We used up the last of our Uruguayan pesos at the puerto (port) buying some water & coffees & had an unexpectedly very smooth crossing back to Buenos Aires. The taxi drivers were charging an exhorbitant 5000+ pesos for the ride back from the port to our barrio (neighbourhood) so we walked out to the main drag & paid only 130 pesos for the journey back to our lovely B&B to be greeted by the kindly Robert once more.
The day was lovely & sunny so we resolved to stay outdoors; Kathryn & Regis had arrived in the rain only 4 days ago whereas we had had a sunny afternoon the day before when we arrived, so they were pleased to enjoy Buenos Aires in the sunshine.
We dropped our bags at the B&B & took a taxi back into the Centro so we could visit Café Tortoni (mentioned by Sandy in an email whilst we have been here). This wonderful historic cafe - Argentina's oldest & most famous cafe - was started in 1858 by a French immigrant & was the hangout for several famous artists, politicians and intellectuals including Jorge Luis Borges, Federico García Lorca & the Peróns. We had a nice lunch here enjoying the atmosphere & the service by the waiters dressed in their dinner suits.
Can you believe this? Kathryn has been enjoying a hot chocolate called a submarino where you add the chocolate to hot milk. Well, I ordered one at Café Tortoni today & got a chocolate shaped as a submarine! Ha. Ha.
Afterwards, we walked down to Plaza Mayo where we had been the other day when we had taken the city tour but today we could view the Casa Rosada in all its pink glory in the sunshine.
We wandered the barrio of San Telmo then took a taxi back to our B&B for our Tango tour.
He then took us to his studio in the central part of the city - high up above the streets - for a Tango lesson which left us knowing we had lots to learn & appreciating the art of the dance so much more.
Afterwards, we went to a local bar for, well: coffee, coke, whatever we wanted. By this time we had been joined by Maria who is a "muso" like Kevin: he plays harmonica; she is a singer. Kevin tells us later that she has been nominated for a Grammy. She is delightful; and she tells me about a local drink - Fernet Branca (a bitter aromatic spirit drunk as a digestif) - which of course I try (with coke).
Fortified, we hit the pavement again & see the sights through Centro & then into the Constitución barrio, past the Congreso & eventually reach a milonga hidden away in a Galicia club: the Nuevo Chiqué. Apparently, the tango afficionados will look anywhere for a suitable space to get their "fix". They run milongas in 2 sessions quite often: in the afternoon up till about 8 or 9 p.m.; and then another starts & finishes well after midnight. This tango club is again the "real deal" like we went to in Montevideo, but much bigger.
We sit through several sets, chatting away to Kevin & Maria, having coffee or red wine if we wished, & watching the artistry of the dancers on the crowded floor sliding their way around the room (always in a clockwise direction, we are told).
Later, we hit the pavement again. Buenos Aires at night is very alive: lots of people, colourful. We passed a dubious-looking corner with the footpath filled with bags of garbage that were being sorted for recycling.We picked our way through the garbage & passed by this area quickly as we all eyed each other off: them of us; & us of them.
The night ended In the Av. De Mayo (where we had had lunch earlier in the day at Café Tortoni) at Pizzeria Güerrin which is regarded as one of the best traditional pizzerias in Buenos Aires. Kevin ordered pizza by the piece - whatever took our fancy - plus some fainá (a nutty, peppery flatbread related to the italian flatbread farinata made with garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour. The boys tried some muscatel with their pizza which Kevin suggested works well as a combination ...
It was by now 10 p.m. so we had a shower; messed about with the tiresome LAN website to do our online check-ins; packed ready for our early morning departure by taxi to the airport at 3:00 a.m.; set the alarm; & tried to get about 3 hours' sleep. Robert even got out of bed at 3:00 a.m. to make sure the taxi arrived & to say goodbye.
We are now enroute to Ushuaia - a 4-hour flight to the bottom end of South America. It is only 2 deg C there at the moment, although it was only 4:00 a.m. when I checked! The moon has descended on the right-hand side of the plane as a large bright red ball; and at about 5:30 a.m. the sun rose out to the left-hand side of the plane. We had the most amazing views of the snow-capped mountains as we landed.
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