11/12: Pilot Strike so Extra Day in Buenos Aires

We arrived at the domestic airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at 8:45 am and checked in for our flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the country. When the agent told us he didn't have our gate information, we didn't think anything of it and went through security. There, an official had to smell the loaf of banana bread I had brought from home to make sure it was safe to bring aboard the plane!

We checked the monitors only to discover that none of the earlier flights had left and watched in frustration as our 10:15 flight to Ushuaia kept getting pushed back and back. 

The waiting area, as you might imagine, kept getting more and more crowded with more passengers arriving and almost no one was departing because only one airline's flights were leaving. We were lucky enough to find seats but not together as we played the waiting game hoping we'd hear some good news about our flight leaving. 

We finally found out that the reason none of the Aerolineas Argentinas flights were leaving was that a strike had been called by the pilots but that they and the airline were in negotiations to settle the strike. After four hours, we got the definitive news that our flight had been cancelled and not just endlessly delayed and our only recourse was to get a refund and book with another airline. 

After waiting for well over an hour to speak to an airline representative, we discovered the strike was over but there would be no flight to the southernmost tip of Argentina that day. When we were told we could get seats on the flight leaving before 5 the next morning, we said yes because at least it meant we still would be able to board the ship in two days for Antarctica which we'd first planned over 18 months ago!

Fortunately, we were able to get a room back at the same hotel we'd just checked out of that morning so that was a relief. After grabbing a taxi back to the hotel - for some reason the cost was more than double we'd paid from the hotel just hours earlier! - we checked in and changed back into warm weather clothes and took a taxi back to the Ecological Reserve as it had been closed yesterday.

The day before, we had so wanted to enter the park figuring the views of the reserve would be far better than simply walking parallel to the reserve along what amounted to a boardwalk. We never figured the path in the park would be as boring as this with no views of the reserve and any animals.

On the glass-full side, though, one couldn't fault the reserve's proximity to the city center.

We both expected to see some wildlife in the reserve and didn't realize that we'd been so fortunate seeing wildlife the day before from along the 'boardwalk' next to the reserve. The flowers, however, were remarkably striking.

After walking along the dirt path for about an hour, we reached the Rio Plata or Silver River, the widest river in the world.

The sign said Buena Vista and it certainly was a pretty view!

After exiting the reserve, we began walking along the southern part of the 'boardwalk' where we were fortunate seeing some beautiful birds so that was a treat.

What a shame there was no sign indicating the birds that frequented the reserve or that we didn't know a thing about birds.

The path in the reserve was on the other side of the trees - thus the reason we couldn't see any of the animals after entering the nature park - a fact that totally escaped us the day before! I figure we had the best of both worlds over the two days experiencing the park - seeing a variety of birds up close on the first day and then, on the second, satisfying our curiosity entering the park even if it turned out to be less than what we'd expected. 

Buenos Aires: A city of contrasts.

While grabbing dinner that night, local TV news had a blurb on the airline strike which had the effect of almost shutting down the whole airport. We counted ourselves among the lucky ones as at least we'd been able to snag seats leaving bright and early the next morning so we didn't have to worry about missing the Antarctica cruise. 

Next post: Ushuaia, here we come, one step closer to touring our last continent, Antarctica.

Posted on November 29th, 2019, from just outside the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

11/11: Nature Reserve in Buenos Aires & Our Best Meal Ever!

Sorry for no posts for a while but we just returned yesterday morning to Ushuaia in southernmost Argentina from a fabulous ten-day cruise to Antarctica where we were without any WiFi of course. In a few hours, we'll be leaving also from Ushuaia for a much shorter cruise through part of the Chilean Patagonia and will therefore be again without WiFi. After we land in Punta Arenas, Chile, Steven and I will rent a car to see more of the Chilean section of Patagonia. I hope we'll have access to WiFi then so I will catch up on some posts. Thanks for your patience until then!

Having been in Buenos Aires two years ago, we just wanted to play tourist and see a couple of sights we hadn't had a chance to view previously. The downtown area had some particularly striking buildings so it was fun just strolling the busy streets with an eye always cast upwards.

The Barolo Palace was an office building that opened in 1923 located in the Monserrat neighborhood in Buenos Aires  It was designed by Italian Mario Palanti who pioneered the use of reinforced concrete with a peculiar eclectic style. Until 1930, it was the tallest building, not only in the city of Buenos Aires, but also in all of South America.

In 1997 the Barolo was declared a National Historic Monument. The building was inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy and was divided into 3 parts. The ground floor and basement were considered to be hell; the 1st-14th floors were purgatory and the 15th-22nd floors were heaven. Though far from the sea, it had a lighthouse on the top with 300,000 spark plugs! 

Sadly, there was lots of graffiti on the bottom floor of the building next door as there also was throughout much of the city.

Crossing the widest boulevard in the world took plenty of patience as it meant waiting for three traffic lights. But we were rewarded by the statue of Don Quixote and the mammoth tower in the background with Evita Peron's image on it.

The CCK, formerly the Centro Cultural Kirchner, was one of the largest cultural centers in the world and was dedicated to art, music, theater and dance. The center occupied the entire building of the former central post and telegraph office - one of the city’s most important historic buildings and an outstanding example of French Second Empire architecture.

