As we were already flying to the very tip of South America, we thought we might as well make it worth our while, and spend some time exploring a small part of South America. As there were no direct flights (nor any flights with easy connections) from Toronto to Ushuaia, we knew we needed to break our trip somewhere. I chose Buenos Aires simply because I had never been there, it was a modern cosmopolitan city very much like European cities (and I love Europe), and of course it has been in the news a lot lately.
Things did not start off too well- we did not get picked up at the airport as arranged. Several phone calls later, we finally made it to our hotel in Recoleta- and it was lovely. The first night we chose to stay and eat in the hotel restaurant- Italian and it was fabulous……Lemoncello to our room after!
Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church built between 1706 and 1732.
After we arrived, I went online with my iphone and booked a walking tour with Buenos Aires Walking Tours for the next morning at 10 am. So come the next morning, we were up bright and early and took a cab to our meeting point for a 2 hour leisurely stroll through Retiro to Recoleta- ending just outside the Recoleta Cemetery. What an excellent way to be introduced to a city…..walking tours are the best. In the afternoon, we headed out on a Wine Tasting Walking Tour in Palmero- with Urban Adventures -again a good time was had by all. We ended our afternoon after drinking Malbec and eating tapas by heading to a coffee/ ice cream-gelato shop.
The next day was Friday and we were leaving mid afternoon for the airport. We decided to explore some more on foot in Recoleta and Retiro, and then ended in the Grand Palace Hotel for a delicious lunch……a perfect way to end our few days in BA.
Onto Ushuaia next- a much more “rough and tumble” destination. Here we enjoyed the great outdoors on a couple of day trips- exploring Tierra del Fuego NP the first day, and then the second day heading into Patagonia on a 4×4 day expedition with Canal Fun……the scenery was wonderful, and on the second day we were fortunate enough to enjoy a wonderful lunch “asado” of steak, olives, cheeses, salads, sausages, baguettes, etc. etc. all washed down with a wonderful Malbec in a rustic cabin with a wood stove going to keep us warm surrounded by 4 foxes in the woods. What more could we want!?
The following day we woke up to the following……and yes this was the day we left on our expedition to the Antarctica!
And so that was Part I of South America. Part II to follow…….
