FLIGHT
- all suitcases under 50 lbs...had to leave behind homemade trail mix tho:(
- smooth, on-time flights
- a lot of tissues and coughing led to little sleep, but not a bad flight
Sa 1.7.12
- our temporary place the 1st mo. is called Dazzler Flats, boy is it dazzling...loving the pool in this 90+ degree weather...and so is the topless sunbather we saw on the 1st day (she hasn't been back since)
- I do not speak Spanish, but I hope to learn
- Skyped with fams...we are alive
- ate 1st empanada @ Bristol Confiteria y Bomboneria...mark it in the books
- Andres at the front desk claimed Starbucks is different here. So yes, had to try it...got a cappuccino. Tasted pretty similar to me.
- 1st trip to grocery store...not as affordable as thought; lots of mayo and dulce de leche
- dinner @ Pizzeria la Torre de Retiro...probably will not return. Ordered what we thought was a calzone...was gooey and cheesy, possibly raw?
- Jake's highlights: making connections with the language and finally using it; new sites.
- Becky's highlights: laughing at dinner, red wine and Modern Family before bed.
Su 1.8.12
- caught up on sleep
- checked out Patio Bullrich mall (malls are fancy here) and saw that theaters have movies in English - New Year's Eve and 50/50, both I've wanted to see
- walked to Puerto Madero to find Aon. Puerto Madero is a barrio on the banks of Rio de la Plata where the old docks and warehouses have been redeveloped into offices, luxury apartments, hotels, and restaurants; it's a beautiful area
- we then headed to la casa rosada (the pink house, like our white house) where the President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner works
- we then walked through the area in front of la casa rosada called plaza del mayo, then down the street to Café Tortoni, a coffeehouse on Avenida de Mayo that opened in 1858. My plain (expensive) turkey sandwich was nothing to brag about, but check out Jake's (cheaper) cheesy goodness:
check out our dessert though:
- lots of walking today around the city center...we saw THREE McDonald's in ONE block! what a successful company...
- evening run back to Puerto Madero...sweaty, lots of bugs, busy restaurant scene
- Jake's highlight: strolling down Avenida 9 de Julio (widest avenue ever seen...18 lanes = not fun to cross)
- Becky's highlights: spotting a TGIFridays and cinema. more seriously...the docks walk/run
M 1.9.12
- Jake's first day of work
- his walk between work and home is just over one mile...it was over 100 degrees today, resulting in:
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| one sweaty Jake |
- while Jake was at work, Becky.........found the pool, read Argentina/Buenos Aires guide books, studied Spanish (un poco), grocery shopped (daily), and wandered, all the while feeling weird and slightly guilty about not working...and maybe felt a little homesick
W 1.11.12
- everything is so much bigger in the States
- men sleeping on the ground around corner from our place
- tiled sidewalks + holes = very uneven terrain
- red lights turn yellow, then green
- smells different here, making me a little more homesick
- there are SOME bikers! (I am SO getting a bike)
- traffic is not as crazy as people say (I've seen worse), but I am scared of the buses that go VERY fast!
- little to no AC in public places
- they LOVE ham and cheese here
- Dawson's Creek and Friends are on daily (in English)
- went to New Year's Eve at the theater today by myself. They do not sell popcorn at this theater :( and seeing all the pictures of New York, again made me feel homesick (maybe have teared up a TINY bit)
- Jake made me feel better; we went out for dinner and split a salad topped with delicious steak, and a milanesa (breaded meat) with mashed potatoes; very good!
- tried to watch People's Choice Awards tonight, but was in Spanish; still viewed while enjoying chocolate and wine in bed
Th 1.12.12
- I've been sleeping in a lot, but did manage a 4 miler to the docks
- out for pizza @ Romario's with an Argentinian/Chicago/Aon friend. FINALLY out of our neighborhood, and FINALLY a friend!
- loved the neighborhood (Palermo Norte) and loved the pizza; plus, the delivery guys deliver pizzas via rollerblade - sweet!
- And...maybe we got ice-cream too...
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| Persicco |
- Jake's highlights: atmosphere @ pizza place, rollerblading skills of delivery guys (they knew tricks)
- Becky's highlights: rollerbladers, ice-cream!, chatting with a "local"
Sa 1.14.12
- breakfast on our balcony
- first bus ride (a little fast, and a little sweaty) to Palermo to check out the neighborhood...stumbled upon Mexican restaurant (Taxco Mexican on Godoy Cruz) where we got chips and teeny tiny salsa (wooo!), a burrito, and nachos:
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| waitress sent us home with a little "to-go" container of chips..said we won't be able to find in stores here :( |
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| a little crispy/greasy; different but good |
- not a huge fan of the neighborhood near this restaurant (Palermo Nuevo), so we headed toward Ramario's in Palermo Norte, where we had dinner the other night. LOVED this area!
