How do you measure a day in BA?

• a bird pooped on me only once today! hooray!
• stepped in dog poop twice today, and Jake once...grrr....
• not a fan of Porteños' theory that it is good luck to step in dog feces or to get shat on by a bird...I didn't feel very lucky while spending 30 minutes cleaning doggy doo-doo out of my shoe with a toothpick....or when I helplessly rummaged through my bag for a napkin to wipe the bird business off of me on my way to work today...
• GROSS! 
• (p.s....the first two bullet points really happened to us this week...it's our lucky week!)

Teatro Colon & BA Underground Market

• on Thursday of last week Jake and I had our first (and hopefully not our last) Teatro Colon experience

• we had tickets for the Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires at 8:30pm

• we enjoyed not only the beautiful music, but also the breathtaking surroundings of this famous theater

even broke out the bow tie!

• we tried to do like the Porteños do and head to an 11pm dinner following the show...we chose Edelweiss...recommended by friends...a German restaurant near the theater where many older theater-goers dine post-show
• we enjoyed our pork with plum glaze, caesar salad, and german potatoes
• Jake blended in with the waiters :) 

• last Saturday, Jake and I attended the first ever BA Underground Market - a place to taste and buy homemade products made by foodies (many expats) living in Buenos Aires...think Taste of Chicago for hippies 

• was great to have so many delicious and creative foods and drinks all in one location
• you won't see any photos of our food purchases because #1 - I ate it all too quickly and #2 - it was so crowded and our hands so full, it was difficult to get the camera out while eating 

• I think attendance was higher than expected, resulting in a crowded space and difficulties with electricity in this abandoned-looking old warehouse...but this all added to the character of the day

• I think my favorite items were the pumpkin soup, tres leches cake, and the beer (Jake stood in the beer line for what seemed like an hour while I ran around gathering samples for us...you can picture this, can't you?)

• we went home with some all natural yogurt and granola...the cheese guy was out of goat cheese by the time we waited in line to buy more tickets...boo!  will have to hunt him down...

• this event was put on by The Argentina Independent; check out some of their photos of the event here 
• after we filled up on goodies, we took a stroll around the neighborhood, Amagro, not too far from us, but an area we don't get to often
• below are pictures from Parque Centenario

•  and on our walk home...

•  ...fall is in the air

• btw...that's our apartment building...the one in the middle, 8 floors up...I think the one with all the green stuff

Let the Training Begin!

• this week, Jake and I officially began our 18-week marathon training program
• Buenos Aires Marathon: Sunday October 7, 2012 @ 7:30am US$70 www.maratondebuenosaires.com sign up...all the cool kids are doing it!
• Jake's afraid that the weeks of busting through miles upon miles will cause him to waste away...I think he'll just get stronger
• Jake ran his first race ever with me when I returned from Korea in 2008...it was the (first) Nike Human Race 10k in Chicago...although I thought it was fun, I think Jake wanted to kill me afterward
• since that a race, we've done various 5, 10, and 15k's and two half marathons...and Jake has rocked most of them
• Jake said he was willing to at least try one marathon, so why not in Buenos Aires!
• yesterday was our first long run - 8 miles; not TOO crazy, but the fact that we haven't done more than 6 in who knows how long...it was challenging enough
• we ran through the typical parks in Palermo and about 2 miles in, we crossed a suspension bridge that bounces when running across...and bounces more the more people that are on it...
• I continued to feel like I was bouncing for about a mile after and could not knock the jell-o legs and dizzy head...thank goodness we brought along some Sports Beans! After popping a few of those, we were able to complete the 8 miles...our pace was all over the place, but we finished
• this will be my third marathon, but my first using a Garmin watch.  I think using this tool will mostly be a good thing, but always knowing your pace can make you a little crazy
• the plan we're following advises you to run long runs at a slower pace (30-90 seconds slower than race pace)  We would like our race pace to be at or under 8:30 miles, making our long run pace around 9:00 miles...my Garmin said we were at 8:17 then 8:32 then 10:13...9:15....never settling in at 9:00...good grief, I hope my watch figures its s*** out! and hopefully we can trust this program that running SLOWER in fact will make us FASTER on race day!

