Monday, Dec. 28 - Buenos Aires

We arrived in Buenos Aires at around 10:00am. It turned out that on this very day the Argentina Government began collecting a Reciprocity Fee for entrance into the country, $131 per person for Americans. Apparently the US government has charged Argentinians a similar fare for years. The fee is good for 10 years. We made arrangements through the hotel for a pick-up at the airport. We found a sign with our name taped to a pole amongst many others. We were then escorted to our taxi and we made our way to the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires where our hotel was located.

San Telmo is the oldest neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It has narrow cobblestone streets and sidewalks. The buildings are of an older European architecture and there are some open air cafes on the square. There are also many nice antique stores. This gives the neighborhood an intimate feel.

When we arrived at the hotel prior to check-in time our room was not yet ready. While we waited for our room one of the hotel staff members, Carolina, took out a tourist map and gave us the lowdown on things to see. However, before we saw anything it was time for a nap. After about 2 hours we we headed out.

We walked through San Telmo and then made our way to the Plaza de Mayo, in the Centro district of the city. This is where many of the major government buildings are located. I read that there is almost always a demonstration in progress on the plaza. Well sure enough, there was a group of about 30 demonstrators on a large elevated platform apparently demanding justice for the deaths of several people. Many of the demonstration signs had photos of those killed. I presume it pertained to many of the killings that occurred by the military during the period of military rule. The military government gave up power around 1991, but of course those kinds of wounds do not heal easily, if at all. We were not able to find out any details concerning the demonstration as it appeared to be wrapping up. The police in riot gear were moving on and shortly thereafter the demonstrators left. We were not concerned for our safety, as it seemed like a normal procedure. So perfect timing, that meant I could get on the platform! It was a good place to take photos. Maybe it is a good place to shout out about your favorite cause, but I chose not to find out.

So after visiting the Plaza de Mayo we headed across the estuary to an area called Puerto Madero. It is a very modern area, shiny and clean with restaurants, hotels, shopping, and condos. We perused several blocks and decided it was time for wine. We had a leisurely glass of wine outside while overlooking the estuary. It was a pleasant summer evening. After that we made our way back to the hotel.

Next was dinner. Classic Argentinean fare is centered around beef, grilled over charcoal and accompanied by a nice red wine. That's my kind of country! However, dinner hour is not until 10:00pm in Argentina. We decided we would try to head over early at about 9:00pm. We were running late and we did not get to the grill until 9:45pm and they were full. We waited outside for about 30 minutes. That was fine, as mentioned before it was a nice warm summer evening. Inside we ordered ribs and steak with potatoes roasted in butter and rosemary. We had a salad as well. The meat was tasty and the steak was very tender just as reputed. It wasn't until I dug into the ribs that I remember one of the guidebooks said that the ribs would be a bit tough, its just how they serve it. I did OK with it. Service was slow, we were not out of there until 1:30am.

It was a nice first day.

I just want to mention the hotel. We stayed at Hotel Gurda in the San Telmo section of Buenos Aires. It is a boutique hotel. That means it is small. Becky and I really like these type of hotels. Sometimes the rooms are quirky as is the layout of the hotel. But as long as they are clean the quikiness just adds interest. And in this case the hotel was clean and served a nice breakfast. But the best thing about small hotels is the service. The staff is typically friendly and they spend a good deal of time giving sightseeing advice and telling you how to get around. This enables you to make most efficient use of your time. That eliminates a lot of potential frustration. On top of it, it was cheaper than many of the big chains.

San Telmo Barrio Plaza de Mayo Puerto Madero Hotel Bedroom Quirky 2nd bed, up in a loft