A couple of little tastes of from the last two weeks; like eating Tapas.

My parents came to visit.  It was so nice having our first guests in BA and showing them the life that we have built.  It also reminded us how far we have come.  So many of the things that were foreign to them are now second nature to us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally we took them to our favorite places like Don Julio and La Dorita.  We also took the excellent hop on- hop off tourist bus around BA. It was a great way to get out and see more of the city.  With stops at Teatro Colon (still haven’t been), San Telmo Market, The Obelisk and La Boca it was a great chance to get to be a tourist in our home city

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also took my folks to  an Estancia (and got a gigantic bus to take us there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a tearful goodbye with my folks, we got right back into the swing of things with an amazing visit to a local artist. We had seen the work of Eugenio Cuttica at the Museo del Bellas Artes.  We loved his work and tired to see if he was represented by any local galleries.  When Michele discovered that he was currently in Buenos Aires and his manager/ wife suggested that we come to his studio check out his works.  Pretty nice sales job if you ask me.  He was a sweet and interesting guy and we had a lovely visit with him.   Of course, we purchased  a painting (the on the right) but only after Michele’s excellent price negotiation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After our time with the  family Cuttico, we dropped by El Obrero for dinner.  Amazing old school steak joint and one of our best dining experiences in Buenos Aires.  The waiter suggested a $7 bottle of wine which was as good as anything I’ve tasted since I’ve been here.  Also, who is my wife for suggesting a run down steakhouse decorated with futbol memorabilia?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate continues to soldier on admirably. She went with her school on a two night trip to Rosario to visit the museum of the national flag. We couldn’t be prouder of how she is doing.

When she returned,  we had a family evening at home on Friday to relax. We were sitting around the table when we started to hear explosions. We looked out the window and sure enough it was FIREWORKS for the graduation of the mounted police academy that is next door. Needless to say, we spent the next 20 minutes enjoying the show.

Stumbling upon a fireworks show is an ideal metaphor for our trip. Having given up the normal and certain we have opened ourselves up to the surprising and serendipitous.  Speaking of which, the next day we went El Caurtito a 70 year old pizzeria that hasn’t seen a remodel in 20 years but is serving amazingly delicious stuffed pizza.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then visited the fair that the federal government put on for Independence Day weekend.  It was a bit creepy to see such blatant propaganda as the theme of the fair was all the things that the government does (military, education, tech innovation).  The event wasn’t exactly jam packed, perhaps due to the current government’s standing with the local people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Independence Day weekend went to two separate Asados, one at the home of Enrique Shaw, who was a friend of our friend Will Price and the second at the home of Keri MacDonald who is a friend of our friendEugenie VanWynen.  We enjoyed both of evenings liberally and continue to be amazed the generosity and warmth that these Argentines have shown to us wanders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also visited our favorite restaurant in Buenos Aires Casa Felix .  This is a closed door restaurant that we had visited on our scouting trip to Argentina.  The owner, Diego Felix is an Argentine who married an American so they made a side business of traveling  to the United States and cooking private dinners in a venture called Collectivo Felix .  Last year the gang made us an AMAZING dinner for 12 at our home, and I’d highly recommend this experience.

We had certainly intended to visit Casa Felix,  but hadn’t had a chance to do so as we were trying out new things.  It turns out that our visit coincided with the last night that Diego would be in Argentina as he and his family are permanently relocating to the United States.  Another bit of serendipity!

As we sat down to enjoy our meal, we met a young lady who was traveling alone.  Michele invited her to dine with us, which, to be honest, is not something we would have done in the past.  So our travels have made us more open to new people as well as new experiences, and, as Martha would say, that’s a good thing.