you're thinking, great...now we get to hear about you marathon training for the next 18 weeks...sorry...please skip over it if you like! ^^

• last weekend we made it to Guido's Bar on Saturday for lunch...this place was recommended by friends and is in our neighborhood...very Italian, hole-in-the wall type of place
• the server kind of brings out whatever he feels like, then charges you a set price, depending on how he feels (NY Times agrees)

• this, along with a bread basket, two slices of cheese pizza, and some sort of lasagna/cornbread bites) was brought out right after we ordered drinks (without seeing a menu, without saying anything)
• Jake thought this was our meal...so he/we ate every last bite

•  then we got this amazing, creamy orecciette pasta

•  and this strozzapreti pasta with red sauce

• and topped it off with this dessert (and the option of coffee)

• the bill was not cheap (~US$30/person before tip), but the experience was totally worth it
• I have a feeling we may be coming here after some long Saturday training runs

Los Cacerolazos (protesters with casseroles)

• political protesting against the government...a favorite pastime here

Rosario

• ants have been fumigated
• work visas are on their way
• crate from Chicago has arrived!!!

• we (I) might have broken down and gotten the 2x1 kilo of helado (to be fair, do you see the frozen vegetables next to the ice cream?)

• life is good

Sa 5.19

• girls night out - first experience at a disco in BA...
• met for dinner at 9 (this is early), made our way to the club around midnight, girls were out until 5ish...but unfortunately due to my heels, I had to call it a night at 4am (I am not a heels kind of girl) 
• somehow managed to wobble myself the 5 blocks home...the only thing keeping me from taking my shoes off was the fear of stepping in dog business
• Jake had a boys night...got home at 5am...no late night food places open for delivery (that we could find - any suggestions?) 
• that didn't stop us from making our first McDonald's run when I could finally roll myself out of bed the next morning/afternoon
• we had a worthless Sunday, but the fun was well worth it!

F 5.25

• May Revolution = National Holiday = day off = trip to Rosario
• we hopped on the early bus to Rosario; very comfortable 4 hour trip in a semi cama (semi-bed seats) charter bus....slept the whole time after a night out with friends
• Rosario is the third largest city in Argentina known as port for agricultural commodities (mostly soy and corn); it's a beautiful river-facing city with fun things to see and do

• the best deal we found for accommodations was at the Holiday Inn Express, funny enough...so we checked in to our hotel then were in search of a place to grab lunch
• the restaurant on the corner was offering a May 25th deal that included locro (traditional stew with meat and corn) and empanadas.  I guess this is what people eat on this holiday here, so we joined in...not my favorite dish, but happy to try
• then we walked along the Paraná River, saw the apartment where Che was born, and the flag memorial

churros and pastries sold on a bike

can you spot the kid standing on the back of his dad's bike?

STOP, have a smoke

• Argentina's flag was created by Manuel Belgrano and was first raised on the banks of the river in Rosario on February 27, 1812, during the Argentine War of Independence.

• most people see the flag like this, which our tour guide later told us that it's used when the country is at war (but seems to be used basically all the time now):

    

• ...and that this one is used when the country is not at war:

this dog wants in!

