Birthday in BA
Trip Start
Oct 16, 2008
1
7
35
Trip End
Apr 16, 2009
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The fun continued on Saturday, starting with a day of doing completely and utterly nothing, the first such day since we landed, and largely due to a sizeable hangover. By 8pm we were ready to go again and stopped by Andy´s place for some pre-dinner drinks. We were joined by Giselle from England, another of my classmates. I even received gifts! It´s possible to get into a routine after only a month in one place, so instead of going to the same parrilla we´d been to the previous weekends, we thought we should really break out and go to their other location a few blocks away. The quality was superb and the location even better, a more intimate dining room and hidden down a little cobbled lane, one of the few remaining in this barrio. El campo chico will receive recommendations from us forever. I really went crazy and ordered the entire piece of lomo this time instead of sharing with someone, but as my mother always told me my eyes were bigger than my belly and I went home with a doggy bag. As the night went on Patrick´s enthusiasm for late night dining waned and Blair took him home ahead of the rest of us. Unfortunately for them that meant they missed out on the tiramisu with the candle in it, and yet another round of singing Happy Birthday in Castellano.
We continued back at the flat with more wine and but it turned out a pretty tame evening and all were in bed by 2pm. I was woken by a call from Australia at 8am, and after a strained conversation with Dad (who apparently couldn´t hear a word I was saying) I couldn´t get back to sleep. Mum called next and was surprised to learn we were all still in bed at 9.30. It was great to hear their voices and it really made it official that it was my birthday.
More treats were to come! Andy and Toni came over with facturas for everyone and Toni treated me to half hour of reflexology and I nearly dozed off it was so luxurious. Then it was off to San Telmo for the famous Sunday market. Wow. People everywhere. After Andy gave us the "John y Bob tour" of the market and district, and Patrick spent half an hour or so getting squished between people´s bums, we stopped in what Andy has dubbed the sausage building for a light lunch. The traditional style of housing in San Telmo was long narrow buildings with a series of courtyards onto which all the rooms opened, all occupied by a single family with the servants quarters being way in the back. When yellow fever broke out all the richies took off for Recoleta and these building were converted to tenement housing, each ROOM housing a single family. Today the particular building in question houses antique and craft stores, cafes and photo opportunities.
We strolled back from San Telmo along a newer section of artesan stalls, so new they tended not to have trestle tables but simply displayed their crafts on blankets on the street. I bought myself a pair of earrings as a birthday gift and we walked the rest of the way to the main plaza, just in time to stop in at the cathedral to see the changing of the guard at San Martin´s tomb. Back at the apartment, Andy helped us drink the bottles of beer leftover from the night before and gave us all his recommendations for our upcoming travels in Northern Argentina and Bolivia. When the pizza delivery arrived, it was time to say goodnight and the celebrations were officially over.
Monday it´s time to pack it all up and leave the comfort of the apartment and the madness of Buenos Aires behind .... we´re heading north for more exciting adventures.
