In an excellent birthday not-surprise David came to visit last week! Since the Bursteins and the Hurleys are perhaps the only people who read this blog, I will catalog for posterity his awesome visit with selected photos from his ample collection. Photos are linked, rather than pasted, because then this post would be waaaay too long. Please enjoy the photos because without them I assure you that this post will be rather boring.
On SUNDAY, we first explored Plaza San Martin, the beautiful playground of Argentina’s formerly rich and famous. To celebrate peace (or something?) there is this excellent collection of “Buddy Bears” with whom we had perhaps too much fun. David posed with the Cuban bear (complete with a cigar). We walked down touristy Calle Florida before meeting my friend Brenna for coffee and sandwiches at a café. The three of us headed for San Telmo, stopping to explore Plaza Del Mayo, the Catedral http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30439274&id=1088130041, and snap some shots of the Casa Rosada. We somehow managed to miss most of the antiques at the San Telmo Fería but it was aight because that Sunday walk up and down Calle Defensa is still a good time. We capped our day off with ice cream at Volta, the best I’ve had in Buenos Aires, where we found ourselves laughing a lotttttt. One of the questions that had been bugging me most – do waiters in bsas carry two wallets or just give you change from their own wallet? – was finally answered and I was heartily encouraged by the resident pep squad to ask the waiter out on the date. (FYI I did not.) David and I later enjoyed parilla in San Telmo where we had yet another extremely nice waiter who took almost as much pleasure in affectionately teasing David for his bad Spanish as I did.
Fortunately I had no class (yay!) on MONDAY so we returned to Plaza del Mayo, wandered a bit around the city, and then decided to go to Montserrat to tour Congreso. We were a bit early so we walked around the Plaza of Two Congresses, towards Argentina’s high court at Tribunales, the reconstruction-laden Teatro Colon, and the Israelite Congregation Synagogue while also passing a rather irrelevant-seeming protest and the highest density of musical instrument stores I have ever seen.
From Congreso we hopped a bus to beautiful Puerto Madero. Enjoy the many photos taken (each different photos) in Puerto Madero. We then walked to the Ecological Reserve where we encountered amazing green parrots and gave our tired feet a little rest. Finally we capped off our day at a nice dinner in San Telmo in which the waitress and I did some expert translating for David and I fought my shy instincts to literally run down some hardcore kids wearing Integrity and Black Flag shirts that I saw through the window, most of whom were from Chile but one of whom lived in bsas and happened to also have lived in Boston. Hopefully we have a friendship to follow!
TUESDAY was my birthday. I will write separately about my feeeeelings but here address that I had class almost all day (4 classes, three of which were 3 hrs long). At night we went to see Alana’s host mother’s folklorico dance troupe at la Pena del Colorado. It was super awesome. Definitely not a 21st birthday rager, but all-in-all a good time.
It was threatening rain on WEDNESDAY but stayed nice when we needed it to be. We headed out to the Recoleta Cemetary, which is quite literally like a city of the dead, to explore. I went last week but after some good lessons in Argentine history was able to appreciate so much more! Expecting the rain, David and I took up shelter at the amazing MALBA where we saw incredible works from Xul Solar, Luis Botero, and Frida among others. Later we journeyed to Abasto where we met up with Natalie for some amazingly tasty Peruvian food and introduced a new crop of friends to the Orq Tipicia de Fernandez Fierro.
On THURSDAY I had still more class so David packed up and went to Tigre. I enjoyed a quiet day in bsas before we went to a tango show at the classic (and touristy) El Viejo Almacen. It featured whom we enjoy believing was the Argentine Liza Minelli and some amazing dancing, as well as the happiest collection of senior citizens I’ve seen in a long time. Much enjoyment was had.
David’s last day, FRIDAY, was jam-packed. I walked him through a short Retiro tour that was my best attempt at mimicking the miraculous Gabi, my UBA-grad tour guide. We visited palacios, the former site of the Embajada del Israel, and saw some awesome Spanish and French architecture. After my class and his explorations of San Telmo, we headed to La Boca which was beautiful, touristy, and to our liking.
I had a great time with David last week. It turns out, also, that what I had suggested to him upon initial confirmation of his visit was true: I am definitely hitting the abroad-rut right now and his timing was truly perfect. I think he helped me stave off a week of the inevitable feeling of homesickness that sets in about a month into everyone’s abroad experience. Partly because we did lots of touristy things and I saw new areas, David helped me preserve some degree of good newness about being here; more importantly, he distracted me in the best friend-from-home way from the academic frustrations and general unease hitting this week. On this subject, I can only say that there will be more to come.
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