Trip Report - Buenos Aires
Dec 27th, 2008, 01:00 PM
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Trip Report - Buenos Aires
[This time I think I will do all the BA trip reports in one thread, so I will just keep adding on here]
Fri 12/26 – Sat 12/27:
On Friday morning we flew from Bariloche back to Buenos Aires. I noticed that a huge group of Americans that had been at El Casco with us were driving to the airport to catch the same flight as us, so as soon as we got there, we flew out of the car to get on line to check in before them – we’re so sneaky. As usual, we had good luck with our flight – of course it was about twenty minutes delayed, not that they’d ever tell you that, but that seems to be par for the course and I can’t complain, given the horror stories I’d heard and what I was expecting. And once again, all our luggage got there – knock on wood. We hired a remise from Tienda Leon to take us to the Four Seasons. This hotel is really in a class by itself. Even though our room is the smallest of all the hotels so far (and it’s NOT small – there’s a huge tub, walk in closet, etc.) and there’s a view of a highway, it’s still clearly the best, because the service is impeccable – everyone is so friendly and helpful, and speaks English. They knew it was our honeymoon so they gave us one free massage (which costs over 100 Us dollars here), and then they brought champagne, cookies, and a chocolate “sculpture” of two tango dancers to our room. Awesome. The bed is also amazing. I think I’m now spoiled forever thanks to this hotel. When my husband went to see the pool and spa/gym area, a really nice employee gave him a full personal tour of the place (gym = huge with tvs on treadmills….we’ll see if I ever actually use it). We were a bit off schedule because we lost an hour (BA is an hour ahead of Bariloche), and we were hungry and still needed lunch and it was already 5 pm. So we went downstairs to the concierge desk, where many staff are around and wanting to help, but I really wanted to meet Valeria, the really nice concierge I had corresponded with by email for the last few weeks. She was finally free, and even nicer/cuter in person than by email. She got super excited when we decided we didn’t want to eat at the Faena tango show on Sat night and instead she booked us at La Brigada for dinner beforehand. We decided to spend a little time on Calle Florida shopping and just people/window watching, to get our first exposure to the city. So we walked from our hotel past Plaza San martin, and got a bite to eat in a café there, I don’t remember the name, it was nothing spectacular. The menu was all in Spanish which presents a challenge, but I knew enough to order the nicoise salad “sin jamon.” Everything takes forever in restaurants here which is nice but sometimes a little frustrating when you want to get going (What were they doing in the back? Shredding the carrots for my salad? Killing the tuna)? Anyway….we walked up and down just a bit of Florida street, to around the Galeria Pacifico mall and back. We walked into the mall for a bit but it didn’t seem much different from malls at home. My husband wants a leather jacket but all the stores and people jumping on you was a bit overwhelming, and I’m not sure how great the quality is. I bought two cute shirts at a store a lot like Forever 21 – where I would never really shop back home because it’s cheap quality – but I like buying clothes like that in a foreign country for some reason. We did feel very successful though because we found a Citibank that let us take out as much money as we want, since that’s our bank – it was like seeing an oasis when I saw the citi sign! And we found a convenience store finally that had our cell phone service upgrade minutes cards. Success. On our walk back though, I took a bit of a tumble, and broke my flip flop, so we took a cab the rest of the way. After I put ice on my ankle it felt much better. (I am ALWAYS falling it seems…) The worst part is that I broke my favorite flip flops – which I probably shouldn’t wear anyway because I think they make me fall – and now I need to go buy some comfortable walking shoes because I really refuse to wear my sneakers and look like an un-stylish tourist!
We were going to go to La Cabrera last night, we had a reservation at 8:30 but knew we wouldn’t be hungry then after such a late lunch so had planned to just go later and wait. By the time we actually got going it was around 10:30/11 and we didn’t really feel like a big wait and then lots of steak really late at night, especially with La Brigada the next night. (But I still will insist we go to La Cabrera before we leave – I have heard so many great things about it!) My husband had a craving for pizza so we just called down to Valeria (who probably thinks we’re crazy) and she recommended a place called Minna in Puerto madero. I wasn’t that keen on going to Puerto Madero since we were going there the next night to the Faena, but it was her first pizza recommendation so we decided to try it. The cab got a little lost but finally we were there, it’s a nice place by the water, a lot of people eating outside, as we did. At first when I saw the menu all in Spanish my heart sunk, but the really nice owner (I think he was) came over, found out what we liked in English, and recommended an appetizer and then two small pizzas with different things on each half for us to share. He also loves wine and recommended glasses of wine for us. We were thrilled!! The pizza was great….I think my favorite was the one that had a combo of tomatoes, brie, basil, and olive oil, with the other half of mozzarella, mushrooms, and onions. Each small pizza is like a square with four square pieces, and they serve you the pieces on your plate, which is less overwhelming than how pizza is in the US. The crust is thin and crispy, which I love, I think my only complaint was having only the barest hint of tomato sauce, I like a bit more, but all in all a great recommendation. We had planned to take a taxi to some bars after dinner, but of course found ourselves sleepy from all the food and wine (this is a recurring theme…), and we knew we had to get up sort of early, so we went back to the hotel and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed at 8:30 (very early for us, my husband complained a lot), but the four seasons breakfast buffet made him very happy. It’s quite something, and I can only imagine what Sunday brunch will be like tomorrow if this is normal everyday breakfast. They had tons of cereal, more fruit than I’ve seen since we got to Argentina, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, cream cheese, an assortment of fresh breads and pastries, etc. You can also order many different things off the menu (like an egg white frittata) but we didn’t have time, and the buffet is included in our room rate so we went with that for now. We only had about twenty minutes to wolf down all the food, and then someone came to tell us our tour guide Lucia was here (I love that – they figured out who we were and showed us our guide, priceless). Lucia looked to be about my age, and led us to a van with a driver. We had booked this private city tour of Buenos Aires through Eternautas. We started in the main square downtown where the pink house is. I won’t recount all of the history here, but I find the political upheavals of Argentina really fascinating. I wish I would be here on a Thursday to see the demonstration of the mothers/grandmothers of the sons who disappeared. It rained on us while we were in the square but it stopped soon and the BLAZING hot sun came out again. Then we drove through Monsserat and San Telmo, hearing more info from our guide along the way. It’s hard to believe so much of the city used to be under the river, or more aptly, just didn’t exist at all. In La Boca we got out and she gave us 20 minutes to wander around which was WAY more than enough – definitely believe the guidebooks on this one when they say not worth a visit, but I was glad to find that out for myself, and quickly. We then drove past some more monuments and statutes that were explained to us, and then we drove through Recoleta/Palermo Chico looking at all the mansions that are mostly now embassies – hard to believe one family ever lived in those huge houses. Our final stop was the Recoleta Cemetary. What a crazy place! It doesn’t even look like a cemetery, it looks like it’s just full of monuments/statutes all next to each other, with avenues to walk through them that are like spokes on a wheel. But each of those is really a mausoleum with a coffin inside (or sometimes underground), AND the whole thing was built on graves that were already underground (poor things, no stone or anything anymore) so you are walking on dead bodies and surrounded by them, which was a bit creepy but if you don’t think about it it’s not so bad. Lucia told us some interesting stories about some of the dead, and then the long story of the travels of Evita’s body (which tracks the tumultuous political history of Argentina), and then we took the requisite pictures of her mausoleum, which isn’t the grandest in the cemetery by far, but you should go and hear the story and you’ll understand why.
