very hot trek today, I had brought full water bottles for both of us and two extra bottles of water. But it was really hot and really steep. So I realize why our guide only brought one bottle of water. Because he fills it up in the Alfredo Rio (Alfred River) which is glacier runoff. Clear. Clean. Cold. Beautiful Water. After I had gone through all the water in my bottle (which is at least two water bottles full) I decided I would chance it and fill it in the river. I saw Carl looking at me, again knowing that he is probably thinking..."this is very risky", but that's Bev. Oh, that water was so good, so cold, so delicious. And, I feel fine.

So, here my friends is the decipher of the title of this Post: Brazen Bev and Cautious Carl - a match made in heaven.....

;-)

Ciao!

Glaciar Alfredo (Alfredo Glacier) and Laguna Azul (Blue Lagoon)

Today was the most magnificent day yet. First is our group picture with our Italiano and Americano friends. 

We then were able to find a couple of Guanaco's (type of camel) The pictures will blow you away. I have never been on a better hike (trek) in entire life. I can barely describe the natural wonder and beauty that we experienced and the overwhelming sense of truly being a part of something inc

redibly special.

WE ARE HIKING IN THE PATAGONIAN ANDES MOUNTAINS IN T-SHIRTS! Watching avalanches fall off the Glaciar and the most beautiful Blue Lagoon imaginable.

The Trek was hard. 16K, or 10 miles. Very steep uphill the last 4 miles, but the reward was more than worth it. I have always loved writing and feel most at peace when I share my thoughts, my views and my experiences with others, but I just have to let these pictures speak for themselves. When you say "Wow" just think of us on the top of the lagoon view seeing it for the first time. Unbelievable.

We'll have dinner with our American friends tonight as Claudio and Marienella had to leave today.

One more post after this one (call it my funny story post) and that will catch us up. We leave Helsingfors tomorrow for Perito Moreno Glaciar and will be staying at Los Nostros.

Ciao!

Estancia Los Hermanos

Tuesday afternoon after lunch we went trekking with our guide Martiniano to Estancia Los Hermanos which is the nearby Ranch owned by the same owner of Helsingfors. We trekked 10K, or 6.2 miles up and down hills and then received a thorough and enlightening tour of the old sheep sheering operation as well as the garden and greenhouse.

We were exhausted when we got back to Helsingfors and had just enough time for our shower and then to dinner. We met a nice young couple from Seattle, Molly and Aaron and then an Italian couple also arrived, Claudio and Mariniello. They are hilarious! Claudio would go on and on talking in Italian, knowing none of us spoke Italian and then look at his wife expecting her to translate his entire conversation! "She is my mouth" he would say.

I will post separately on our Trek today....eye yai yai.....

La Leona and Sunsets at 11:00 p.m.! Yes, we are at the bottom of the world!

Believe it or not, they actually DO have internet at Helsingfors. You can't always count on accuracy of information in Argentina. It's actually quite surprising since we are literally in the middle of nowhere, yet simultaneously in one of the most beautiful locations I have ever been in.

















We left BA early Monday morning and then a 3 hour flight to El Calafate. From El Calafate, it was then a 3 hour drive to Helsingfors Ranch, but we had a very delightful guide, Natalia and our driver Juan.






We stopped in La Leona Ranch for lunch - yes, Empanadas once again, this time with a lovely glass of Malbec. It wouldn't be a day in Patagonia without Empanadas! A bit of trivia about Le Leona Ranch is that Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid and his wife hid out there for a month.

When we reached Helsingfors, our guide Diego greeted us and showed us to our gorgeous room. Not a phone or a TV in site! It is a little primitive but very easy to disconnect from the "real world". We walked around a bit, Carl took some photos and then we sat in the Lodge Living room by the fire visiting with some German tourists. They are doing 4 WEEKS in Patagonia!

Dinner is served any time after 8:00 and we headed into the dining room about 8:30. Then about 8:45, after appetizer, but before main course, Carl gets up and excuses himself saying "I will be right back". Now, understand that I have been watching him for the past fifteen minutes staring out the window and watching what the sun is doing on the mountains. Knowing that he wants to go shooting. Well, the entrees show up, I SLOWLY eat mine, still no Carl, our Server Lupe asks me if I want her to take his plate and keep in warm, yes. I finish my meal, still no Carl. 45 MINUTES later there he is, rushing in, only to get his plate of chicken, wolf it down and head out again.

I must admit that the opportunities were too hard to resist, but, let's just say we came to an agreement, via a "conversation" that in the future, he would be a bit more considerate about leaving me stranded by myself at dinner. The thing is, the sun doesn't set here until about 11:oo, so sunset pictures are quite late.

We just finished a morning Zodiak boat ride on the Viedma Lake and the Moyano arm of the lake which took us very close the a Glacier. We had the MOST beautiful weather. No wind, which is unheard of, not a cloud in the sky. Even the guides were shocked. Said they never get this type of weather. Our German friends have waited three days for the weather to improve so they could go out on the lake. They said it is "honeymoon weather"!

Well, it is off to our Asado (BBQ) lunch and then a hiking adventure this afternoon. More later!

We hike to Laguna Azul (Blue Lagoon) tomorrow!

Ciao!

Fifteen miles, are you kidding me?

Look how refreshed and happy we look. That just shows you what true love can do to a person. We are on our way back to the Hotel and have walked over 15 miles today.