- caved when saw the 5 peso dulce de leche ice-cream cone from BK...did you know Burger King delivers here?
- walked through Recoleta cemetery...pretty amazing place, a little creepy, yet beautiful; each tomb is unique, but not all well-kept; with most, you can see in to the little "house" and the caskets are in clear sight, which I found a little eery. Jake was VERY interested and did not want to leave. He will be back...night tour maybe?
- found the Duarte tomb where Evita was buried
- outside the cemetery is Francia park which is morphed into one large market on weekends; we wove through the vendors and saw our first tango dancers:
- after a long, hot day, I couldn't wait to get home and enjoy a nice cold beer...too bad the beer I had picked up was nonalcoholic and tasted like syrupy, malty soda; I actually couldn't even drink it, and dumped it down the drain; $3 right down the drain!
- Jake's highlights: getting excited about new neighborhood and walking through tombs
- Becky's highlights: finding a neighborhood that could be "home", and tortilla chips!
W 1.18.12
- walked around Palermo SoHo to check out neighborhood...definitely some cute parts (and apparently a great place to party from 2am on...saving up for that one)
- found Muulecheria; stopped in to cool off with a strawberry milkshake - yum!
- Jake and I went to movie 50/50 tonight; nice to get out of house...emotional movie! (snuck in a bag of Jolly Time microwave popcorn from home...ha ha ha!)
Sa 1.21.12
- Jake and I explored Palermo Hollywood together, ate lunch there, then checked out SoHo
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| colorful Las Cabras restaurant in Hollywood; Jake got gnocchi... |
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| ...and I got choripan and fries (sausage sandwich) |
- evening plans got canceled, so went out for ice-cream, then watched ~5 episodes of Modern Family on Cuevana; sadly, Cuevana no longer shows Modern Family, which may be good for our social life
Su 1.22.12
- Happy Lunar New Year! Year of the dragon!
- 11a - Iara (Jake's colleague, Silivia's daughter who is my age) met us at our apartment. We caught a bus to Chinatown, which is in Belgrano
- checked out the New Year celebration, ate an egg roll and red bean ice-cream :)
- watched the dragon dance - Jake touched the dragon; good luck for him!
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| see Jake down there? jk...he touched it earlier |
- my stomach and watch were telling me it was well after lunch time, so we were going to find a bite to eat, when Iara suggested we head out to her home in for an asado....our first asado!
- we took a bus about 30 minutes to Villa Real where Silvia, Iara, and their three HUMONGOUS dogs Pompeya, Ema, and Sira live! At one point, all three were up on the ledge next to Jake...
- Silvia preparing the grill for our meat
- Below, you will find: asado (ribs), mozilla (blood sausage), molleja (heart glands...fatty, weird texture, but good), chorizo (sausage), entrañas (entrails...meat between ribs and back)
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| check out that knife! |
- we enjoyed our meal with a lettuce salad (onions, tomato, oil and vinegar), bread, and Quilmes beer
- Jake's highlights: experiencing a home asado and Chinese New Year in Belgrano
- Becky's highlights: sitting around table and enjoying first asado, good conversation...Iara is super nice!
Tu 1.24.12
- went to yoga for first time @ BuenaOnda in Recoleta; not your CorePower...but it will do; haven't yoga'd in about a month...sore back next day; met and chatted with a few expats/travelers...all very nice people and very helpful! so great to speak in English with girls my age! MISS MY FRIENDS!
- met with a married couple for dinner @ Dill & Drinks; she from Michigan, he from Buenos Aires. A friend of ours from Chicago made the connection. Again, was great to converse in English and get some helpful tips on life here.
- hit up my first museum; Malba (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Beunos Aires) cool modern art
- checked out cafe inside museum...a little pricey but enjoyed white wine and spinach tart!
- first time to San Telmo! Jake got us signed up for an expat group called InterNations; tonight was first gathering of the year at a restaurant in San Telmo (older, historical part of town with a famous Sunday market) enjoyed beer/wine/conversation with people "just like us"!
