Christines trip to Argentina

I arrived to Argentina two weeks ago and stayed for about 8 days. I loved every minute in Argentina. It is a great place. I visited Mendoza and Buenos Aires. The accent there is slightly different and takes some getting use to. They use vos instead of tu to refer to the other person they are talking to. The first time i heard this i thought they were asking something about my voice, which in spanish is voz.

Mendoza is located in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes (gorgeous drive). It is a popular tourist city, though the most popular tourist attraction are the wine tours offered (most popularly on bicycle which doesnt make to much sense.... wine + bicycle riding).

Then was Buenos Aires. It was spectacular. This is the second largest city in South America, with about 13 million people. The people are very friendly and beautiful, the buildings have great old architecture, and there are many things to do and see.



I thought it was interesting here, and it was one of the first things i noticed, to see the difference in greetings between Chile and Argentina. In Chile, men and women greet with a kiss on the cheek. Men greet with a handshake. Here, there is the kiss on the cheek but it is also customary for the men to kiss each other on the cheek. I thought that was interesting.

I went to the second most unusual bookstore in the world. It was built in an old theatre. Talk about jaw dropping gorgeous. The stage was converted to a cafe where you could sit and read or enjoy a cup of espresso and an empanada.

I took a short tango lesson and watched a tango show. What an amazing dance. May have to put that on the list of next dances to learn.

I visited the tumb of Evita. She was only in her young 30s when she died of cancer but there is a musuem dedicated to her and people regularly come to pay their respects.

I thoroughly loved Argentina and would love to go back one day. I have now returned to the US and will write two more blogs, one on my closing ceremony and then one on arriving to the US with closing comments.

CW