• lots of city wandering and admiring the beautiful architecture and graffiti 

• this park had one of the highest concentrations of one of our least favorite things about Argentina:

• this was a parade of cars full of Rosarinos waving banners, honking horns, and banging on pots and pans, in support of greater security in their neighborhood

• a long nap had us heading to dinner around 10:30pm...to a really neat place called El Oso Sala la Sopa (translation: The Bear Salts the Soup)

• the place was filled with antiques from the old children's magazines to read in the waiting area, to the variety of lamps hanging from the ceiling, to the tables and chairs in all shapes and styles
• another unique feature well-known to the place is their HUGE menus...the one Jake's holding has the appetizers and drinks, and I'm holding the smaller one with the main dishes, which change daily

• DELICIOUS meal of homemade fusili and sorentinos (~ravioli)

• how could we not try the "world famous" tiramisu?! the decoration on top was fun

Sa 5.26

• 9am: 2.5 hour bike tour through the city including the riverfront, Rosario Central soccer stadium, old neighborhoods and neat architecture
• Jake and I were the only ones signed up for the bike tour, so we had a great opportunity to ask Sebas, our guide, any question we wanted, such as
• 1. Q:Why are weed wackers so often used in place of push mowers to cut entire lawns? A: Because weed wackers provide more jobs.
• 2. Q: What are your thoughts on graffiti in Argentina? A: There is a lot of it and it will usually fall into one of the following categories: a. political b. football c. proclamations of love (Jake would probably add a few more categories--we have really seen a lot here, after all--although he agrees with his generalizations). Sebas laments seeing especially the single, staining political nonsense so selfishly sprayed on public space; we all agree.  Like us, he says he likes much of the "artistic" graffiti.  Jake asked if the police will make arrests or give fines for those caught.  He said that yes, one can spend up to a day in jail, but that repercussions are based on whether or not you have the verbal permission of the property owner.
• 3. Q: What do you think of low teacher salaries here? It seems like they're very low and you have to do a lot of convincing in order for the school administrator to take you seriously and give you a raise. A: I agree with you that the salaries are low. If you don't cry, then you won't get any milk from mother's teat.  (El que no llora no mama.) (Me: Awesome.)

this was part of the old Rosario Central train station, the soccer team's namesake

• just off the coast from the soccer stadium, we saw the Olympic rowing team practicing; Sebas used to be on the national kayak team, so he has an idea of what kind of personal sacrifice it takes to train; he described how, likely these guys had been out there on the water training since 7:30am and they'll put in 9-10 hour days

• also on our bike ride we rode past the largest boliche (night club) in South America (supposedly); Sebas said it has 3 levels and can hold 10,000 people (we didn't hit it up)
• we opted for the bike AND kayak tour, so we grabbed lunch before getting out on the water; Sebas informed us that helado is famous in Rosario...so naturally we had to judge for ourselves...it was pretty good
• we met Sebas at the dock at 2pm, hopped in his boat, picked up a couple other tourists and headed upstream (he was nice enough to not make us paddle against the current)

• we took the boat up to Puente Nuestra Señora del Rosario, the bridge pictured above, then turned around down a narrow offshoot of the Paraná River, where we began to kayak

• the sun came out and we ended up having a beautiful day for this excursion
• on our way down the river, we were able to spot a turtle or two, birds, farm animals, and see a snapshot of how the people on the islands live very simply, mostly surviving off what they catch, grow, or raise

• after the 9k kayak, we hopped back in the boat for some mate (~tea) and factutras (pastries)
• on our way back to the dock the sun was making its way down, giving Jake the opportunity to snap some great sky shots

• also on the way back, we were stopped by the Prefectura de Rosario (Rosario Coast Guard) for a routine check of the boat; 6 guys with guns checked Sebas' papers, life jackets and fire extinguisher to see if they were up to regulation; this isn't uncommon, but was a new experience for us

• what would a vacation be without naps?  we rested for a bit back at the hotel, and unfortunately the late afternoon mate and facturas were not settling well in the ol' tummy...so we decided to order in for dinner...
• for some reason pizza sounded good at one point, and so did the provolone, olive, and ham pizza...let's just say I couldn't eat much of it, even after peeling off the layers and layers of slices of deli meat and cheese

Su 5.27

• slept in, enjoyed Holiday Inn's fabulous hot breakfast, then walked to the river to do some reading before getting on the bus back to BA
• had a fun, relaxing weekend...was great to get out and see another city in Argentina!