We were right at the crafts fair so we told them not to bother driving us back to the hotel and we just walked through the fair. I was a little disappointed by it, although I did buy a nice necklace, it seemed I was seeing the same type of thing over and over, but maybe that’s just because my bored husband was with me, and it was really hot and I was hungry. We started to walk back on Avenue Alvear (the 5th avenue of BA..) which was nice but it’s not like I’m going to buy something at Valentino. We were hungry and for many blocks did not see any cafés or anything which I thought was really strange! Finally we found an Italian café, the AC was on, and they had English menus –paradise for us (again I forget the name sorry!) My husband was silly and ordered an irish coffee with his food that came before, instead of getting it after – and then we each had sandwiches and fries. They were decent, the chicken on mine was fatty and bad so I took it off but everything else was good. I wish I could carry my guidebooks around with me so I’d know where the best places to get lunch are…oh well. We were exhausted when we came back to the hotel and took a long nap. Now it’s time for La Brigada and tango show!
Fri 12/26 – Sat 12/27:
On Friday morning we flew from Bariloche back to Buenos Aires. I noticed that a huge group of Americans that had been at El Casco with us were driving to the airport to catch the same flight as us, so as soon as we got there, we flew out of the car to get on line to check in before them – we’re so sneaky. As usual, we had good luck with our flight – of course it was about twenty minutes delayed, not that they’d ever tell you that, but that seems to be par for the course and I can’t complain, given the horror stories I’d heard and what I was expecting. And once again, all our luggage got there – knock on wood. We hired a remise from Tienda Leon to take us to the Four Seasons. This hotel is really in a class by itself. Even though our room is the smallest of all the hotels so far (and it’s NOT small – there’s a huge tub, walk in closet, etc.) and there’s a view of a highway, it’s still clearly the best, because the service is impeccable – everyone is so friendly and helpful, and speaks English. They knew it was our honeymoon so they gave us one free massage (which costs over 100 Us dollars here), and then they brought champagne, cookies, and a chocolate “sculpture” of two tango dancers to our room. Awesome. The bed is also amazing. I think I’m now spoiled forever thanks to this hotel. When my husband went to see the pool and spa/gym area, a really nice employee gave him a full personal tour of the place (gym = huge with tvs on treadmills….we’ll see if I ever actually use it). We were a bit off schedule because we lost an hour (BA is an hour ahead of Bariloche), and we were hungry and still needed lunch and it was already 5 pm. So we went downstairs to the concierge desk, where many staff are around and wanting to help, but I really wanted to meet Valeria, the really nice concierge I had corresponded with by email for the last few weeks. She was finally free, and even nicer/cuter in person than by email. She got super excited when we decided we didn’t want to eat at the Faena tango show on Sat night and instead she booked us at La Brigada for dinner beforehand. We decided to spend a little time on Calle Florida shopping and just people/window watching, to get our first exposure to the city. So we walked from our hotel past Plaza San martin, and got a bite to eat in a café there, I don’t remember the name, it was nothing spectacular. The menu was all in Spanish which presents a challenge, but I knew enough to order the nicoise salad “sin jamon.” Everything takes forever in restaurants here which is nice but sometimes a little frustrating when you want to get going (What were they doing in the back? Shredding the carrots for my salad? Killing the tuna)? Anyway….we walked up and down just a bit of Florida street, to around the Galeria Pacifico mall and back. We walked into the mall for a bit but it didn’t seem much different from malls at home. My husband wants a leather jacket but all the stores and people jumping on you was a bit overwhelming, and I’m not sure how great the quality is. I bought two cute shirts at a store a lot like Forever 21 – where I would never really shop back home because it’s cheap quality – but I like buying clothes like that in a foreign country for some reason. We did feel very successful though because we found a Citibank that let us take out as much money as we want, since that’s our bank – it was like seeing an oasis when I saw the citi sign! And we found a convenience store finally that had our cell phone service upgrade minutes cards. Success. On our walk back though, I took a bit of a tumble, and broke my flip flop, so we took a cab the rest of the way. After I put ice on my ankle it felt much better. (I am ALWAYS falling it seems…) The worst part is that I broke my favorite flip flops – which I probably shouldn’t wear anyway because I think they make me fall – and now I need to go buy some comfortable walking shoes because I really refuse to wear my sneakers and look like an un-stylish tourist!
We were going to go to La Cabrera last night, we had a reservation at 8:30 but knew we wouldn’t be hungry then after such a late lunch so had planned to just go later and wait. By the time we actually got going it was around 10:30/11 and we didn’t really feel like a big wait and then lots of steak really late at night, especially with La Brigada the next night. (But I still will insist we go to La Cabrera before we leave – I have heard so many great things about it!) My husband had a craving for pizza so we just called down to Valeria (who probably thinks we’re crazy) and she recommended a place called Minna in Puerto madero. I wasn’t that keen on going to Puerto Madero since we were going there the next night to the Faena, but it was her first pizza recommendation so we decided to try it. The cab got a little lost but finally we were there, it’s a nice place by the water, a lot of people eating outside, as we did. At first when I saw the menu all in Spanish my heart sunk, but the really nice owner (I think he was) came over, found out what we liked in English, and recommended an appetizer and then two small pizzas with different things on each half for us to share. He also loves wine and recommended glasses of wine for us. We were thrilled!! The pizza was great….I think my favorite was the one that had a combo of tomatoes, brie, basil, and olive oil, with the other half of mozzarella, mushrooms, and onions. Each small pizza is like a square with four square pieces, and they serve you the pieces on your plate, which is less overwhelming than how pizza is in the US. The crust is thin and crispy, which I love, I think my only complaint was having only the barest hint of tomato sauce, I like a bit more, but all in all a great recommendation. We had planned to take a taxi to some bars after dinner, but of course found ourselves sleepy from all the food and wine (this is a recurring theme…), and we knew we had to get up sort of early, so we went back to the hotel and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed at 8:30 (very early for us, my husband complained a lot), but the four seasons breakfast buffet made him very happy. It’s quite something, and I can only imagine what Sunday brunch will be like tomorrow if this is normal everyday breakfast. They had tons of cereal, more fruit than I’ve seen since we got to Argentina, scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, cream cheese, an assortment of fresh breads and pastries, etc. You can also order many different things off the menu (like an egg white frittata) but we didn’t have time, and the buffet is included in our room rate so we went with that for now. We only had about twenty minutes to wolf down all the food, and then someone came to tell us our tour guide Lucia was here (I love that – they figured out who we were and showed us our guide, priceless). Lucia looked to be about my age, and led us to a van with a driver. We had booked this private city tour of Buenos Aires through Eternautas. We started in the main square downtown where the pink house is. I won’t recount all of the history here, but I find the political upheavals of Argentina really fascinating. I wish I would be here on a Thursday to see the demonstration of the mothers/grandmothers of the sons who disappeared. It rained on us while we were in the square but it stopped soon and the BLAZING hot sun came out again. Then we drove through Monsserat and San Telmo, hearing more info from our guide along the way. It’s hard to believe so much of the city used to be under the river, or more aptly, just didn’t exist at all. In La Boca we got out and she gave us 20 minutes to wander around which was WAY more than enough – definitely believe the guidebooks on this one when they say not worth a visit, but I was glad to find that out for myself, and quickly. We then drove past some more monuments and statutes that were explained to us, and then we drove through Recoleta/Palermo Chico looking at all the mansions that are mostly now embassies – hard to believe one family ever lived in those huge houses. Our final stop was the Recoleta Cemetary. What a crazy place! It doesn’t even look like a cemetery, it looks like it’s just full of monuments/statutes all next to each other, with avenues to walk through them that are like spokes on a wheel. But each of those is really a mausoleum with a coffin inside (or sometimes underground), AND the whole thing was built on graves that were already underground (poor things, no stone or anything anymore) so you are walking on dead bodies and surrounded by them, which was a bit creepy but if you don’t think about it it’s not so bad. Lucia told us some interesting stories about some of the dead, and then the long story of the travels of Evita’s body (which tracks the tumultuous political history of Argentina), and then we took the requisite pictures of her mausoleum, which isn’t the grandest in the cemetery by far, but you should go and hear the story and you’ll understand why.
