We continued flying all night and there was a two hour time change (+2) awaiting our landing. I slept fitfully, especially before 0330, but eventually got *some* rest. My aisle seat was kind of a liability, though, because almost everyone who passed bumped part of my anatomy. It wasn’t very quiet, either... At around 0500, I woke up and started watching episodes of “The Morning Show”. The flight attendants came around at 0630 with breakfast (yogurt, granola, fruit bar, orange juice) and people gradually opened their windows to the bright morning. We landed in Buenos Aires just before 0800 (local time) - pilot made a “swervy landing”. My AT&T account once again provided free phone service in Argentina - nice! As we got off the airplane, I was surprised by how warm and humid it was. I made my way to Immigration and didn’t have too much difficulty (through by 0830). After walking to baggage claim, I found my duffel bag very quickly (one strange thing, though, was that American Airlines later emailed to tell me my bag was delayed). I had to pass through one more checkpoint (Customs) but was completely through the security exit by 0900. Almost immediately, I started seeing people with Viking signs and they directed me down the airport concourse to a waiting bus. I was able to board quickly but then had to wait on everyone else from the same flight to arrive - the early bird did not get the worm for once... As a result, it was 1000 before we left the airport property. While waiting, I met several of the other passengers (all couples, all older, all with dozens of cruises under their belts) and quickly determined that I was probably going to be one of the only a few “rookies” on our cruise ship. Since the airport I used today (Ezeiza International Airport) was different from the one I used during my last visit (Jorge Newbery Airfield), the scenery was different during our drive into the heart of Buenos Aires. There was evidence of recent rain on the roads and the sky was overcast. One of the Viking Team members (Victoria) talked to us about the city on the way. We arrived at the Hilton Hotel in Puerto Madero at around 1045 and I checked in with some Viking staff members in the lobby. I then proceeded to the Viking Orientation table and learned more about the next 18 to 24 hours of my trip. The rooms weren’t ready yet so I left my bags with the Viking team, changed into a short sleeved shirt and considered my options. Despite running on fumes after my 36 hours of transit to South America, I decided to venture into the Central Business District before forecasted rain arrived. Just after exiting the hotel, I noticed a place to eat, Dandy Deli, that was located just across the street so I headed there to pick up some food to go (1120). They had a special of two empanadas (one carne and one jamon y queso), some fries and a can of soda - the price was good. After scarfing down one of the empanadas, I walked across the canal and (from memory) located the Obelisk. Compared to home, the temps and humidity south of the equator were downright tropical - they are having a hot/wet summer weather and my clothes were soon wet from my exertions in the conditions... Along the way, I had to pause at a lot of crosswalks but, eventually, I was finally able to cross Avenida 9 de Julio and the navigation got easier. During my 2022 visit to Buenos Aires, I saw a lot of sights and did a lot of the things that were described in my City Guidebook. Two things that weren’t possible (due to running out of time) were a tour of Teatro Colon and exploring the neighborhood of San Telmo. Today, I was able to do both! First, I stopped at the former location to learn about the possibility of a tour (1145). Unlike during my last visit, I was in luck and managed to buy a ticket (with an English guide) for a tour scheduled for about two hours later. Since it wasn’t raining yet, I ate my lunch (the second empenada and the fries) on a bench in the Parque Lavalle. Afterwards, I walked around the area, looking for things to see and do before my tour. As usually happens when I’m traveling, people stopped me to ask for directions. I didn’t feel entirely comfortable using my Spanish, unfortunately (learning Portuguese may be mixing up my memories) so could only reply "No sei." Along the way, I looked inside a free museum that was located within the historic Teatro National Cervantes and checked out the tickets for a nearby Tango venue. For the latter activity, the timing didn’t work to attend during my short stay in the city. It started to rain so I made my way back to Teatro Colon to wait in a dry area. I was thinking how lucky I was that I'd previously visited Bs. As - fortunately, I’ve already seen most of the nearby attractions. While