Rosanna just sent this photo of a tree across the street from the apartment where a flock of wild parrots are resting. They are all solid dark green.
Ron and Rosanna will leave in about 30 minutes to start the long trek back to San Francisco. It will be about an 18 hour trip including a short layover in Atlanta.
Travel safely..................................
Perhaps you're wondering why my blog isn't up to date? Well, so far it's a quiet week. This morning I took my car to a body shop to replace a rear fender that I bashed into a metal fence last winter. State Farm Insurance is working with the body shop and if I knew how easy it would be to get the repairs, I would have done it sooner. To make things even easier, the shop has loaned a 2008 Toyota to drive while the repairs are being made and my car should be ready before the July 4th weekend. I'm having them do a few cosmetic things, as well, so the car will look like new when I get it back.
This week is going to be "girl's week" so I'm reconnecting with my friends for lunch, cocktails and any other excuse we can find to catch up with news (otherwise known as gossip). Everyone is anxious to hear about Buenos Aires so we'll have lots to talk about.
It will be sunny with temperatures near 80 degrees through July 5th so I'm enjoying the outdoor heated pool. It's almost like a private pool - some days I'm the only one there and so far about four adults is the max usage. We also have an indoor pool with a jacuzzi that I haven't used yet.
Tuesday afternoon I picked up a taxi in front of the Lutz's apartment and bid farewell to Buenos Aires and my dear friends, Ron and Rosanna. They were the ultimate tour guides and hosts and my stay was very exciting. The ride to the airport took over an hour (only 22 miles - but - in commute traffic) and the airport operated with great efficiency with many employees who spoke English. I learned, however, to schedule at least four hours from start to finish in a foreign country as it took almost that entire time to go through all the lines and security.
I didn't fully appreciate the size of the City until the airplane started to lift from the runway and I looked out the left side of the plane to see as far as the windows would allow an immense amount of golden orange and crystal lights that went all the way into the horizon. It was a breathtaking sight.
The airlines were on schedule so I arrived in Portland at 10:20 a.m. yesterday and Merry was there to take me home from the airport.
Bella almost turned her body inside/out when she saw me at the door but I know that she and Alicia had a great time together while I was gone.
Now it's time to settle in and enjoy the summer weather. I'm looking forward to a visit from Vicki and Steve over July 4th weekend and Lori and Pam will be here the following week so........................ the party continues..........................
The first statue is of a young woman shown in her wedding dress. She and her new husband were killed by an avalanche while on their honeymoon in Austria. I think the guide said she was about 24 years old. The statue is a green marble and she has her dog standing beside her.
The other statue is of a young woman, Rufina Cambaceres, who was accidentally buried alive. It is speculated that she was in a coma when she was thought to have died so she was put in the coffin. A day later a caretaker heard screaming but by the time they could get the coffin open, she had already died. They found scratch marks inside the coffin so there was no doubt about what had happened. The mother built a magificent Carrara marble coffin carved with a rose on top. The statue shows the girl trying to open the door to her tomb.
I don't blame you if you are tired of my stories about the low prices here but tonight tops them all. We decided to just walk down the streets until we found a cafe that looked interesting and at about 7:30 we found a place (with no one dining) that was open. It's Cafe Pacheco on Pacheco de Melo (where the apartment is located) so we opened the door to see if they were open and, yes, they were. Plus, they offered a 15 percent discount for being "early birds". (After 8:30 p.m. the menu is full priced).
We each ordered a three course meal (43 pesos) which included our choice of about 6 appetizers, 6 entrees and 6 desserts. Plus - for each two people a bottle of Malbec was included and for one diner a bottle of water (with gas). SO, we did it all - enjoying some of the best food we've had so far - all for 150 pesos which included a generous tip for the waitresses. Divide the 150 by 3.75 and you'll be amazed at the price for a fabulous dinner for three.
OK - I won't tell you any more about the bargains other than if you hear that I'm moving to Buenos Aires soon, don't be surprised. Bella would be at home here - we see her brothers and sisters everywhere.
It's another beautiful day after yesterday's rain so we're enjoying a drink and snack at La Biela, a cafe near the Cathedral and Sunday's outdoor craft fair. Food and drink cost more if you sit outside but it was such a lovely day and almost every table was being used inside so we had a relaxing rest after a busy morning.
Last night began with a long walk to the restaurant Juana M, mostly known by the locals. It is located in the basement of a former orphanage and at night it's frequented by trendy young locals. The entire restaurant is lit by candlelight and it is a wonderful way to spend a leisurely dinner. Of course, dinner doesn't start until 8:30 p.m. so we old folks were there early. It wasn't long before every table was filled.
The walk was especially enjoyable because it was a warm evening. We walked through the ritzy part of town where the Hyatt Hotel is located with Armani and Ralph Lauren and other upscale shops. It was so lovely a jacket wasn't even necessary. After dinner we took a taxi back to the apartment - thinking that the $10 peso taxi fee was worth it. I know that I'm boring you with the prices here but it's so exciting to enjoy so many fabulous experiences without paying high prices.
It's Saturday so when we saw that it was raining (the first since we've been here) it was an excuse to be ultra lazy. At noon Rosanna and I finally made it to two grocery stores to pick up essentials (like wine) and also buy ingredients for cooking dinner here tonight. Now we're enjoying listening to the tango music and we've finished lunch made from leftovers from last night's restaurant dinner.
