Excursions
We have been to amazing places in and around Buenos Aires thus far. La Estancia Don Silvano, Las Violtas (bakery), Tigre (resort town), La MALBA (art museum), tango lessons in San Telmo, La Rural Exposición, La Casa Rosada- these were some of my favorite excursions and activities, but I’m sure the best are yet to come! We are about to embark on the second leg of our journey to Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo, Uruguay. There we will take city tours, shop at the local fairs, and devour the dulce de leche, rumored to have double the amount of cream in each jar as the dulce de leche in Argentina. After a weekend in Uruguay, we will venture to El Calafate, Patagonia, where some will trek the Perito Moreno glacier while others will sit inside sipping chocolate caliente. While I can hardly contain my excitement for these upcoming journeys, now is a good time to reflect on the experiences I have been lucky enough to have here in Buenos Aires.
My two favorite excursions by far were the tango lesson in San Telmo, and the trip to La Estancia Don Silvano. Our tango lesson began at seven in the evening on a Saturday at La Ventana, one of the oldest and most renowned tango schools in Buenos Aires. We arrived, dressed in the best outfits we had packed, and learned the basic steps of the mesmerizing and sensual dance. After demonstrating our new skills for Professor Sokol, we received certificates for completing the lesson and becoming professionals. Well, the papers say we completed a lesson, not that we’re professionals, but we can dream right? After learning how to tango, I dined on the finest meal of empanadas, milanesa, and flan drenched in dulce de leche. We had many options for dinner but I thought I would stick to eating the most Argentinian meal possible. When we had all finished our luxurious desserts, the show began. The curtain opened on a stage in the front of the dining hall to reveal four couples in stunning, sparkling, and seductive attire. They danced all night, changing outfits nine times and taking turns on the microphone to serenade the audience. We heard folk music from a live band, listened to a rendition of “No Llores por me Argentina,” (Don’t Cry for me Argentina), and watched the dancers fly onstage. I left La Ventana that night with a newly discovered love and appreciation for tango and live performance.
Another different but amazing experience was the field trip to La Estancia Don Silvano, a widespread farm in the countryside of the Buenos Aires province. After being greeted with empanadas and wine for a midmorning snack, we made our way to the stables to mount horses and take a trail ride across the land. After riding the horses, we had free time to bike around, explore, and take in all of the peacocks, rabbits, chickens, turkeys, pigs, owls, horses, and cows, freely roaming La Estancia. Lunch was served at one and quite the affair. Each round of meat came out with a loud cheer and several platters. We began with salad and moved on to blood sausage, regular sausage, chicken, pork, steak, more steak, more chicken, and finally dessert. Flan with dulce de leche (surprise, I know) and coffee was our treat, and after watching gauchos flaunt their skills on horseback, we snacked on fried dough and sweet mate. This day was the most peaceful and relaxing excursion of the entire trip. I ate obscene amounts of food, basked in the warm sunshine, and took lots of peacock pictures.
Back in the city itself, a favorite landmark of mine has to be the National Congress, just three blocks away from my apartment. The Gothic architecture of the building outshines that of any other in the city and driving by it each day on my daily commute makes me feel so cosmopolitan- like I am casually passing Versailles or Buckingham Palace. Along with the Obelisk on Avenida 9 de julio, and La Casa Rosada in Plaza de Mayo, these landmarks have been constant symbols of this city’s beauty and class. I will miss the unique architecture and fast pace of Buenos Aires when we head off on our fast approaching adventures.