In 1997, the building was declared a National Historic Monument and in 2002 it ceased to function as an office for the postal service. In 2009, work began to restore the building’s facades and transform it into a cultural center, which opened its doors in May 2015.

Puente de la Mujer, Spanish for "Women's Bridge," was a rotating footbridge in the Puerto Madero commercial district of Buenos Aires. It had a single mast with cables suspending a portion of the bridge which could rotate 90 degrees in order to allow water traffic to pass. I read that when it swung to allow watercraft passage, the far end would come to a resting point on a stabilizing pylon. The shape and name of the bridge emerged from the image of a couple doing a traditional tango step. 

Funny seeing a monument to a taxi driver in a park by the river - that was certainly our first!

Our 'aim' since leaving the hotel in downtown Buenos Aires had been to visit the Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur nature reserve located by the Rio de la Plata or Silver River. Who would have thought we could find such a lovely nature reserve virtually in the middle of a city? 

We walked for ages along the equivalent of a boardwalk with the reserve on our left and the city on our right to reach the entrance.

The ecological reserve was like an oasis of calm and tranquility in Buenos Aires’ outer harbor even if we just could access it from the boardwalk! 

Sadly, a locked gate blocked entry to this pretty gazebo.

Every thirty feet or so along the 'boardwalk' was filled with food trucks selling hamburguesas, empanadas, etc for hungry residents and tourists alike. 

After walking for a good two miles, we came across a stretch of sports sculptures honoring some of Argentina's greatest athletes. This one, minus her vandalized racket, honored tennis great Gabriela Sabatini who won 27 individual and 12 doubles titles!

After walking for what seemed like ages, we finally reached the entrance to the reserve only to discover that it was closed on Mondays. We were pretty bummed, thinking how glorious it must be to be able to access the reserve on the other side away from the traffic and noise of the city. Spoiler alert - we didn't know then what grand views we had been privy to from the 'boardwalk' as we sure thought we were missing out on something pretty fabulous not getting closer access to the birds and waterfowl. 

We found a nearby park to sit in for about 90 minutes and I finished knitting one of the afghan panels I had brought with me while Steven read so all wasn't lost!

On the way back to our hotel, we passed an upscale furniture shop where there was this iconic Beatles scene in the window. Since Steven and I had just walked across that famous intersection on Abbey Road in London barely a month previously, I couldn't resist taking the photo!

The din of construction was heard all over the city as Buenos Aires was definitely growing through a growth spurt. Nina - I thought of you when we noticed this huge 'rubber duckie' on the roof.

Another view of the Rio de la Plata just before it began to rain!

I overheard a guide mention that these mammoth words inscribed on the opposite side of the Women's Bridge were women's rights.

Of special interest to us was this statue of Anne Frank by the bridge as last December we'd toured the home she shared with her family in Amsterdam before being found by the Nazis.

The sad faces were in memory of the bombing that took place in June of 1955 in Buenos Aires' central Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada, the seat of the Argentine national government.

In Buenos Aires' central plaza was the Cabildo, the former town council during the city's colonial era that had been converted into a museum.

Just as we'd been struck by some of the city's majestic architecture at the beginning of the day, we also were at the end of the day!

In the middle of the widest street in the world was the stunningly lit-up Obelisco that commemorated the founding of the city in 1536. 

Just two blocks from our hotel was the lovely Teatro Colon, one of the world's major opera houses.

Ever since having the best meal of our lives two years ago at the Parilla Pena, thanks to the recommendation of our walking tour guide, we could hardly wait to return to see if another meal was really as scrumptious as we believed the first to have been. Steven and I don't eat a lot of red meat at home but, when we go out for an extra special meal, our favorite choice is certainly a steak all the time. We have good steak houses in Denver but all of them are chains, so when this opportunity came up to return to Buenos Aires en route to and from Antarctica, returning to Parilla Pena was like a dream come true!

The parilla or BBQ restaurant in English, was very cozy as you can see with tables set close together which invited conversation with our diners on either side. We learned shortly that the couple was from the northern Netherlands and the fellow was from central Germany. I am so glad to say that our meal of a slab of tenderloin placed on its own plate and then served with a side of mashed potatoes and all downed with an almost impossibly inexpensive bottle of wine was every bit as mouth watering as we both remembered. 

I can't remember the last time I have ordered dessert in a restaurant but the idea of sharing a bowl of ice cream, with a caramel base and then covered in chocolate with our three new-found friends was too good to resist!

I am almost embarrassed to let you know that the entire feast cost less than $30 including the tip. You can bet your bottom dollar we're already planning to go back for another steak fix on our last night in Buenos Aires before flying home about three weeks from now. I just hope we'll be able to sit at what we consider 'our' table and will again be served by the same waiter!

Next post: Getting to Ushuaia in southernmost Argentina  - yes or no?! 

Posted on November 24th, 2019, from Ushuaia, Argentina, just one hour before beginning our second cruise of the trip, this one to part of the Patagonia region of Chile. Since we'll be aboard the ship for American Thanksgiving, Steven and I wish each American reading this a happy day surrounded by family and friends. We are so thankful for your love and friendship and your presence in our lives.