Date Night

Th 4.11.13

• let me just start by saying, I love date nights
• Jake and I go out a fair amount whether it be for coffee, a meal, to a market, with friends...but we rarely call it a date 
• this week, Jake surprised me with dinner reservations for Thursday night at an Italian restaurant, Olivetti, that had opened in our neighborhood almost a year ago, but we hadn't been
• after ordering, we were given various types of bread in this cute little paper bag...served with an eggplant tapenade

•  we also got an appetizer of seafood tempura to tide us over while Jake's massive meat dish was grilling

•  then our main courses arrived...Jake's meat kabobs with french fries and steamed spinach

•  and my mushroom and cheese ravioli

•  we debated between heading to the helado place down the street, or trying a menu item
• we went with what was like a chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream...it was a good choice

•  we even got complimentary limoncello for an after dinner drink, served in these cute mini green goblets!

• would definitely recommend Olivetti!
• we had a lovely evening out...a night where we didn't have to cook or do dishes
• thanks, husband for planning a date night! 

Mis Amigas in BA!

W 3.20.13

• girls arrived safely!
• took them to the bus station that night where they bravely took the overnight bus to Mendoza (12+ hours!...they said it ended up being great)
• I was sad that I couldn't join them...Jake and I slaved away at work until their return
• they thoroughly loved sipping on loads of wine in the mountains of Mendoza!

Sa 3.23.13

• girls back in BA...did a bit of hanging out, catching up, and relaxing...
• before dinner at Artemisia 

• then we went out, starting with drinks at 878
• the party continued to Plaza Serano in Palermo SoHo, where we found a bar with outdoor seating to enjoy the nice evening and people watching in the plaza
• our last stop was the alluring BA Cultural, where a Beatles cover band was pulling us in, begging us to sit down and listen.  so we did
• the girls made it until about 3am, which is when the discos really get hoppin', but these chicas had been traveling pretty much non-stop since Tuesday...so I let them go home...and was proud of their endurance

Su 3.24.13

• today was the San Telmo Market, complete with always interesting sites:

• mouth-watering choripan:

• and numerous good purchases

check out all those mate gourds!!!

• Sunday night dinner included vegetable stir fry and pear, feta, walnut salad on the terrace

M 3.25.13

• today I got to join the girls in a little outlet shopping before having to go to work
• here is a random photo of the school (not where I teach) near our house...Rachael named it "The Titty School" thanks to its freshly painted graffiti

• Monday night we had reservations at La Brigada in San Telmo, a traditional parilla that both Katie and I had heard good things about
• the decor was quite charming, 

futbol-obsessed culture

• and the meat plentiful

this is in addition to our bread basket, provoleta, salads, and vino

• then it just so happened that a helado shop I'd been wanting to try was just down the block, Nonna Bianca...was a nice change from the chain helado shops

Tu 3.26.13

• I very happily took Tuesday afternoon off work to join the girls in a Bike Tour of the heart of the city (South Side, Puerto Madero, and the center)

• I hadn't yet been to the neighborhood of La Boca, so I was excited to check it out
• here is a shot of the infamous bombonera (shaped like a box of chocolates...?) home of the Boca Juniors futbol team 

• we then biked our way down the street to Caminito, the area famous for its colorful buildings

• then it was time to make our way to Puerto Madero
• but it wouldn't be a bike tour without a small hiccup or two...hehe
• Katie's bike maybe got a flat...and our Dutch tour guide, Joe, put a bad tube on first, and had to do it all over again...oops

• but we were rolling again in no time
• we learned a bit about the port's history before riding over to the nature reserve which unfortunately happened to be closed to bikers due to yesterday's rain :(
• by now it was lunch time

• I was super excited that the girls got to experience  the carritos' (food stands') enormous, delicious bondiola sandwiches near the nature reserve (previously written about here and here)
• after lunch we headed over to the Casa Rosada (pink house) and Plaza de Mayo, then finished back in San Telmo where we began
• Joe shared some cookies and mate, made with sweet juice instead of hot water...not too bad
• then we were off...the girls did a bit more touring around the Congress building, and I had to head back to prepare for work that evening
• I picked up some fresh curly noodle pasta (like this) and sauce on my way home from work to have for dinner that evening
• for dessert, we walked to our neighborhood go-to (delicious and affordable!) helado shop, Nicolo...
• tasty end to a great day!