We were right at the crafts fair so we told them not to bother driving us back to the hotel and we just walked through the fair. I was a little disappointed by it, although I did buy a nice necklace, it seemed I was seeing the same type of thing over and over, but maybe that’s just because my bored husband was with me, and it was really hot and I was hungry. We started to walk back on Avenue Alvear (the 5th avenue of BA..) which was nice but it’s not like I’m going to buy something at Valentino. We were hungry and for many blocks did not see any cafés or anything which I thought was really strange! Finally we found an Italian café, the AC was on, and they had English menus –paradise for us (again I forget the name sorry!) My husband was silly and ordered an irish coffee with his food that came before, instead of getting it after – and then we each had sandwiches and fries. They were decent, the chicken on mine was fatty and bad so I took it off but everything else was good. I wish I could carry my guidebooks around with me so I’d know where the best places to get lunch are…oh well. We were exhausted when we came back to the hotel and took a long nap. Now it’s time for La Brigada and tango show!
Dec 27th, 2008, 01:50 PM
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Shar:
Just a suggestion which you have probably heard before...on Sunday afternoons in San Telmo Square, some of the most colorful scenes of BA can be enjoyed...this includes a flea market, tango dancers, vendors, musicians, etc.and
if you take a cab to the Once' district among other things you will come to the large Hebraica Center (don't know if it has been rebuilt)..last time we stopped there, there was a sign in the next-door deli's window proclaiming, "Tenemos gefilte fish" (photo op!)..the area is quite interesting since at one time it was a teeming Jewish garment and shop district, which has waned a bit since, especally after the brutal bombing of '94 causing over 200 deaths.
Strolling along Pueyradon and Sarmiento Streets wil give you a feel for the still vibrant life of BA Jewry, which at this time hovers around 200,000 people.
A venerable(1858) high tea stop can be found at The Gran Cafe Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo (near the Plaza)..people have been known to break into tango therein. Fun place.
Hopefully, you'll have your guide take you to Teatro Colon, BA's plush Opera House..on the wide Avenida July Ninth (across from the Obelisk). Old world at its best.
stu t.
By the way, the referenced grandmother's weep for BOTH sons and daughters (the "desparacidos" of a treacherous era)
Just a suggestion which you have probably heard before...on Sunday afternoons in San Telmo Square, some of the most colorful scenes of BA can be enjoyed...this includes a flea market, tango dancers, vendors, musicians, etc.and
if you take a cab to the Once' district among other things you will come to the large Hebraica Center (don't know if it has been rebuilt)..last time we stopped there, there was a sign in the next-door deli's window proclaiming, "Tenemos gefilte fish" (photo op!)..the area is quite interesting since at one time it was a teeming Jewish garment and shop district, which has waned a bit since, especally after the brutal bombing of '94 causing over 200 deaths.
Strolling along Pueyradon and Sarmiento Streets wil give you a feel for the still vibrant life of BA Jewry, which at this time hovers around 200,000 people.
A venerable(1858) high tea stop can be found at The Gran Cafe Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo (near the Plaza)..people have been known to break into tango therein. Fun place.
Hopefully, you'll have your guide take you to Teatro Colon, BA's plush Opera House..on the wide Avenida July Ninth (across from the Obelisk). Old world at its best.
stu t.
By the way, the referenced grandmother's weep for BOTH sons and daughters (the "desparacidos" of a treacherous era)
Dec 27th, 2008, 02:15 PM
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Unfortunately, our famous Teatro Colón is closed for renovations.
http://www.teatrocolon.org.ar/site/index.php
http://www.teatrocolon.org.ar/site/index.php
Dec 27th, 2008, 02:54 PM
#5
Sharbear, thanks so much for your report. I'll be following in your footsteps a couple of weeks from now. I'm so disappointed that the Teatro Colon is closed for renovations. It was my #1 priority!
Dec 27th, 2008, 07:03 PM
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Yes, it is too bad about Teatre colon - we were just able to see the outside. We will be taking a Jewish tour Monday so I think we will see some of the sites Stu mentioned. We were planning to go to San Telmo tomorrow, although I was starting to wonder if maybe we shouldn't because we don't really like antiques and we still haven't been in Palermo much and I want to shop on Santa Fe, but perhaps we shall go to San Telmo, everyone seems to think its worth it! I am tired now...will post tomorrow about La Brigada and Faena - they were wonderful!
Dec 27th, 2008, 09:09 PM
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shar:
San Telmo is much more than antigues and flea market...it's the Argentine flavor and character...you can wait until early afternoon to get that flavor if you prefer to sleep in for a bit.
AND a hearty Mazel Tov and many decades of happiness!
stu t. (and this comes from an old many who has been in that wonderful "instituion of mariage for 58 years!..oy vay!)
San Telmo is much more than antigues and flea market...it's the Argentine flavor and character...you can wait until early afternoon to get that flavor if you prefer to sleep in for a bit.
AND a hearty Mazel Tov and many decades of happiness!
stu t. (and this comes from an old many who has been in that wonderful "instituion of mariage for 58 years!..oy vay!)
Dec 27th, 2008, 09:15 PM
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Shar:
I scanned some of my pre-digital shots of San Telmo...call it a preview of coming attractions should you decide to take in San Telmo (photo ops galore!)
stu t.
http://tiny.cc/NoU0h
(These can be enlarged by clicking on magnifying glass icon...don't miss the Museum of Modern Art, pictured here)
I scanned some of my pre-digital shots of San Telmo...call it a preview of coming attractions should you decide to take in San Telmo (photo ops galore!)
stu t.
http://tiny.cc/NoU0h
(These can be enlarged by clicking on magnifying glass icon...don't miss the Museum of Modern Art, pictured here)
Dec 28th, 2008, 07:34 AM
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Here is the Museum of Modern Art ( MALBA) website.
http://www.malba.org.ar/web/
stu , we so agree with you about San Telmo!
We actually prefer shopping there or visiting during the week, when it is more quiet and much less touristy. Many of the chandeliers in my new home are from shops in ST. It was delightful doing that shopping !
sharbear, todays Buenos Aires Herald has flip flops that are on sale somewhere, really pretty with little "jewels" on the top straps.. you can get them here easily.
The Original Madres ( of both sons and daughters ) are going to stop doing their Thursday demonstrations..but the other Madres (of Plaza Mayo) will continue to march .
To me, there are few sights as heartbreaking as those old women marching with the photos of those beautiful young men and women, so full of promise and lost in such a horrible way.
http://www.malba.org.ar/web/
stu , we so agree with you about San Telmo!
We actually prefer shopping there or visiting during the week, when it is more quiet and much less touristy. Many of the chandeliers in my new home are from shops in ST. It was delightful doing that shopping !
sharbear, todays Buenos Aires Herald has flip flops that are on sale somewhere, really pretty with little "jewels" on the top straps.. you can get them here easily.