relaxing, I suddenly realized that I’d miscalculated the number of days of my trip (because I hadn’t noticed the overnight flight). This mean that my Dartmouth Coach ticket was for the wrong day and my leave request wasn't long enough. Because of the good mobile phone service, I was able to contact work, my neighbors and the Dartmouth Coach to rearrange everything without much difficulty. Relieved, I got in line for my tour (1315) and ended up talking to a nice older (octogenarians) couple who were almost done with 50 days of vacation in Chile and Argentina - they were very interesting people. At 1330, I eagerly joined an English speaking guide (Vanessa) as she led us through the beautiful Teatro Colon. Like much of the other architecture in the city, the Theater was inspired by European buildings. With elaborate faux-marble wall designs, majestic columns and colorful paintings, visitors would be sure to be impressed by the lobby and social areas. But the auditorium itself, with amazing acoustics and classical layout, blew me away. Our guide said the Theater is “Number 1” in the world for Opera - she added that the performance quality and ambiance are second to none and I can well believe that. Tickets are hard to get (lots of competition for affordable seats) but visiting the Theater alone might make a trip from the US worthwhile. After the awesome tour ended (1430), I started walking back towards Puerto Madero. It was no longer raining, fortunately, but it was very muggy. There was a huge line for empanada truck (!) - I considered seeing what the hoopla was but decided my time was too short to waste on something like that. I had to cross lots of busy streets again but eventually got on Aveninda Roque Sainz Peña. From there, I walked to Plaza de Mayo and then took Bolivar. I wandered deep into San Telmo, marveling at the Old World feel of the neighborhood and its churches. Like I’ve felt about other parts of this amazing city, it’s easy to forget what continent I’m on when turning down an old side street. I got some good looks at the pretty balconies above the street in the rows of old homes and stopped in for a look at the little church of San Ignacio. Next, I turned east at Avenida Independencia. Crossing the canal at one of the southern most bridges, I made my way back towards the Hilton. Just before arriving, I stumbled across a memorial to Anne Frank. I made it into the lobby at 1530 but then had to wait in a big line to get my room key (grrrr). Feeling tired and cranky after so much traveling, I still managed to bite my tongue while dealing with the staff. Finally, I was in my room at 1615 - yaaay! I spent the next two hours getting cleaned up, repacking, catching up on reading, Duolingo and replying to some texts from my daughters. Feeling better, I left the hotel at 1815 and walked across the canal to locate a restaurant recommended by the Viking Team: Cabana Las Lilas. I sat outside because the weather had turned rather tropical (pleasant). Many of the other patrons were American and weren’t trying to use Spanish at all. Meanwhile, I struggled along, fooling neither Roberto (who didn’t speak English at all) or his replacement, Jonas (who did). Still, as the evening wore on I started to feel like I could get some of the language back before the trip was done... Dinner began with a huge appetizer platter (I think it was called “entretenimientos”) that had all kinds of items (Pan Casaro, mousselines, pan de queso, pan de fecula, caprese salad, olives, cremas, escabeches y marinadas). It was an optional add on but, of course, I had to try it! For my first course, I had the Ensalada Especial Las Lilas (lettuce with avocados, tomatoes and other items) and, for my second, I had the house Wagyu Burger with puffy fries (papas soufflé). I also enjoyed a glass of (Argentinian) Saint Felicien Malbec. My meal dinner was topped off with a dessert of Volcan de Dulche de Leite. After nearly two days of traveling, this was a feast and all of it tasted great. When I paid, I was pleased to discover that I was able to use a credit card along with US dollars for a tip (they are highly valued in Buenos Aires). I departed the restaurant at 1945, which was just in time because it started raining right then. Fortunately, I managed to make it back to the Hilton before I needed my umbrella (or got soaked). As requested by the Viking Team, I dropped my checked bag off at the Concierge (to save time in the morning) and spent the rest of the evening blogging, reading and relaxing. I was also able to check in with Eileen, which was nice. Due to feeling a couple of days’ worth of fatigue, I went to bed early (2130). Departing in the morning for points further south but glad I got more Buenos Aires time today!
