Day 8 - Full day in Buenos Aires

This morning came very early as a small group stayed up late the night before talking about the trip and the program. My iTouch, aka alarm clock was "magically" shut off in the middle of the night and I was awaken instead by Ehsan's phone call to my room. I rushed to throw on some clothes and met Steve, Ameer and Ehsan in the lobby @ 10:15 for a full day on our own. Below is a list of places we went in order:

• San Telmo - the oldest neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Today is Sunday, so the antique fair is going on which makes the area much more crowded, but great energy. Beautiful colonial buildings, cafes, cobblestone roads, tango dancing & more make this place special.
• We then walked to Av de Mayo where the Catedral Metropolitana, Plaza de Mayo & Cabildo are located (See all the pics on the blog for Day 8). Some of the best architecture in the city.
• Then over to Obelisco (the Washington Monument of Buenos Aires imo) & Av. 9 de Julio. The street is named after Argentina's Independence Day in 1816.
• We decided it was time for lunch, so what better place than the oldest cafe in Buenos Aires, Cafe Tortoni (pic below). I had a small ham, tomato & olive pizza finished off with the best cafe in the city.

• We then took a taxi over to La Recoleta Cemetery which was probably my favorite part of the day. Weird to say since it is a cemetery, but after looking at the pictures, one might agree. Our guide said it was the 3rd largest cemetery in the world. These graves were enormous and beautiful. Eva Peron, the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 - 1952 (when she died) is buried here in Recoleta (pic below). She was extremely important for labor rights while First Lady and is still a significant cultural figure in the society.

• Palermo Soho was next up for some walking and shopping. Soho is a subdivision within Palermo, the largest area in Buenos Aires. Another great neighborhood known for its fashion, design, restaurants, pubs & street culture. It is more "alternative" making it young, hip & energetic.
• We finished off the afternoon back at Florida Street for some shopping and people watching.

Once we got back to the hotel around 6 or so, I was able to see online that my NY Giants laid an egg against the Eagles in the NFL playoffs. Thank god I didn't waste my time in Buenos Aires to watch. At 8pm, the same group and Kristen went over to Cabana Las Lilas for some steak! This meal had to be the best steak of the whole trip. We actually even met a nice family from Clemson, SC who had friends that grew up with Frank Beamer. HokieNation baby! Check out the picture below of the meats, yum. Dinner capped a great day walking around the city.

Quote of the day:

What kind of milk did you drink when you were younger? Giraffe milk? - Ehsan