The Original Madres ( of both sons and daughters ) are going to stop doing their Thursday demonstrations..but the other Madres (of Plaza Mayo) will continue to march .
To me, there are few sights as heartbreaking as those old women marching with the photos of those beautiful young men and women, so full of promise and lost in such a horrible way.
Dec 28th, 2008, 05:13 PM
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Sat 12/27 – Sun 12/28
So we got to La Brigada and were ushered into our table – the place is kind of cramped/cozy with all sorts of gaucho/football memorabilia on the walls. We soon discovered that our waiter spoke exactly zero words of English, which threw us off a bit because we thought it was a touristy enough place where that wouldn’t happen! We managed to order empanadas, mushrooms provencal, a lomo with pepper sauce for me, and a rib eye for my husband, as well as a salad and some French fries. The empanadas and mushrooms were really yummy, the mushrooms especially were in an herb/olive oil/garlic sauce that I loved. My steak with pepper sauce was the highlight of the evening – I ordered it medium and it was perfectly cooked for me, even a tad less than medium which I like. (My husband said rare because he thought they’d overcook it but they listened to him so they graciously took it back to cook it some more). My peppercorn sauce was so tasty my husband was dipping his steak in it the whole time! They also brought me some cheesy potatoes I didn’t order and didn’t really need (there’s definitely some stuff you can get on the side that we didn’t see on the menu at all….) We felt that we were being served much quicker than we normally have been in Argentina – maybe they were rushing us so they could seat more people, and we didn’t appreciate it because we knew we had to stay there until our car came to take us to the tango show. Somehow I found room in me for desert and the waiter pointed to “dulche de leche pancake” so I ordered that, having no idea what it was – well it’s a crepe filled with dulche de leche and really all you need to know is it’s the most amazing thing in the world. Order it when you see it on the menu! Our car was actually early and was ready when we were done to take us to Faena.
Faena Hotel and Universe (such a funny name) is quite a cool place, as everyone had been telling me. It’s hard to explain but I’ll try. You walk in and there’s a long corridor dimly lit and off to the sides there’s glass and you can see various bars/restaurants – one decorated all in white, then one bar looking like a library – everything is mirrored and red/black and velvet, very sexy but still chic. We were early for the second tango show of the night there so we waited outside. The staff seemed a bit standoffish, as befits a place that looks like that I suppose. Finally we were let in, the tango room is very small and intimate and we got a seat in the front row which I was happy about since we heard a couple demanding their money back because they couldn’t see the feet of the tango dancers so what was the point. We were immediately offered bottomless champagne, which was nice. The show was fantastic, but admittedly I don’t have anything to compare it to. Lots and lots of interesting tango numbers, I never got bored because each one was a bit different, with different music, tempo, style. There was one older man who I swear danced each dance with his eyes closed! There were also two very good singers who sang while the dancers were changing costumes. I really loved the show and it is super expensive (like a Broadway show!) - $140 per person without dinner – but at least for us on our honeymoon it was worth the splurge. (Friends of ours who went to senor tango described a very different experience of a huge room, and horses, and general tackiness…) Afterward we had a drink at the Faena pool bar which was quite an experience, just a really cool atmosphere to sit around the pool and watch beautiful people and drink really good drinks (meaning for me at least that they don’t taste too much like alcohol). Then at around 2 am it was time to wrap it up and go home….
Sunday morning we slept in because we had reservations for brunch at the Four Seasons in “La Mansion” at noon, which is when it starts. It was quite something. It’s more like lunch than brunch, as there are no eggs or anything. My husband and I were so overwhelmed by all the food we had to devise a strategy of like ok first we’ll start with this, then this, etc. Let me see what I can remember….and I won’t be doing it justice…sushi, table of cheeses, smoked salmon with garnishes, table of homemade breads, seafood, tuna, diff kinds of chips with guacamole, tons of grilled vegetables, lots of different salads, a lot of hot food (I didn’t eat as much of that), a pasta bar, and then an entire room of deserts!!! Crazy. I really mean an ENTIRE room!! I’ve never been so full…except I seem to say that after every meal here! And the service…before you can even finish your orange juice, another glass appears…you get up for more food, your plate is gone and you have a new knife and fork. I could definitely get used to this!
Then we got in a cab and headed for the San Telmo market/fair. It was super crowded and HOT out, so I knew we wouldn’t last too long, but I’m glad we went. We actually liked the stuff around the actual square better than the antiques inside, probably because we’re not antique-y people. We bought too really nice patchwork leather purses and a wallet which I was happy about. I never saw the tango dancers which I was a little sad about. Then we met up with friends of my parents – note: San Telmo fair is not a great place to try to meet up with people. But eventually we found them and hung out for a bit, before we decided we had had our fill and wanted to check out the shopping in Palermo. We took a cab all the way to Alto Palermo (the mall) because I wanted some AC. My husband and I split up for an hour as to be a bit more efficient, and off I went wandering the mall. Now, normally I love wandering malls, but I found the experience of trying to shop in a language that I don’t know AT ALL, to be somewhat intimidating and frustrating. I was also really self conscious because I was wearing sneakers and NOBODY was wearing sneakers….ladies you will understand this. But I persevered…I kept walking into clothing stores and then walking out without trying anything on, which is unlike me. I went to a lot of shoe stores to replace those broken flip flops, but I had trouble figuring out that in some stores you can’t ask for shoes in a different size, they only have what’s out, and they don’t seem to have any half sizes. Finally I found shoes I liked, and when I went to pay no one could even tell me the price in English, but I saw it on the tag luckily. I suppose I just let myself get intimidated and I shouldn’t have! But at least I accomplished something (although I still need a hat before Tues. at the estancia so I don’t burn my scalp AGAIN).
We went back to the Four Seasons where I had a pedicure scheduled and my husband had a massage. My pedicure was pretty good, but at the end she made me get out of the chair when it hadn’t really dried at all, she took the cotton out from between my toes and tried to put my foot in my shoes, which of course smudged a toe, which she fixed, but then made me walk somewhere else and I messed up another toe and I was too lazy to get her to fix it. It just didn’t seem right for the money I’m paying that I can’t stay in the chair, but now I’m starting to sound like a spoiled brat. My husband loved his massage, so yay. The pool area is really small, after all we’re in the middle of a city, but we were able to eventually snag two chairs in the shade where we read for a bit and had some fruit salad/water/beer. I do love all the staff all around, folding the towels just so on the chairs and bringing whatever you need, it’s great. I intended to go to gym, but took the fact that it was very crowded as the excuse I needed to skip it….and, we walked a lot today…I think.
For dinner we walked over to Sotte Vocce, just about a ten minute walk from the hotel on Libertador. It was very full and bustling inside, but very elegant. The food was excellent (we haven’t really had bad food have we!?) We shared arroncini to start, which are like fried rice balls, these had veal in them too. The waiter spoke very good English although he said there was no cheese in the rice balls when there was (we find a lot of the time that when we ask about ingredients we are “lied” to – maybe it’s just not like America where they worry about people having deadly allergies). My main course was fussily with tomato sauce and basil, very simple but wonderful because the pasta is homemade. Mmm…I wish I’d had room for some homemade ice cream, but I settled for “calm” tea. We’re making it an early night tonight as we are getting up sort of early for our tour of Jewish Buenos Aires tomorrow!
