Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America
Trip Start
Feb 03, 2006
1
5
59
Trip End
May 09, 2006
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Sunday, February 5, 2006
Departed my 11 hour flight to find it pouring down rain, windy and cool. I thought I was leaving this behind... Customs was a breeze, they are fast, and they actually stamped my passport (I hate it when I go to a new country and they don´t do that). And getting a cab equally fast, with standardized rate. I was expecting, as I had read somewhere, a $40 US fare to my downtown hotel, but instead it cost $23. Unfortunately, Carlos did not speak a word of English, and my Spanish goes no farther than hola. There are two Sheraton´s in town, and it took a bit of doing to make sure we got to the right one.
The Sheraton is your normal 4/5 star hotel, lots of amenities, looks great, but sometimes lacks the basics, like an internet connection in my room. I have to go down to the business center to use their computer.
First order of business, a nap... I was zonked. I pretty much was asleep before I even hit the bed. Took a 2½ hour tour that was including with the cruise. Basically, we boarded a bus and drove around various spots of Buenos Airies
A tower right outside my window
. Actually quite informative, but I am by far the youngest have seen yet with this cruise crowd. Saw a cemetery that held the remains of Eva Perrone, a beautiful cathedral, and an old town shopping zone, with colors everywhere.Despite my crack that I was the young one, others had to wake me up to see the sites and not just snooze through them. I liked how they did the tour, they pretty much gave us info while we drove, and then dropped us off and let us go wherever we wanted, and gave us a time to meet back at the bus. Good orientation of the city.
Spent time later just walking around. Buenos Aires has been described as the Paris of South America. My first glance was that it may be the Paris of South America, but it is not the Paris of France. Buenos Aires is a bit more gritty. Paris is the classy older city, Buenos Aires seems a bit less polished. Still, the more I walked and observed, into the evening, I began to see the resemblance. The charms, the sounds, and vibe that begins to grow as the day goes on, and into the evening. Sidewalk cafes, music, traffic in all directions, people strolling, lovers not afraid of PDA's. It is a lovely city, and I am glad I'll be spending some more time here...
MILES: flying 7037, bus 22, taxi 25, walking 6, total 7090
