Journey to Argentina, Day 16 – 1/7/2025

Danelle and I went out for an “early” morning walk to pick up breakfast. We came back with bread, jelly, butter, and the worst donuts I’ve ever experienced. After our walk, we went back to relax with the kids for a bit until setting off around 11 for today’s activity. The first stop was lunch at a local place with a variety of options. All three kids selected different pasta dishes. I had very buttery fish with potatoes and Danelle had chicken and fries. This place also had a charge of about $1 per person to sit, but unlike yesterday’s lunch it included water (which generally costs $2-3 per person) and a large basket of bread, so the overall cost was far more reasonable.

In our first attempt at using the abundant public transportation in Buenos Aires, we took a bus to La Boca. This is the artsy district of the city, full of brightly painted buildings, tourists, and shops that are eager to provide the tourists with all manner of items to fill their junk drawers when they get home. Of course we bought a few things. There are several bars and restaurants in the area, most with a couple dancing the Tango for the benefit of the guests. We also looked in a couple of shops with art for sale. Most were very much not our style, but there were a few things that we might have given a second look if we didn’t have to transport them back in our already crammed luggage.

We also walked a few blocks so Coty could see the stadium where her favorite football (soccer) team, Boca (aka CABJ), plays. We didn’t go inside, but there were many fans hanging around outside, some chanting or singing. I can’t imagine what the area might look and sound like when there is actually a game! After our time in La Boca, we had an uneventful bus ride back to our neighborhood.

We finished watching Blended, then Danelle and I announced that we were going for a walk and would pick up empanadas for dinner on our way back. Coty asked us to walk with her to a few bookstores to try to find a few that she’d been looking for. Four bookstores later, she had only found one of them and it was about $40, so she went back to the apartment empty-handed. Danelle and I continued our walk, going through a park that was full of people playing ping pong, soccer-tennis (my best name for it), volleyball, jogging, doing squats and planks, roller skating, walking dogs, throwing freebees at dogs, watching dogs, cleaning up after their dogs… there were a few dogs. Despite the number of dogs in close proximity to each other and most of them being off leash near their owners, there was nearly no barking (maybe twice when dogs were playing with each other), no jumping up on people, and just a general sense of calm. Danelle was particularly impressed as this has not been our experience with dogs and dog owners in the US.

After the park, we picked up some items at the grocery store and then on to Vinnie’s for a box of 20 empanadas. Once we got home and figured out which had what filling, they were gone in minutes! And when my head hit the pillow, I was gone in minutes!

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