This blog post is about our two-night getaway to Buenos Aires, Argentina - the first trip without our kids since we arrived in Chile.
When my parents were staying with us, they offered to take care of William and Jackson for a weekend so Jeremy and I could get away on our own. We jumped at the opportunity and booked a 2-day retreat in Buenos Aires, which is about a two-hour flight from Santiago.
Upon arriving in Buenos Aires we knew we were in a different kind of place - even men greeted other men with a kiss on the cheek, mothers were breast feeding their babies in public (just like back home) and there was a huge undercurrent of creativity that you just don't see in Santiago, with many design houses and unique boutiques boasting Argentinean-made goods. In general, people seemed so relaxed and liberated!
We elected to stay in a hip part of the city, called Palermo Soho - which actually did remind me a little bit of Soho in New York City. We stayed in a small boutique hotel that was a private residence until about 5 years ago. The hotel was definitely not kid-friendly, which was part of the appeal. The hotel had a network of internal courtyards, with quiet places for reading or enjoying an espresso, with a Jacuzzi and a gorgeous dining room where we enjoyed breakfast each morning.
Even though we were only in Buenos Aires for 2 days, we managed to see a whole lot of the city by taking city tours and hitting the hotspots recommended by friends. The architecture in the city is breathtaking and has a real European feel (with a twist) - living up to the claim that it is the Paris of South America. Our favorite spots included strolling through the famous cemetery in Recoleta, attending a tradition tango show, experiencing the night life in Palermo and eating tons of Argentinean beef (which certainly can not be accomplished without a few too many glasses of malbec).
There were lots of unique sights to see, like a giant metal flower sculpture that opens during the daytime and closes at night - a gift to Argentina during the latest economic crisis to help "cheer them up". We also got to experience our first thunderstorm since leaving Canada - as we enjoyed a lunch on a covered terrace in Peurto Manera a dramatic storm blew in, which started off by violently rattling all the sail boats in the harbor and followed with torrential rain, thunder and lightening (note: electrical storms don't happen in Chile, so this was a real treat). To our surprise, once it started to rain it became impossible to convince a taxi to pick us up - it seems the Argentinean cab drivers suddenly become entrepreneurs when it rains and only select fares that meet their strict criteria. Soaked to the bone and worried we would miss our flight back to Santiago, Jeremy eventually cornered a taxi and convinced him to take us if we paid him double the fare (since he claimed the distance we wanted to go wasn't far enough). Despite the slight headache and getting wet, we had no issues getting to our flight with time to spare. If nothing else, I was left slightly impressed by the taxi drivers' ability to adapt their strategy to the sudden spike in demand. Who said the Argentineans don't have a knack for business?!! :)
While flying back to Chile over the impressive yet narrow stretch of the Andes, I noted a slight twinge of nostalgia that I had not felt before. As we descended into the green basin of Santiago, with the sun low in the sky and the gorgeous mountains all around us, it felt good to be "coming home"... back to William and Jackson, back to the eager grandparents, back to our small army of pets, back to our bungalow in Vitacura. It was nice to getaway for a crazy weekend but even better to come back to the things that matter most to us. The good news is that Chile is finally starting to feel like home.
Now it is time to "dry out" - no more red meat and wine for me for a while!
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