So we got to La Brigada and were ushered into our table – the place is kind of cramped/cozy with all sorts of gaucho/football memorabilia on the walls. We soon discovered that our waiter spoke exactly zero words of English, which threw us off a bit because we thought it was a touristy enough place where that wouldn’t happen! We managed to order empanadas, mushrooms provencal, a lomo with pepper sauce for me, and a rib eye for my husband, as well as a salad and some French fries. The empanadas and mushrooms were really yummy, the mushrooms especially were in an herb/olive oil/garlic sauce that I loved. My steak with pepper sauce was the highlight of the evening – I ordered it medium and it was perfectly cooked for me, even a tad less than medium which I like. (My husband said rare because he thought they’d overcook it but they listened to him so they graciously took it back to cook it some more). My peppercorn sauce was so tasty my husband was dipping his steak in it the whole time! They also brought me some cheesy potatoes I didn’t order and didn’t really need (there’s definitely some stuff you can get on the side that we didn’t see on the menu at all….) We felt that we were being served much quicker than we normally have been in Argentina – maybe they were rushing us so they could seat more people, and we didn’t appreciate it because we knew we had to stay there until our car came to take us to the tango show. Somehow I found room in me for desert and the waiter pointed to “dulche de leche pancake” so I ordered that, having no idea what it was – well it’s a crepe filled with dulche de leche and really all you need to know is it’s the most amazing thing in the world. Order it when you see it on the menu! Our car was actually early and was ready when we were done to take us to Faena.
Faena Hotel and Universe (such a funny name) is quite a cool place, as everyone had been telling me. It’s hard to explain but I’ll try. You walk in and there’s a long corridor dimly lit and off to the sides there’s glass and you can see various bars/restaurants – one decorated all in white, then one bar looking like a library – everything is mirrored and red/black and velvet, very sexy but still chic. We were early for the second tango show of the night there so we waited outside. The staff seemed a bit standoffish, as befits a place that looks like that I suppose. Finally we were let in, the tango room is very small and intimate and we got a seat in the front row which I was happy about since we heard a couple demanding their money back because they couldn’t see the feet of the tango dancers so what was the point. We were immediately offered bottomless champagne, which was nice. The show was fantastic, but admittedly I don’t have anything to compare it to. Lots and lots of interesting tango numbers, I never got bored because each one was a bit different, with different music, tempo, style. There was one older man who I swear danced each dance with his eyes closed! There were also two very good singers who sang while the dancers were changing costumes. I really loved the show and it is super expensive (like a Broadway show!) - $140 per person without dinner – but at least for us on our honeymoon it was worth the splurge. (Friends of ours who went to senor tango described a very different experience of a huge room, and horses, and general tackiness…) Afterward we had a drink at the Faena pool bar which was quite an experience, just a really cool atmosphere to sit around the pool and watch beautiful people and drink really good drinks (meaning for me at least that they don’t taste too much like alcohol). Then at around 2 am it was time to wrap it up and go home….
Sunday morning we slept in because we had reservations for brunch at the Four Seasons in “La Mansion” at noon, which is when it starts. It was quite something. It’s more like lunch than brunch, as there are no eggs or anything. My husband and I were so overwhelmed by all the food we had to devise a strategy of like ok first we’ll start with this, then this, etc. Let me see what I can remember….and I won’t be doing it justice…sushi, table of cheeses, smoked salmon with garnishes, table of homemade breads, seafood, tuna, diff kinds of chips with guacamole, tons of grilled vegetables, lots of different salads, a lot of hot food (I didn’t eat as much of that), a pasta bar, and then an entire room of deserts!!! Crazy. I really mean an ENTIRE room!! I’ve never been so full…except I seem to say that after every meal here! And the service…before you can even finish your orange juice, another glass appears…you get up for more food, your plate is gone and you have a new knife and fork. I could definitely get used to this!
Then we got in a cab and headed for the San Telmo market/fair. It was super crowded and HOT out, so I knew we wouldn’t last too long, but I’m glad we went. We actually liked the stuff around the actual square better than the antiques inside, probably because we’re not antique-y people. We bought too really nice patchwork leather purses and a wallet which I was happy about. I never saw the tango dancers which I was a little sad about. Then we met up with friends of my parents – note: San Telmo fair is not a great place to try to meet up with people. But eventually we found them and hung out for a bit, before we decided we had had our fill and wanted to check out the shopping in Palermo. We took a cab all the way to Alto Palermo (the mall) because I wanted some AC. My husband and I split up for an hour as to be a bit more efficient, and off I went wandering the mall. Now, normally I love wandering malls, but I found the experience of trying to shop in a language that I don’t know AT ALL, to be somewhat intimidating and frustrating. I was also really self conscious because I was wearing sneakers and NOBODY was wearing sneakers….ladies you will understand this. But I persevered…I kept walking into clothing stores and then walking out without trying anything on, which is unlike me. I went to a lot of shoe stores to replace those broken flip flops, but I had trouble figuring out that in some stores you can’t ask for shoes in a different size, they only have what’s out, and they don’t seem to have any half sizes. Finally I found shoes I liked, and when I went to pay no one could even tell me the price in English, but I saw it on the tag luckily. I suppose I just let myself get intimidated and I shouldn’t have! But at least I accomplished something (although I still need a hat before Tues. at the estancia so I don’t burn my scalp AGAIN).
We went back to the Four Seasons where I had a pedicure scheduled and my husband had a massage. My pedicure was pretty good, but at the end she made me get out of the chair when it hadn’t really dried at all, she took the cotton out from between my toes and tried to put my foot in my shoes, which of course smudged a toe, which she fixed, but then made me walk somewhere else and I messed up another toe and I was too lazy to get her to fix it. It just didn’t seem right for the money I’m paying that I can’t stay in the chair, but now I’m starting to sound like a spoiled brat. My husband loved his massage, so yay. The pool area is really small, after all we’re in the middle of a city, but we were able to eventually snag two chairs in the shade where we read for a bit and had some fruit salad/water/beer. I do love all the staff all around, folding the towels just so on the chairs and bringing whatever you need, it’s great. I intended to go to gym, but took the fact that it was very crowded as the excuse I needed to skip it….and, we walked a lot today…I think.
For dinner we walked over to Sotte Vocce, just about a ten minute walk from the hotel on Libertador. It was very full and bustling inside, but very elegant. The food was excellent (we haven’t really had bad food have we!?) We shared arroncini to start, which are like fried rice balls, these had veal in them too. The waiter spoke very good English although he said there was no cheese in the rice balls when there was (we find a lot of the time that when we ask about ingredients we are “lied” to – maybe it’s just not like America where they worry about people having deadly allergies). My main course was fussily with tomato sauce and basil, very simple but wonderful because the pasta is homemade. Mmm…I wish I’d had room for some homemade ice cream, but I settled for “calm” tea. We’re making it an early night tonight as we are getting up sort of early for our tour of Jewish Buenos Aires tomorrow!
Dec 28th, 2008, 05:26 PM
#11
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shar:
so sorry you did not get to see the tango dancers in San Telmo..if you saw my scanned pix above, you'll know that they are, indeed, ever-present in the square. I wonder why they were not there.
Anyway, I hope you got the local flavors that I talked about. Enjoy your visit to Jewish B.A. tomorrow!
Ain't BA grand??!!
I appreciate the difficulty in not speaking the language. Luckily, I can converse quite comfortably in L.A. Spanish, and my wife can on a more moderate level..makes a helluva difference when traveling Spain or SA.
stu t.
stu T.
so sorry you did not get to see the tango dancers in San Telmo..if you saw my scanned pix above, you'll know that they are, indeed, ever-present in the square. I wonder why they were not there.
Anyway, I hope you got the local flavors that I talked about. Enjoy your visit to Jewish B.A. tomorrow!