- Jake's highlights: realizing might have some other folks to hang out with in the future
- Becky's highlights: "venting" with fellow expats about Argentina and learning more
Th 1.26.12
- SUBE SUCCESS!!!!! (our transportation cards were very difficult to obtain...but after much persistence and a simple end to our bad luck, we have cards; we high-fived)
F 1.27.12
- have I mentioned yet that it's hard to run here? the humidity and air quality have been brutal...nonetheless, Jake and I set out for a pre-dinner run toward a nature reserve located behind his office in Puerto Madero; unfortunately it closed at 5, but we still got a good glance running alongside on a walkway just outside of it; many of the same food vendors/mini street restaurants overlooked the reserve; how does one choose! smell of grilling meats and site of dozens of sauces distracted me during our run...
- ...it's Friday, we ran, we deserve Coronas on the rooftop terrace; great view, beautiful evening...
Sa 1.28.12
- had a little time between apartment viewings, so what do we do?
- hit up Starbucks for an Argentine special: Dulce de Leche Granizado Cappuccino (for Jacke:)
- met with Venezuelan language exchange couple at Arkakao in Recoleta for Heineken, brownie/ice-cream, and conversation; spoke English first half, switched to Spanish second half...tough for me! we sat outside and poor Jake got pooped on twice by birds...relocated to the couple's apartment for more beer, good conversation, and fun snacks (from Venezuela...and Doritos sin queso they had found at the super market!)
Su 1.29.12
- bus to San Telmo to experience Sunday markets
- steamy hot day, lots to see, gifts for Jake to take back to States, guys from U.S. selling hot sauce, homemade empanada from ladies selling on street, tango dancers in plaza dorrego
- lezama park at end of defensa where we observed a friendly game of dodgeball had by tweens...lots of pushing, flirting, and awakardness; also saw a track star...little boy of about 4 years old, sprinting around the amphitheater three times...AMAZING!
- Jake's highlight: speaking with artist about his work
- Becky's highlight: market atmosphere
Tu 1.31.12
- Jake flies home to Wisconsin for Grandpa La Liberte's funeral
- Becky misses Jake
W 2.1.12
- I was super pumped for my long morning run; 0.4 miles in - rolled right ankle, minor sprain, back in bed with bag of frozen broccoli icing my ankle :( ....eating breakfast and watching Friends :)
- decided the broccoli worked wonders and kept my lunch date with a yoga friend - yum!
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| quinoa chicken wrap @ Natural Deli in Las Cañitas |
- thank you to my yoga friend who encouraged me to continue with my blogging venture...to not worrying about the little details, and to just write!
- ankle super swollen on walk home; hopped in cab...back to the broccoli
- spoke with Jake on Skype - arrived safely in Eau Claire! ...he was not happy about my accident
Th 2.2.12
- Grandpa's funeral...thinking of the whole La Liberte family today...caught end of rosary and prayed in church down the street
- bought a real ice pack
- rested the day away...looking better!
- Ordered in using this newly found great website: www.buenosairesdelivery.com; site can be translated to English, which helped immensely; I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan at Tandoor Indian Cuisine; not a bad deal, but poor delivery guy had to battle the rain!
F 2.3.12
- must leave house! must see people!
- took a walk and saw this dog walker:
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| that's nothing...I think the record # so far has been 13 dogs! |
- grabbed lunch then checked out the free museum: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes; brought me back to my Roman days where I studied art history...works from Italy, Spain, France and of course Argentina: Monet, Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec, Rodin...loved it
- mango smoothie for hot walk home
- met Iara for sushi at Deep Blue (Azul Profundo)...enjoyed our conversation, and devoured LOTS of sushi!
- turns out Iara's a nurse, which is great for my ankle situation...she checked it out and helped me pick out a brace so I can get back out there!
Sa 2.4.12
- last day without Jake - HOORAY!
- coffee break @ Havanna
- viewed apartment in Palermo...website didn't SAY it was a STUDIO! :( bummer
- 2pm yoga class...had to; I'm going crazy
- dreamt about Jake's flight being delayed because of bad weather and he had to make an emergency landing in Rome...poor guy
Su 2.5.12
- Jake's flight WAS delayed, but only by 20 minutes, and not because of bad weather, and he did NOT go to Rome
- SO HAPPY to have him "home" look at the goodies!
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kashi, nutella, peach salsa, black olives, peanut butter, Women's One-A-Day, taco seasoning, new ADIDAS running shoes (Matt), sweet potato chips, blue corn chips, People magazine, Ghiradelli chocolate chips...and oh so much more :)
M 2.6.12
Tu 2.7.12
for the record:
Chau!
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