My Second Argentinean Goodbye

Sunday was bittersweet; I lost a fellow explorer but gained a remarkable friend! Today marked the end of Nico’s stay, so we hit up a lot of places before his bus left Retiro at 8 pm. I hope you are ready for a history lesson because this post is stuffed with information!

 Catching the Line D Subte, we made our way to the Plaza de Mayo. This Plaza is very important to Argentina as it marks the starting point of the May Revolution of 1810 which began Argentina’s fight for independence from Spain in 1816. We visited one of the most important buildings at the plaza; the Cabildo.

This building, which had 11 arches originally but only has 5 arches today due to the development of roads, was the center of open cabildos (or forums) at the time of the revolution. This is a very emotional spot for Argentinians, at least the ones who are truly patriots and care about their country like Nico. Walking though this building made me think of The States and how we gained our independence. It also reminded me how some people take our freedom for granted. ‘Merica!

Traveling through the Plaza, we passed the Casa Rosada and several other important buildings such as the National Bank of Argentina but didn’t have the time to visit them. Having a financial background I will definitely want to take a tour of the national bank building.

Our next stop was a visit to Puerto Madero, one of the most expensive and tallest barrios in Buenos Aires. (When I mention tallest, I'm talking about the buildings such as skyscrapers.) If you are looking for economic development and a modern city feel, this is where you need to go because local and foreign investments have led to a massive regeneration of this barrio.

This barrio is home to one of the coolest bridges in South America; Puente de la Mujer or “Women’s Bridge.” Since Puerto Madero is an active port in Buenos Aires, this bridge is a swing bridge and rotates 90 degrees to allow water traffic to pass. Too bad we didn’t get to see this happen.

Following the bridge, we noticed this ship were a lot of people were boarding and exiting. Being curious individuals that we are, we decided to check it out. It turned out to the be the ARA Presidente Sarmiento which was a training ship for the Argentine Navy but now it was just a museum ship. With an admission fee of only 2 pesos, we were definitely game to tour the vessel!

The ship was spectacular, and we were able to explore anywhere and everywhere of the ship. The bow, stern, hull, forecabin, etc…I think you get the point. We even met a sailor who navigated the ship back in the 1940s! Can you say photo op?! LOL!

When the clock strikes 2 pm it’s time for dinner, but when the clock strikes 4 pm and you still haven’t ate that means you better find something quick before you die of starvation! Remembering the conversation with my German lover on the colectivo last night, we remembered her telling us to go all the way through Puerto Madero because there were cheap eats along the street; we did just that! For 30 pesos, I had this beef sandwich that contained a slice of ham, cheese, and egg…man was it good!! I could actually eat one of those every day.

The San Telmo Feria was the next stop, but just for a quick walk through because A) we were in the area, and B) it was getting closer to Nico’s departure so we didn’t have much time. It’s too bad we had to rush through because there was a free music performance that caught both of our attentions.

The last stop before heading back to my place was the Cathedral de Buenos Aires. Lavish frescoes decorated the innards of the church along with intricate mosaics, altarpieces, and sculptures. We even got to experience the sounds of the organ because of a practicing organist. This Cathedral also contains the remains of General Jose de San Martin which is guarded by two "lively" guards and three statues representing Argentina, Chile, and Peru, all in which San Martin had a significant role in their liberations.

Okay, so I lied about the last stop. Almost back to my place, we had to make one last stop at the panaderia to grab some more facturas con crema y dulce de leche. By 7:45 pm we were on our way to Retiro’s bus station. Like a good host, I saw Nico off and cautiously took the Subte back to Palermo. I mentioned “cautiously” because I’ve heard Retiro isn’t the safest at night, but I couldn't tell any difference and felt safe the entire way.

Back in the comfort of my studio, I cleaned up a bit and got ready for bed reminiscing on the unforgettable week I just had! Until we meet again, Nico! (Which will likely be in August because Nico and his parents invited me to Rio Cuarto so I could experience a REAL Argentinean asado!)