This was officially the last day we would all be official called a group so we all decided we would make the most of it. We had finally come full circle; we had made it to our desired destination. The air here provided us all with a good feeling each street was more beautiful then the next. We all looked at each other in the lobby of the Hotel satisfied with what we had achieved.
Today was to be a bit more relaxed then the usually two hours to see a whole city that we had become accustomed to and loved. A group of us headed down towards the Plaza de Mayo. It is the nerve center of Buenos Aires and witness to many demonstrations and pivotal events in Argentine history. Political demonstrations take place here most days and we were all witness to another one. Another stop of significant importance was the Cathedral. The cathedral is an impressive building from the outside and reminded us of a parliament building. It offers a mix of architectural styles due to the number of restorations that the building has undergone. Inside the most interesting statue was that of the Saint of Football. This man was intriguing. A number of men approached the statue and held the statues feet and prayed. I approached him and said a prayer for Manchester United.
At this point Tom and a few others left to visit the region of La Boca. The short taxi drive to La Boca was definitely worth it. La Boca is an unusual place with bright striking colorful houses and shops. The area is essentially made of 4-5 cobbled lanes with outside tango shows, gift shops, craft stores and restaurants and cafes. It relies on the tourist intake. We strolled around and than sat down for a milkshake and a free tango show. We were all hauled up on the stage at different moments for a tango dance, putting our previous night’s lessons into practice. It was good fun. After an hour or two of sipping our milkshakes and soaking in the dancing and atmosphere in the gentle sunshine we continued onwards to La Bombanera, home of Boca Juniors Football Club and Diego Maradona. The stadium is fully painted from top to bottom in the Boca colors and the surrounding houses the same. This area is die hard Boca territory and I can only imagine the buzz before a game. Stereos are playing out of the shops with Boca chants. Football is the passion here, Boca Juniors is life and death.
We continued a stroll around the beauty that is daytime Buenos Aires. We walked the streets and simply took in all the magic that each street projected. A few beautiful statues and monuments met us. We then decided to head back to Hotel Splendid to recharge the batteries and prepare a present for our tour guide Carlos.
Before we headed for dinner Carlos was presented with a picture of all of us at our happiest in Ilha Grande. Carlos spoke of the great time that he had with us and gave all of us four a special mention. We all held back the tears and went for dinner. Dinner like all the places we had been was superb due to the excellent company and fine cuisine.
We visited the region of Palermo for a bit of a pub crawl. We even managed to pull Heather out to complete the group. The area was a bit quiet due to it being midweek but we quickly changed that. Good times were had by all as we discussed the great experiences we have all shared. After a few more drinks and pubs we headed back to the hotel to drop off the light weights. Some of us headed to the only club open on a Tuesday night. As we entered we were met by rave music. It was an experience to say the least. We had enjoyed our last night out as an official group.
Stay Posted
Conor
Today was to be a bit more relaxed then the usually two hours to see a whole city that we had become accustomed to and loved. A group of us headed down towards the Plaza de Mayo. It is the nerve center of Buenos Aires and witness to many demonstrations and pivotal events in Argentine history. Political demonstrations take place here most days and we were all witness to another one. Another stop of significant importance was the Cathedral. The cathedral is an impressive building from the outside and reminded us of a parliament building. It offers a mix of architectural styles due to the number of restorations that the building has undergone. Inside the most interesting statue was that of the Saint of Football. This man was intriguing. A number of men approached the statue and held the statues feet and prayed. I approached him and said a prayer for Manchester United.
At this point Tom and a few others left to visit the region of La Boca. The short taxi drive to La Boca was definitely worth it. La Boca is an unusual place with bright striking colorful houses and shops. The area is essentially made of 4-5 cobbled lanes with outside tango shows, gift shops, craft stores and restaurants and cafes. It relies on the tourist intake. We strolled around and than sat down for a milkshake and a free tango show. We were all hauled up on the stage at different moments for a tango dance, putting our previous night’s lessons into practice. It was good fun. After an hour or two of sipping our milkshakes and soaking in the dancing and atmosphere in the gentle sunshine we continued onwards to La Bombanera, home of Boca Juniors Football Club and Diego Maradona. The stadium is fully painted from top to bottom in the Boca colors and the surrounding houses the same. This area is die hard Boca territory and I can only imagine the buzz before a game. Stereos are playing out of the shops with Boca chants. Football is the passion here, Boca Juniors is life and death.
We continued a stroll around the beauty that is daytime Buenos Aires. We walked the streets and simply took in all the magic that each street projected. A few beautiful statues and monuments met us. We then decided to head back to Hotel Splendid to recharge the batteries and prepare a present for our tour guide Carlos.
Before we headed for dinner Carlos was presented with a picture of all of us at our happiest in Ilha Grande. Carlos spoke of the great time that he had with us and gave all of us four a special mention. We all held back the tears and went for dinner. Dinner like all the places we had been was superb due to the excellent company and fine cuisine.
We visited the region of Palermo for a bit of a pub crawl. We even managed to pull Heather out to complete the group. The area was a bit quiet due to it being midweek but we quickly changed that. Good times were had by all as we discussed the great experiences we have all shared. After a few more drinks and pubs we headed back to the hotel to drop off the light weights. Some of us headed to the only club open on a Tuesday night. As we entered we were met by rave music. It was an experience to say the least. We had enjoyed our last night out as an official group.
Stay Posted
Conor
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