We leave BA tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. for our flight to Calafate and then a 4 hour bus ride to Patagonia. We will not have internet access for the next three days but we are anxiously awaiting the beauty that awaits us (and you, once we upload the pics).

In the interim, here is a link to the place we will be staying for the next three days. Helsingfors. We are going to try to get to Casa Blanca again for dinner tonight. Wish us luck!

http://www.helsingfors.com.ar/


Buenos Noches!

Guitar, the lovely, lovely guitar

Once again, they are getting ready to Tango in the Street, we couldn't resist taping this beautiful guitar session.

San Telmo - Marionettes and Tango!

We went from Florida Street to the San Telmo Street Fair and were treated to a live Tango dance and this character putting on a one man puppet opera show. Very entertaining. We also made our first purchase of the day, an antique soda bottle. At this point, we have probably walked at least 8 miles......have to get the workout in one way or another!

Ciao!

Calle Florida

We did some shopping and looking on Florida Street, very popular street of shops where it is advised to "take a look, but buy elsewhere". Let's just say there were lots of colorful characters.....

On Fire in Buenos Aires!

It was bound to happen. Let's see...add together lack of sleep (maybe 2 hours on the plane and a one hour nap), change of time zones by 5 hours, swollen foot (ok that's just me) lot's of walking, and well you have the happenings for, let's say a "conversation".

So, for the last two weeks (and on the plane) I have been devouring all of our BA guide books from Lonely Planet looking for the best shopping, dining and sight seeing. We only have 2 days here now and one day on our return so I wanted to make the most of it.

Carl and I both want to immerse into the culture (i.e. no chinese or mexican food for us). I found this great sounding restaurant called Casa Blanca that boasted traditional Argentine food, some music and great nightlife. It is located in Palermo Vieja which is supposed to be one of the coolest places in BA. Carl called and had the front desk make reservations and call a taxi for us.

As we are getting ready to leave, Carl asks if I have the passports in my purse. Yes, I do. Are you going to take them with you? Yes, I am. Then, he asks, Do you think we should leave the passports in the safe or take them with us? Now, for any of you that know Carl well, when he asks you a third time about something, that means he has a strong opinion as to what should be done. So, I said, What do you want me to do? You wouldn't ask me again if you didn't want me to leave them here. Hence, the "conversation".....we were both a little snippy with each other on the topic, but decided in the end that I would take them with me.

We get down to the taxi but we hadn't brought our guide book (front desk said they would know how to get there) and the Bell Man was calling the concierge to get the address. We are waiting and waiting in the Taxi, with the meter running, and finally he gets the address and away we go. About 10 minutes later we pull up in front of the restaurant, and sure enough, there is a big "B" on the sign, so we assume that must be for the Blanca in Casa Blanca. Well, No, it wasn't, it was "B" for BURMANA, Burmeise food! Incense burning, nasty smells, the works.

Cab is gone so we don't really know where we are but there were other restaurants nearby, so we decide to find something else - it is now almost 10:00. We finally settled on La Raya - a combination Argentine and Italian (large Italian settlement here).

As we sat down outside to eat, I hung my purse on the side of my chair (as women do) only to immediately be told by the Manager/Owner - oh no, do not put purse there, and then he mimes to me basically that someone would come by and steal it. Great. I look up at my adoring husband and he has that look, you know the look, not really smug, not even totally, "I told you so", but more of a satisfied, hmmmm, well now baby, guess we should have left the passports at home....

Anyway, we found out we were in San Telmo, which is on the complete opposite side of town from where we wanted to be. But, the food was great, we had grilled Provolone cheese with olive oil and oregano for appetizer and was delish. This picture is of the Flaming Sambucca we had for dessert - quite a treat, we have had Sambucca many times, but never seen it presented this way.

Also, the wine here is fantastic - we shared a bottle of Malbec Reserve at dinner for a mere $20 USD.

Anyway, we are off for more shopping and sight seeing today.
Cheers to all!

Empanadas! More Empanadas Please!

Well, I must say we look more alert here than we feel, but late day we were both craving a snack so we stopped at this outdoor cafe for a local beer and some Empanadas - boy, are they delicious!

Under the Magnolia Tree...no one but you for Me!

As we walked around on our first day, we came to this park LOADED with these giant Magnolia trees with the most amazing looking roots. Every now and then I can talk the photographer into giving up his camera and becoming the subject. Not often, but occasionally......

Hotel Sofitel

Just finished checking in - beautiful property - loved the flower arrangements. Had to wait for room though, since we arrived around 12:30 - set off for lunch and tried to keep our eyes open.

On our way

Here is our cute, little (somewhat dorky) airplane video on our way over. Yes, we are the happily married couple! It was a long, long journey, but we made it safely and our hotel is wonderful.I will post another blog with a couple of pics from our city walk about today. We will be heading out to dinner in about an hour, which is 9:30 BA time and considered EARLY for dinner. Most Portenos don't eat until well after 10:00 p.m. Cheers!

Today's the day

The Adventure begins today with one of those so sought out LONG, LONG, flights across the country. From Phoenix to Houston and direct from Houston to Buenos Aires. We will get to Buenos Aires Saturday morning around 11:00 a.m. Time change is +5 to AZ time. We will be in BA until Monday morning when we fly to El Calafate to begin our Patagonia portion. Buenos Aires will be filled with shopping, dining and sight seeing.

There won't be any internet available for our first stay in Patagonia - Helsingfors - but after that, we will have access and should be able to do regular posts.

Cheers!