Travel Review Continued ...

May is winter there, so we had cool, pleasant, sunny weather (around 70 Fahrenheit I think); perfect for travelling & sightseeing.  Although most of the time we stayed at her apartment in Buenos Aires, we took a couple of trips outside the City.

Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan city, “the Paris of South America”, very comfortable and friendly.  Everyone seems to have a dog – there are well cared for dogs parading around – and outdoor cafes around where one can have a snack or delicious duce de leche ice cream!  I always felt safe travelling by bus & street car, occasionally by train.  The museums are wonderful, the parks and the zoo mediocre.

A popular tourist haunt is the dock area, La Boca.  The houses are all brightly painted (with leftover paint from the ships!) and on Sunday afternoons there are musicians, tango dancers, jewellery markets – a hopping place!  We visited a fascinating cemetery, where there are streets of family mausoleums, in various states of repair.  Eva Peron’s is always covered with fresh flowers.

One day we took a train to cottage country, Argentina-style.  The cottages were on an island, linked by water channels, a getaway for the city people, and quite modest.

Another trip we took was by very comfortable, overnight bus (with beds and a steward) to Iguazu Falls, north of Buenos Aires by about 2,000 miles.  We stayed 2 nights, and visited the wonderful park, and also went on a jungle trip with an English-speaking guide.  We went white water rafting – UNDER the falls – a hair-raising and soaking experience.

I wished that I’d had more time to explore the Northern, mountainous area or the Southern artic – my friend was raving about those areas.      Maybe next, Michele???