I’ve been waiting so long to use this iconic song from Evita the musical as my Instagram caption for my first picture in Buenos Aires. No shame.
It’s been a little more than 2 weeks since I’ve been in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I can’t believe it! Feels like just yesterday that I was boarding the plane in Trinidad. It’s been a busy 2 weeks that’s for sure! So I’ll start off with how I’ve been acclimatising to the city and how I feel and then I can tell you all about my adventures!
This city is beautiful!! It reminds me of New York City but much prettier…and everyone speaks Castellano! (I’ll get to that soon haha). The architecture is very French but interspersed with more modern architecture. The city keeps its history and builds around it. It’s so interesting to see. I’ve also been learning how to take the subtle (the subway here) and the collectivos (buses). The buses are more difficult because the bus stops aren’t clearly marked. The subte is much easier to navigate. I’m accustomed to taking the subway in New York so I didn’t really have much of a shock when I couldn’t even move one bit during rush hour.
Now back to that Castellano I was talking about. The porteños have such an interesting accent that takes a little while to get accustomed to. My host mother (or abuelita) doesn’t speak any English so I had to learn quick. They use the “vos” instead of “tu” in certain situations. “De donde sos?” Sos sos sos vos sos! It’s definitely starting to become a part of my vocabulary.
And onto the food. Argentine food is so gooooood. Having a medialuna for breakfast and a few empanadas for lunch is become a staple part of my routine. The other day I also had a sandwich called “Choripan” at Feria de Mataderos which is basically a chorizo sausage sandwich. Think a hot dog but better. I’ve yet to try the famed Argentine steak so I’ll update you when I have!
Now what you’ve all been waiting for, where the heck I’ve been to and what I’ve seen: SO MUCH. I’ve had the amazing opportunity of going so many places these 2 weeks with ISA that it’s hard to sum it all up so I’ll try to give you some highlights and pictures.
I’ve been to el Cemeteria de Recoleta where Evita is buried. You definitely can’t miss which one is hers because its covered in flowers and posters. I also went to El Ateneo Grand Splendid. This is the most beautiful bookstore I have EVER been to and possibly the most beautiful in the world. I’ll put a picture of it so you can see for yourself. It used to be a theatre so the lights are still there and there’s a stage which is now a cafe. I sat there and had a medialuna and jugo de naranja with one of my friends. I’ve been to the Japanese Gardens which was so nice. It’s small but makes for great photography. Next I went to Tigre, which is about an hour outside of the city. There we went on a boat tour, shopped at the Mercado de Frutas and we tried submarinos at the most beautiful river front restaurant. FYI: Submarinos are basically hot milk and you get a bar of chocolate to put in it, how cool is that! Finally we went to the Feria de Mataderos which is a market known for its crafts, gaucho dancing and traditional music. I bought some great souvenirs there and tried the famed choripan at “El Rey del Choripan”. Oh, and I almost forgot, I took a tango class! It was so much fun learning the steps.
School is starting to pick up with schoolwork and readings as this was the last week to decide which classes you’re staying in. I’m really liking my classes so far. We have a long weekend coming up so a few of my friends and I are going to Cordoba. I’m so excited to explore this colonial city.
Till next time friends!
Besos,
Anneliese