Ain't BA grand??!!
I appreciate the difficulty in not speaking the language. Luckily, I can converse quite comfortably in L.A. Spanish, and my wife can on a more moderate level..makes a helluva difference when traveling Spain or SA.
stu t.
stu T.
Dec 28th, 2008, 05:31 PM
#12
Love following along on your honeymoon! Sounds like you all are having a great time. I know what u mean about feeling intimidated trying to talk in Spanish when shopping. But 4 me, I let the shopping gene take over and just point and gesture...usually they get it and I can find what I want. For the price i gesture to write it down which they do.
And if the hot weather gets to u -- just conjure up the cold weather and snow back in the US and u'll enjoy the heat.
And if the hot weather gets to u -- just conjure up the cold weather and snow back in the US and u'll enjoy the heat.
Dec 29th, 2008, 07:45 AM
#13
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shar:
I've been inexcusably remiss in not mentioning that your report is excellent in detail, humor, solid information and style! Historically, there have not been many detailed reports on Mendoza or Bariloche. My oldest granddaughter did her High School junior year in Mendoza, staying with a lovely family. She recently had a grand reunion with them while she was on business in BA..she flew to Mendoza for a long weekend. She attended a full semester at Mendoza's high school (in Spanish...she had taken threer years of it)...I remember driving her to LAX and she was literally bubbling over with grand anticipation!
stu (I'll be showing Dari your portions on Mendoza)
stu
I've been inexcusably remiss in not mentioning that your report is excellent in detail, humor, solid information and style! Historically, there have not been many detailed reports on Mendoza or Bariloche. My oldest granddaughter did her High School junior year in Mendoza, staying with a lovely family. She recently had a grand reunion with them while she was on business in BA..she flew to Mendoza for a long weekend. She attended a full semester at Mendoza's high school (in Spanish...she had taken threer years of it)...I remember driving her to LAX and she was literally bubbling over with grand anticipation!
stu (I'll be showing Dari your portions on Mendoza)
stu
Dec 30th, 2008, 04:56 PM
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Thanks for the encouraging words...I've fallen a bit behind..this is from Monday, hopefully on the plane to Iguazu tomorrow I can write about our day at the estancia today!
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Monday morning we had to wake up around 8 to get ready and eat before our Jewish tour. I really need to remember on our next vacation not to book tours in the morning – we really don’t like having to wake up to an alarm on vacation! We met our tour guide, Salito Gutt (who has almost the same last name as my maiden name –perhaps we are distant relatives) – he was older than I expected, but very nice and funny in a kind of corny way like my dad. (jewish-tours.com.ar) He drove us first to AMIA – the Argentinian Jewish federation. The building was bombed by terrorists in 1994 and 85 people were killed and 300 injured. We saw the memorial to them and heard some of the very sad stories about those who were killed, it really put a somber cast on the whole tour. We then drove through the neighborhood Once, which is like the lower east side in NY except lots of Orthodox Jews still live there, there are tons of kosher restaurants and stores, and mezuzahs on doors of many of the clothing stores. We got to look at an old synagogue in the neighborhood that’s still in use, it looks a lot like a church, but I’m used to that from many of the old synagogues in New York. Salito is a great guide, very engaging as he tells the fascinating story of the Jews’ arrival in Argentina, their funding by a Baron from Austria, and how they didn’t succeed at farming in the country so eventually moved back to the city – he weaves in his familys own story of immigration as well. Our last stop was the site of where the Israeli embassy used to be in Recoleta, which was also bombed, in 1992 – 25 were killed. It’s just so so sad – many of those killed in both bombings were not Jewish, and everyone was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, including just people walking down the street outside. The Argentinian government still has not caught those responsible for these horrendous acts.
During the afternoon we snagged coveted chairs by the pool back at the hotel and ordered some lunch there – I have to say that the pool service here is way too slow, but the food is really good, so it all evens out in the end. We rested more in the room and then decided to get out of the hotel and go to Café Tortoni. I really should’ve read more about its significance before we went, so it would’ve meant something more to me…as it was, we waited in line for awhile to get in and get a table, then we got some decent snacks (I know, you don’t go for the food), and then we left and I wanted some exercise so we decided to walk back to the hotel, or as far as we could get, by way of Florida Street (again) because we needed to take out some money and Sam (my husband) still hadn’t gotten a leather jacket. We ended up seeing a leather store right next to Tortoni and he got a nice one there (and then later on he saw another nice one for less money and started wondering if he made the right decision…but he does this with every decision he makes so I just ignored him). Walking through florida street is a zoo, especially with the vendors in the middle, so as soon as we could get out of there we did. It was a long walk back and when we finally got back we were in a rush to get ready for dinner. Which brings me to….
Dinner…what can I say….this will be a long restaurant review because I’m still so angry about what happened. Anyway, we had a reservation to go to 647 dinner club, but I, in all my infinite wisdom, decided we’d been to the San Telmo area enough and one trendy restaurant is exchangeable for another (not true) and that we should try a restaurant that my friend couldn’t stop talking about after he came to Argentina – Sucre. Now my friend has good taste in food, and guidebooks liked the restaurant too, so I figured why not and we were able to get a reservation for an outdoor table for 9:30. Now, I knew it was in Belgrano, but no one – not my friend, not the concierge who made the reservation – told me how far away Belgrano is! It was definitely our most expensive cab yet (about ten dollars HA), and took about 25 minutes to get there – and of course we hadn’t left nearly enough time. The hostess was super rude and said she’d put us on the regular wait list for a table, but then five minutes later they put us at the empty table we’d seen when we walked in. (This had happened to us the night before also – a punishment for being late? Or perhaps they’re waiting to see if anyone cooler comes in who they can give the table to?) I should mention by the way that our cab driver had this annoying habit of talking to us in Spanish, repeating things over and over again as if that would make us understand him – he kept talking about “rally Dakar” some car race between Argentina and Chile. Our waitress had the same habit, her English wasn’t very good and immediately she started trying to tell us something in Spanish. Eventually we figured out she was saying “we’re full tonight so the kitchen is very slow.” Um..ok,…you probably shouldn’t put more tables in your restaurant than you can actually handle. So that was a bad first sign. We also didn’t get our wine list until after we’d had the regular menu for ten minutes. Then we got our appetizers…but still no bottle of wine! We ate our appetizers (which were very good – an egg with truffle oil and a brie salad), and still no wine….it’s hard enough for us to finish a bottle of wine without waiting till halfway through the meal to start it! Finally the sommelier comes over, after we hear our waitress walk by our table and curse in Spanish a few times (not at us, at the fact that we didn’t have our wine yet, I think). The sommelier spoke English and explained that their system broke down and they don’t have the wine we ordered!!! So now my husband is mad too and he’s like ok whos paying for this wine now. We ended up with a replacement bottle and they said we would only have to pay cost for it, so ok that’s fair I guess. But things only get worse….we waited an hour at least for our main course to come..meanwhile lots of waitresses running around looking busy, including ours, and occasionally she glances at us and shakes her head, or tries to tell us something quickly in Spanish even though she knows we don’t understand!! I tried to go to the bathroom, and the hostess whom I asked where it was ignored me, another waitress gestured quickly and babbled in spanish, and then the bathroom itself was really dirty and not at all befitting the “niceness” of the restaurant. Our waitress brought us some empanadas while we waited which were good..then FINALLY the food comes at like midnight when I’m just ready to leave because we have to get up early the next day. All along I was thinking at least the food will be really good, but, are you ready, it WAS NOT GOOD!!! Can you believe it?? My husband had ordered the exact dish my friend had raved about (veal ossobucco on risotto) and it was dry and flavorless. And I ordered a vegetable lasagna that was really just BAD – kind of burned on top and ugh. I don’t think I’m just colored by the bad service, I really think the food was quite mediocre after all that! We ate a few bites then asked for the check, which took about a half hour because they had to “take the discount” of the wine. Oh and how could I forget to mention (although this isn’t the restaurant’s fault) the couple sitting so close to us we could hear their every word who managed to smoke six cigarettes each during their meal, blowing their smoke into my asthmatic face. Lovely. Finally we were done and luckily able to get a cab back. What a nightmare. If you haven’t figured it out by now, don’t go to Sucre.