Each day brings some laughs like trying to figure out how to use the oven. It does not have temperatures - it's just "low", "medium" and "high". The clothes washer is a combo washer and drier so one load of clothing takes about 3 hours to finish and generally we have to hang everything out in the air to finish drying. No one has the courage to figure out how the small dishwasher works so we happily hand wash and dry.
Even though it's raining it's the warmest day of the week (20 C) so the windows are open and the fresh rain scented air smells wonderful.
I'm starting my second James Patterson novel, Ron is reading and Rosanna and I are going to challenge each other at Scrabble so we're truly enjoying a lazy day in Buenos Aires.
Cafe Tortoni is located in the downtown area and it is known for where the artistic and intellectual people gather for espresso, pastries and sandwiches. It was founded in 1858 and the building is beautiful with all the original columns and rococo trim.
After having pastries, Ron went back to the apartment and Rosanna and I hit the streets for a walk to the subway and then on to downtown where we spent some time shopping. Then it was time for lunch at Cafe Tortoni followed by another walk to the subway and then to another shopping area before we finally got back to the apartment. Rosanna and I can walk at a very fast pace so we were passing up most people on the street and the exercise is our excuse for eating whatever we want. (I'm sure that we'll pay the price for that later).
One of our highlights shopping today was when we went into an elegant men's store and found that the door was locked. After they "checked us out" they unlocked the door and three handsome Argentinian men hovered over us and gave us attentive service while I selected some items. I also bought two tango CDs so when I get back to Portland my goal is to learn the dance (we'll see how that goes.........).
Professional dog walking appears to be a lucrative business because as we were walking to the cemetery this morning we saw three people, each walking a large amount of dogs. They appear to specialize. This first walker has all the cute little fluff balls including one like Bella. We watched him tie about eight dogs to a tree and he left them to go to an apartment upstairs to bring down a darling little poodle. In the U.S. if we left these little tykes tied to a tree they would all be stolen in a minute.
The woman had more of a challenge and when I snapped the photo she had tangled all the leashes and she was having a hard time getting them separate without losing any of the dogs. Down the street was another walker with about nine huge hunting type dogs and he was working hard to keep them all at the same pace. It was fun watching the interaction of the dogs and you could tell they were loving it.
Today we're slowing down the pace so this morning we read and then Ron cooked breakfast. Afterwards Rosanna and I decided to do some shopping. The apartment is close to one of the major shopping areas so we walked for over two hours mostly "window shopping".
The weather continues to be lovely with sunshine and a clear dark blue sky. The natives are wearing full length winter coats with heavy wool scarves but we were comfortable in just slacks and a light weight sweater.
The photo is the inside of an elegant book store. The store is in a converted theater so the photo was taken from the stage where there is a small cafe. It was fun to see people sitting in the theater boxes reading and enjoying their relaxation. It's a truly elegant experience.
The first statue is of a young woman shown in her wedding dress. She and her new husband were killed by an avalanche while on their honeymoon in Austria. I think the guide said she was about 24 years old. The statue is a green marble and she has her dog standing beside her.
At 11 a.m. this morning we took an English speaking tour of the Ricoleta Cemetery (yes, I had to see it one more time before leaving for home). Ron and Rosanna were good sports and came along even though they have been there many times. 
At noon we ventured out to Puerto Madero where the Hilton Hotel is located near highrise business buildings and upscale restaurants. It's quite a distance from the apartment so we shared a taxi both ways but still had a nice long walk.
After Rosanna cooked a delicious breakfast we walked to the Cathedral for the noon Mass. The church is elegant from the exterior but inside it's absolutely gorgeous with alcoves decorated with 24k gold and ornate statues and icons everywhere. Rosanna and I were very impressed with the beautiful singing during the service - then as we exited we found a sign on the gate advertising the choir from the Western Washington University Concert Choir. It was the choir who performed at the service. The sign indicated that following the noon service the choir would present a half hour concert so we found Ron who was waiting for us and went back into the church. 
In preparation for today's activities we were reviewing a travel book which describes the Caminito as a pedestrian walkway, named after a tango song about a rural village. The book describes it as an "obscene tourist trap with overpriced souvenir shops and constant harassment from people trying to hand flyers for mediocre restaurants". Well - - that's not a very good beginning (smile) but we decided it was a "must see" anyway.
I saved my favorite photos for the last. These show the amazing artistic renditions of the tombs with beautiful lifelike sculptures. This was truly a special experience. If only we knew the stories of these people's lives...........
I took dozens of photos and these are some of my favorite. Today is another cool, crisp, sunny Fall day (yes winter is starting here) but so far we've not had rain or any adverse weather.
This day was one that I most looked forward to. For those who know me well, you already know how much I enjoy wandering through a Victorian era cemetery and this place is absolutely breathtaking. The cemetery was created in 1822 and the tombs are adorned with works by local and international sculptors. Eva Peron is buried here. My photos show the metal work used in the tombs and some of the beautiful hand carved marble sculptures. Many tombs have stained glass windows but you can only see the colors from inside the tomb.
After lunch our tour guide stopped at the apartment and walked us to a beautiful hotel nearby where we waited for our tour of the city. Much to our surprise, we were greeted with a bus full of Hell's Angels all dressed in their leather regalia. We learned that they came from all over the world for a yearly reunion that they have each year in a different country.