W 3.27.13

• school just happened to be cancelled today, so I got to join the girls first for breakfast at Croque Madame (always a classy favorite)

• then to Recoleta cemetery and the mansions nearby

• next to Croque Madame is the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, which wasn't open until the afternoon, so on our walk back toward home, we stopped in for a quick tour
• it was pretty magnificent to me...especially the great room's fireplace...crazy to think one family used to live in this beautiful, grand home...the neoclassical house was built in the early 1900's for the high-society couple, Matías Errazúriz and Josefina de Alvear
• next we went to the Evita Museum, located in our neighborhood

• this lady had quite the wadrobe!

• but besides admiring her fashion, we each learned something new about either Argentina, or about Evita herself

• Wednesday night was pizza night at El Cuartito, one of BA's best!

• after dinner was a quick exterior view of the Teatro Colon, then home to pack for Uruguay

Th 3.28.13

• early morning flight to Montevideo, Uruguay
• rented a car and headed into town
• checked in at our super nice hotel, Regency Rambla, right on the water (Jake and I got our first upgrade ever in our lives...sweet!)

• then we were off to explore the city
• a lot of people compare Montevideo to Buenos Aires, except it makes much better use of its coastline with beaches and walking paths, etc.
• the city itself it quite reminiscent of a smaller BA, with its neat architecture and plazas

• the girls humored me with a photo in front of this ridiculous store display...aren't the mannequins weird?

• we grabbed lunch in town, went to a market, then back to the hotel to enjoy some time on the beach before the sun went down
• sadly upon arrival to Uruguay a stomach bug worsened for Rachael, so she was off and on feeling well enough to join us for certain activities for the rest of the trip...but she sure was a trooper and fought through it...and at least got to enjoy some beach time over the next couple days (none of us girls were feeling really great during this week...sometimes that's what travel does to ya! good thing we're tough)

• that night we went to a really nice restaurant right on the water, Hemingway

Jake's tuna

my gnocchi

F 3.29.13

• GOOD MORNING! this is what we could see from our (upgraded) room's window: 

• I briefly opened my eyes to take a peek before falling back on my pillow
• Jake, however, got dressed, grabbed the camera and headed over to the beach to get some better shots of sunrise

• beautiful start to our day at the beach
• we drove the 1.5 hours up to Punta del Este and immediately went to this beach:

Can you spot me and Jake?

beach babes

• we spent the day in the sun reading, sleeping, swimming, enjoying

• Jake couldn't get enough of crashing around in the waves

• while the ladies mostly took comfort in our rented sun chairs (some of us may have forgotten our sunscreen...)

Sa 3.30.13

• beach day 2, we headed further north to Bikini Beach for a couple hours before we needed to head back to Montevideo to catch our bus/ferry
• some people opted to seek shade (aka check out the life guards ;)

• and the rest enjoyed our last couple hours of sun...such a rare treat on an Easter weekend

• for lunch we were eager to try one of Uruguay's famous sandwich, the chivito
• so we found this diner-style cafe, Rex, that said they had the best chivito in town...

• ...and they had outdoor seating overlooking the surfers!

• we were sold
• and their chivito maybe was the best in town!
• it surely did not disappoint...all of that beef filet, mayo, mozzarella, tomato, bacon, lettuce, egg, and ham yummy, yummy goodness...and the fries and vanilla milkshake were just the cherry on top!

• unfortunately our ferry from Montevideo to BA wasn't quite so simple
• we were not aware that our tickets included a 1.5 hour charter bus ride from Montevideo to the Colonia port...then we had to wait in line for about an hour for our delayed ferry...getting us back into BA super late
• but we made it

Su 3.31.13

• Happy Easter!
• a few of us got up to go to mass
• stopped and picked up a traditional sweet bread (Rosca de Pascua, Easter Ring Bread) on our way home to add to our brunch menu (something like this)
• then we got to cooking...the girls had graciously provided the ingredients for our meal and prepared the egg bake the night before...we also made french toast and cut up some fresh fruit to go along with our mimosas and coffee

• enjoyed one final meal on our terrace

• before the girls sadly took their evening taxi to the airport
• THANKS FOR VISITING US GIRLS!!! hope you enjoyed your journey south!  we did :)