----
Monday morning we had to wake up around 8 to get ready and eat before our Jewish tour. I really need to remember on our next vacation not to book tours in the morning – we really don’t like having to wake up to an alarm on vacation! We met our tour guide, Salito Gutt (who has almost the same last name as my maiden name –perhaps we are distant relatives) – he was older than I expected, but very nice and funny in a kind of corny way like my dad. (jewish-tours.com.ar) He drove us first to AMIA – the Argentinian Jewish federation. The building was bombed by terrorists in 1994 and 85 people were killed and 300 injured. We saw the memorial to them and heard some of the very sad stories about those who were killed, it really put a somber cast on the whole tour. We then drove through the neighborhood Once, which is like the lower east side in NY except lots of Orthodox Jews still live there, there are tons of kosher restaurants and stores, and mezuzahs on doors of many of the clothing stores. We got to look at an old synagogue in the neighborhood that’s still in use, it looks a lot like a church, but I’m used to that from many of the old synagogues in New York. Salito is a great guide, very engaging as he tells the fascinating story of the Jews’ arrival in Argentina, their funding by a Baron from Austria, and how they didn’t succeed at farming in the country so eventually moved back to the city – he weaves in his familys own story of immigration as well. Our last stop was the site of where the Israeli embassy used to be in Recoleta, which was also bombed, in 1992 – 25 were killed. It’s just so so sad – many of those killed in both bombings were not Jewish, and everyone was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, including just people walking down the street outside. The Argentinian government still has not caught those responsible for these horrendous acts.
During the afternoon we snagged coveted chairs by the pool back at the hotel and ordered some lunch there – I have to say that the pool service here is way too slow, but the food is really good, so it all evens out in the end. We rested more in the room and then decided to get out of the hotel and go to Café Tortoni. I really should’ve read more about its significance before we went, so it would’ve meant something more to me…as it was, we waited in line for awhile to get in and get a table, then we got some decent snacks (I know, you don’t go for the food), and then we left and I wanted some exercise so we decided to walk back to the hotel, or as far as we could get, by way of Florida Street (again) because we needed to take out some money and Sam (my husband) still hadn’t gotten a leather jacket. We ended up seeing a leather store right next to Tortoni and he got a nice one there (and then later on he saw another nice one for less money and started wondering if he made the right decision…but he does this with every decision he makes so I just ignored him). Walking through florida street is a zoo, especially with the vendors in the middle, so as soon as we could get out of there we did. It was a long walk back and when we finally got back we were in a rush to get ready for dinner. Which brings me to….
Dinner…what can I say….this will be a long restaurant review because I’m still so angry about what happened. Anyway, we had a reservation to go to 647 dinner club, but I, in all my infinite wisdom, decided we’d been to the San Telmo area enough and one trendy restaurant is exchangeable for another (not true) and that we should try a restaurant that my friend couldn’t stop talking about after he came to Argentina – Sucre. Now my friend has good taste in food, and guidebooks liked the restaurant too, so I figured why not and we were able to get a reservation for an outdoor table for 9:30. Now, I knew it was in Belgrano, but no one – not my friend, not the concierge who made the reservation – told me how far away Belgrano is! It was definitely our most expensive cab yet (about ten dollars HA), and took about 25 minutes to get there – and of course we hadn’t left nearly enough time. The hostess was super rude and said she’d put us on the regular wait list for a table, but then five minutes later they put us at the empty table we’d seen when we walked in. (This had happened to us the night before also – a punishment for being late? Or perhaps they’re waiting to see if anyone cooler comes in who they can give the table to?) I should mention by the way that our cab driver had this annoying habit of talking to us in Spanish, repeating things over and over again as if that would make us understand him – he kept talking about “rally Dakar” some car race between Argentina and Chile. Our waitress had the same habit, her English wasn’t very good and immediately she started trying to tell us something in Spanish. Eventually we figured out she was saying “we’re full tonight so the kitchen is very slow.” Um..ok,…you probably shouldn’t put more tables in your restaurant than you can actually handle. So that was a bad first sign. We also didn’t get our wine list until after we’d had the regular menu for ten minutes. Then we got our appetizers…but still no bottle of wine! We ate our appetizers (which were very good – an egg with truffle oil and a brie salad), and still no wine….it’s hard enough for us to finish a bottle of wine without waiting till halfway through the meal to start it! Finally the sommelier comes over, after we hear our waitress walk by our table and curse in Spanish a few times (not at us, at the fact that we didn’t have our wine yet, I think). The sommelier spoke English and explained that their system broke down and they don’t have the wine we ordered!!! So now my husband is mad too and he’s like ok whos paying for this wine now. We ended up with a replacement bottle and they said we would only have to pay cost for it, so ok that’s fair I guess. But things only get worse….we waited an hour at least for our main course to come..meanwhile lots of waitresses running around looking busy, including ours, and occasionally she glances at us and shakes her head, or tries to tell us something quickly in Spanish even though she knows we don’t understand!! I tried to go to the bathroom, and the hostess whom I asked where it was ignored me, another waitress gestured quickly and babbled in spanish, and then the bathroom itself was really dirty and not at all befitting the “niceness” of the restaurant. Our waitress brought us some empanadas while we waited which were good..then FINALLY the food comes at like midnight when I’m just ready to leave because we have to get up early the next day. All along I was thinking at least the food will be really good, but, are you ready, it WAS NOT GOOD!!! Can you believe it?? My husband had ordered the exact dish my friend had raved about (veal ossobucco on risotto) and it was dry and flavorless. And I ordered a vegetable lasagna that was really just BAD – kind of burned on top and ugh. I don’t think I’m just colored by the bad service, I really think the food was quite mediocre after all that! We ate a few bites then asked for the check, which took about a half hour because they had to “take the discount” of the wine. Oh and how could I forget to mention (although this isn’t the restaurant’s fault) the couple sitting so close to us we could hear their every word who managed to smoke six cigarettes each during their meal, blowing their smoke into my asthmatic face. Lovely. Finally we were done and luckily able to get a cab back. What a nightmare. If you haven’t figured it out by now, don’t go to Sucre.
Dec 31st, 2008, 06:33 AM
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sharbear84
I've been reading your reports and found them very interesting, detailed and entertaining. But I just wanted to tell you something: we Argentines have "the bad habit" of speaking in Spanish! You should have known this before you came to Argentina. Learning some basic words is always helpful.
I've been reading your reports and found them very interesting, detailed and entertaining. But I just wanted to tell you something: we Argentines have "the bad habit" of speaking in Spanish! You should have known this before you came to Argentina. Learning some basic words is always helpful.
Dec 31st, 2008, 12:18 PM
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You are right of course...and I have been learning some words. What frustrates me is that after we politely explain (in spanish) that we don't speak Spanish, I don't like still being yelled at rapidly in Spanish. But, your point is well taken, and I didn't mean to sound as angry as it actually came out.
