Sailing, Sailing (no, not the cruise yet)

Today was our first full day in BA, and we'd booked a day tour to San Isidro and the Tigre river. The day began with realizing there was no power in the room. Turns out the entire hotel was out. We were able to grab a quick breakfast at the lounge, and luckily the power went out after the coffee was made, so I did get my morning coffee. We did have to get to the lobby by going down 8 flights of stairs. I learned that the entire block was out, probably from the rain.

We met our guide, Susannah,just outside the hotel lobby (the lobby was very warm due to the power problem). She is an independent tour guide, and architect. We then set out to San Isidro, a town outside the city of Buenos Aires. We drove through it, seeing older buildings and cobblestone streets. Our initial destination was the Tigre River delta - an area north of BA, that is the delta area for 5 rivers that flow into the Rio de Plata. The delta is made up of many tiny islands, with over 3000 inhabitants. Living on the river is a way of life for them. It's also a vacation spot for locals, good for week end or holiday rentals.

Our first stop was at a market on the river. There, handcrafts made with the products of the river, wicker and wood, are featured. We also watched them load the "supermarket boat" small boats that carry market items to the people on the islands. We saw a boat loaded with fresh produce, and one with soft drinks and beer.

After that, we drove to the area where they run one hour boat tours. The tour did a circle of some of the islands. The Tigre delta is home to most of the city's rowing clubs, of which there are several. We saw lots of people rowing in canoes, kayaks and rowboats. Susannah told us that her husband was the champion rower in Argentina at one point, and still rows actively.

We learned that people on the islands typically have boats, not cars, and there are garages on the mainland (or continent as our guide called it) to store the boats. Runs about 100.00 a month. We also saw a school on one of the islands, although I understand there is also a school house boat.


Notice the stilts? This is a big flood area


We learned that if you want groceries, you hang a bag out on your dock to tell the supermarket boat to show up. We did observe somebody buying groceries, beer specifically - hey, it was Saturday.

We also saw the house of a former president. It has been turned into a museum. It was also completely surrounded by glass, since erosion and flooding are big issues here (and most houses here are on stilts). The day was also very hot and muggy, but the river was slightly less humid.

After the ride, we drove by some of the various rowing clubs to a restaurant in an historic house, the Villa Ocampo in San Isidro. The family that owned it gave it to the city, with the stipulation that it become a museum, administered by UNESCO. The house sits on lovely grounds and includes a restaurant. Our lunch was good, but reminded us that what ordering a dish you're familiar with may or may not give you the same dish at as at home. Our lunch entree was billed as chicken tahini was actually chicken curry. It was, however good.



After a lovely lunch in which we learned about the economic collapse of Argentina in 2001 and how it affected people, (Susanna, for example switched from being architect to being a tour guide - she now does both), we headed back to our hotel.

We had some time before we needed to get ready for dinner, so we wandered down Florida street. First stop, MAC store (yes, the cosmetic company) - I'd forgotten something. Then we headed to Florida Garden, the restaurant that the agent at United recommended, for a coffee and a sacremento, basically a croissant filled with jam.

A note about the coffee here. It's, like much of the world, pretty much espresso and small cups. It's usually served with just a frosting of milk on it. It's a little bitter for me, although Susanna told me there was a version that was more milk then coffee.

At Florida Garden, I gave up on the coffee and had tea. It was wonderfully served. There was a pot of strained tea, a second pot of water, and a pot of warm milk. Delightful. And the pastry was good.

We then decided to walk to Puerto Madero, a neighborhood a short walk from the hotel. Glen noticed a bridge on the map called the woman's bridge, and we decided we wanted to see it. As we approached the river, we saw something that looked like like the top of a cruise ship, so we decided to investigate. We walked along some canals, and finally got close enough to notice it was a building. The side of the river we were on featured what were probably warehouses converted to offices on top floors and restaurants on the ground floor. We saw another branch of the restaurant we're having dinner at on Monday night, and the restaurant for dinner tomorrow night. We reviewed the menus. It turns out the steaks are not as inexpensive as I'd be been lead to believe, but still better priced then high price US steak houses. I'll learn tomorrow how they compare in taste.

We found the woman's bridge (not sure why it's called that) and walked across the pedestrian bridge. We walked back along the other side of the canal, just for variety.

After that, back to our room to get ready for the evening. Tonight was the tango show, and it included private transportation. At 8:30 we headed back down to the lobby - this time in the elevator. The lobby always has a lot of people in it, so finding your driver can be pretty hit and miss, but at about 8:35 a driver arrived. We asked if he was looking for us, and he was. He drove us to a location somewhere (he didn't speak English, so we couldn't really ask). Around the block from the theater, we hit traffic. We sat their for about 5 minutes. I said it reminded me of New York, with one difference. I had Glen guess what that was, and he did - no honking.

Within a few minutes we arrived at the theater. We were quickly escorted to our table, where we found our table-mates, Linda and Bob waiting for us. Linda is a fellow member of Cruise Critic, and we've been emailing each other for several months. When they decided to do a tango show, they suggested we sit together, since most tables are for 4 people. We've been emailing almost daily for months, so we enjoyed meeting and chatting. The dinner was OK. The show was a bit touristy but the Argentine tango in it was extraordinary. I don't see a great need to go to another show anytime soon, but it was great to see one. We were taken back to the hotel around midnight, and, since we had an early tour on Sunday, to bed quickly.