And I'm back!

Well, the ride home was not nearly as great as the ride there :-) For one, there was no exciting anticipation. For another, I definitely did not get three seats to sprawl out on on my way back :-( The ride back was so uncomfortable that I think I slept a total of about an hour. The customs line was incredibly long (actually not customs, but the passport check line). I think I slept another hour on the plane from Atlanta to Providence. So, my goal now is to stay awake until around 9pm and then crash (no pun intended).

Buenos Aires was fun. The first night I was there I met these two people (a couple) my age from Alaska (actually from Washington state but living in Alaska) in the airport. We spent the entire night together dining over huge, thick steaks, and glorious wine, for $20 a piece. They were leaving the next day for Cordoba so we only had an evening together, but I think I made a couple of great friends that will stick :-) They will be driving through SLC on their way back to Alaska (from South Dakota where his parents are) and we intend to hook up for an evening of fine Utah dining.

The following day I explored the Recoletta Cemetary. Essentially, you have to be extremely rich and prominent to be buried there. Evita (Eva Paron) is buried there. These are like catacombs above the ground. These massive, gothic like graves create a maze (literally there is a map and you still get lost) of grave stones that connect to each other. It is truly bizarre. I intend to post pics of my travels in the next few days. A pic of this will definitely be included. After this I went to a gorgeous rose garden (yes, it is fall there - weird, right?). I actually got this strange picture of a palm tree, an evergreen/pine tree and roses all in the same picture. Again, I'll post it soon.

Wednesday night I went to see Phantom of the Opera in Spanish ("Fantisma de la Opera" - literally mean "Ghost of the Opera"). I'm a sucker for that show. So, I loved it. The acoustics in the house were brilliant, and the music just surrounded you. I got the cheapest ticket in the house and moved down after the show started. For the second act, I sat in the 7th row! It was fabulous.

Thursday I went to the city center and saw Casa Rosada (their white house). There are two theories as to why it is painted pink. I tend to believe the first one since I was told it on the tour and the other I read in a guide book. Casa Rosada was originally two buildings that were joined together perfectly semetrically. One of those buildings was white and one was red. The whole thing was painted pink to symbolize the union of the government (or something along those lines). The second theory had something to do with the US white house and their government mocking it, or taking the idea of a colored house, or something like that. Casa Rosada is where Evita gave her famous speeches (among others). It is also where mothers of the children who disappeared during the "Dirty War (any person who was fighting against the government, which were essentially lots of people in their 20s and 30s)." These children were never heard from again. These mothers have come together in the plaza every Thursday for the last 35 years with signs to protest (peacefully, they just walk around for an hour with signs) their childrens' disappearances. Sad. So, I got to see that.

Then, I went to this area of BA called "La Boca." It was found by immigrants from Genoa (which is were my grandparents are from :-) ). It was very cool. The buildings are all weird colors. The area is surrounded with Artisan shops and tango dancers (at this point mostly tourist attractions). It was a good time (pics coming).

Thursday night, I went to a Tango show. It was pretty good. There were a few acts that were amazing. Really amazing. The majority of the show was okay (lots of stuff that wasn't Tango).

Friday I went and briefly visited this bookstore that used to be an old theatre (the biggest book store I have ever been in - if I lived in BA, I would spend huge quantities of time there). Then I went to San Telmo (a barrio that has old buildings and lots of antique shops). Then, I went back to La Boca to check it out one last time and finished off at Recoleta at the artisan fair (finished my Christmas shopping for the family). Went back to the hotel, repacked my luggage and took of for the airport. Okay, more soon, I promise :-)