Dec 31st, 2008, 12:32 PM
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I feel the need to clarify some of my remarks, because I saw another poster on a different thread talk about how much I was "irking" her. I tend to exaggerate things sometimes, it's just how I write, and I was truly really upset the other night with the way we were treated at the restaurant. Most everyone we met here has been lovely, has helped us learn some spanish, and has spoken to us in what English that they can, which we have greatly appreciated. I apologize if my comments offended anyone, I wish I knew more Spanish and I was just frustrated.
Dec 31st, 2008, 01:00 PM
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Anyway...onto the next day of our adventures yesterday, if anyone still wants to read...
Tuesday morning we woke up too early again, but excited for our day at Estancia Los Dos Hermanos! It was the #1 estancia on tripadvisor, and I was really hoping it would live up to its reputation. We shared a car/driver with another couple, which was super squishy but worth it to split the price. It took about an hour to get to the estancia, and as we drove in and I saw the place I got more and more excited. It was just a simple beautiful “farm,” a place I would love to own in my dreams someday. There was a big group assembled there, probably because of the time of the year, maybe about twenty, and Ana and the other “gauchos” greeted us immediately with juice, coffee, tea, and yummy croissants and pastries. Then we put our chaps and helmets on and got ready to ride! Ana is the nicest person, she greeted us as if we were close friends and went out of her way to make sure everyone was comfortable with the riding. I imagine it being a different experience with a really small group, getting to know Ana and others at the estancia more, but this way we got to meet a diverse group of people so it was also good. I was paired up with a horse called Pampa and finally we were off riding. There were people on the ride who had never been on a horse before, and others who were very experienced riders, and I fall somewhere in between as I used to ride as a girl but haven’t done more than trail walks on vacation in a long time, so I was really looking forward to doing more than just walking. At first we were walking for awhile, because there were so many of us, with the occasional trotting. My hose was certainly the follower type, only trotting when other horses did, and generally walking pretty slow and staying in the back, oh well. It was still just fun to ride. The first ride lasted about an hour and a half and then we sat down for our “asado” lunch, as we had all worked up an appetite at this point. First we were served cold beer, water, and the best empanadas! It was hard not to eat too many of them and spoil our appetite. Then lunch came – good simple salads and lots and lots of meat, different cuts of meat, brought to us sizzling…mmmm. Nothing like a great filet hot from the grill with chimmichurri sauce. Add to that good company and it’s even better. We met a couple from Northern Island, whom we talked to about the trip we’re planning to Ireland in august, a family from LA, another family from Colorado, two young women teaching in Columbia, and more. I took a nice nap in a hammock, and then it was time for ride #2. This time we split into two groups – one for a shorter slower ride and then another group doing a longer ride where we’d get to ride faster. We opted for the longer one. We still walked quite a bit during this one, but at times Don Juan (head gaucho? – my husband loved him and made me take a picture of the two of them) would shout something and all our horses would start running – it was awesome!!!! I love horses. Anyway, it was an amazing experience that you can never have in the states because they never let you do more than a walk on these type of things. And everyone who worked there was so nice. We came back to more food – these absolutely delicious little fried doughnut hole things, and we sat around talking until about 7 pm when we got in our car to go back. The couple we had shared the car with had gone back earlier, so we had the car to ourselves. Ana was really nice about explaining the whole thing and how we’d have to pay a bit more, but we didn’t mind. It’s still amazing to me that the whole day, including the car, cost $260 Us dollars for the two of us. Money definitely well spent!! We were so exhausted when we got back, and we still had to pack, so we ordered room service and just hung out.
Tuesday morning we woke up too early again, but excited for our day at Estancia Los Dos Hermanos! It was the #1 estancia on tripadvisor, and I was really hoping it would live up to its reputation. We shared a car/driver with another couple, which was super squishy but worth it to split the price. It took about an hour to get to the estancia, and as we drove in and I saw the place I got more and more excited. It was just a simple beautiful “farm,” a place I would love to own in my dreams someday. There was a big group assembled there, probably because of the time of the year, maybe about twenty, and Ana and the other “gauchos” greeted us immediately with juice, coffee, tea, and yummy croissants and pastries. Then we put our chaps and helmets on and got ready to ride! Ana is the nicest person, she greeted us as if we were close friends and went out of her way to make sure everyone was comfortable with the riding. I imagine it being a different experience with a really small group, getting to know Ana and others at the estancia more, but this way we got to meet a diverse group of people so it was also good. I was paired up with a horse called Pampa and finally we were off riding. There were people on the ride who had never been on a horse before, and others who were very experienced riders, and I fall somewhere in between as I used to ride as a girl but haven’t done more than trail walks on vacation in a long time, so I was really looking forward to doing more than just walking. At first we were walking for awhile, because there were so many of us, with the occasional trotting. My hose was certainly the follower type, only trotting when other horses did, and generally walking pretty slow and staying in the back, oh well. It was still just fun to ride. The first ride lasted about an hour and a half and then we sat down for our “asado” lunch, as we had all worked up an appetite at this point. First we were served cold beer, water, and the best empanadas! It was hard not to eat too many of them and spoil our appetite. Then lunch came – good simple salads and lots and lots of meat, different cuts of meat, brought to us sizzling…mmmm. Nothing like a great filet hot from the grill with chimmichurri sauce. Add to that good company and it’s even better. We met a couple from Northern Island, whom we talked to about the trip we’re planning to Ireland in august, a family from LA, another family from Colorado, two young women teaching in Columbia, and more. I took a nice nap in a hammock, and then it was time for ride #2. This time we split into two groups – one for a shorter slower ride and then another group doing a longer ride where we’d get to ride faster. We opted for the longer one. We still walked quite a bit during this one, but at times Don Juan (head gaucho? – my husband loved him and made me take a picture of the two of them) would shout something and all our horses would start running – it was awesome!!!! I love horses. Anyway, it was an amazing experience that you can never have in the states because they never let you do more than a walk on these type of things. And everyone who worked there was so nice. We came back to more food – these absolutely delicious little fried doughnut hole things, and we sat around talking until about 7 pm when we got in our car to go back. The couple we had shared the car with had gone back earlier, so we had the car to ourselves. Ana was really nice about explaining the whole thing and how we’d have to pay a bit more, but we didn’t mind. It’s still amazing to me that the whole day, including the car, cost $260 Us dollars for the two of us. Money definitely well spent!! We were so exhausted when we got back, and we still had to pack, so we ordered room service and just hung out.
Dec 31st, 2008, 01:21 PM
#19
Of course we want to read--your reports have been a fun read and provide great information. Glad u enjoyed your time at the estancia -I think they're great places to visit and I don't even love horses. Looking forward to hearing your take on Iguazu Falls.
Enjoy your first New Years married!
Enjoy your first New Years married!
Dec 31st, 2008, 01:30 PM
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Hi Sharbear, I have to agree with you (again 
Estancia los dos Hermanos is a very nice experience. Ann I think she is the owner, one of the two hermanos?, she makes you feel as if you were spending a day with friends. I really loved it, and they are so good in pairing people with the right horse. Not an easy task. Cheers, I am so glad you continue to have a great time, Happy New Year...
Estancia los dos Hermanos is a very nice experience. Ann I think she is the owner, one of the two hermanos?, she makes you feel as if you were spending a day with friends. I really loved it, and they are so good in pairing people with the right horse. Not an easy task. Cheers, I am so glad you continue to have a great time, Happy New Year...
