After the late night tango show we spent three more nights in Buenos Aires. The city really has a European feel to it. Full of cafes and bustling with people.
We walked a good distance across town making our way towards an outdoor artisan fair in the suburb of Recoleta, stopping in several parks and taking a peak at the Argentine national library on the way. The fair was a big hit with Chrissy and Bonnie, who went from booth to booth examining crafts made by local folks. There was a large amount of leather items, silver and glass jewlery, as well as small paintings. We literally went to every booth, which was driving me crazy a couple of hours into it. A guy can only look at so many leather wallets. The ladies had a great time and bought several things each.
*****Chrissy comments:***********
Bill was doing great until I started to commission a lady to paint the seven steps of the tango for us. I wasn´t able to complete the request but I was given a quote and promised that she would honor the price discussed. Now I just have to convince my husband. I think we can all agree though that one of the things on life´s checklist should be to commission a piece of art just once. Right?
******end of Chrissy comments******
After the fair, we went to Recoleta cemetery. This is where numerous Argentine dignitaries are buried, including Evita. It is a really creepy place. The tombs are huge:
with most having an above ground door which you can peer into and see coffins both above ground and usually down some short stairs to an underground room. A good number of the crypts have not been maintained and the stone is crumbling, coffins rotting. I had enough of this pretty quick, but the day of Billy torture continued with Chrissy and Bonnie both wanting to walk around the cemetery forever.
Our last full day in Buenos Aires we went to an antique fair in the neighborhood of San Telmo, followed by a bottle of excellent wine in a nearby restaurant. The waiter had a passion for wines and encouraged us to let it sit and then drink it very slowly. It´s amazing how one person with the right amount of knowledge can make the experience that much richer. But he did.
Next it was back to the hostel for a short nap before heading back out around 10 PM for dinner (this is the normal time in BA for dinner). We went to a parillo, which is similar to a steak house. Awesome inexpensive (around $7 USD) steaks and good wine.
We had tickets for a night bus out of town the next day, so we had plenty of time to take in the suburb of La Boca before heading to the station. La Boca is kind of a crazy place with the houses painted in all kinds of vibrant colors. It was pretty touristy, but we did see a street tango show which was excellent and had lunch in a small family restaurant which was pretty tasty.
Buenos Aires is definitely a town we could return to. The people are friendly and there is good food.