Historical/Background Info:
Most people probably know Argentina because of “Evita”, an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and then 1996 film based on the musical; plus the famous “tango” music and dancing. I know it because I spent about 8 years of my flying career with American Airlines flying Boeing 777’s and 767’s from Miami and Dallas to Buenos Aires. I spent many layover nights here so know it very well. I came to love the food and people but this beautiful city is rich in architecture, history, and culture as well. First here is a little about the country.
Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world and second largest in Latin America (Brazil is largest). The earliest recorded human presence in the area dates back to prehistoric times but the Spanish colonized the region during the 15th century. It declared its independence on July 9, 1816. The 9th of July is a huge holiday down here and the main avenue in Buenos Aires is called, “Avendia 9 de Julio” (9th of July Avenue). It is the widest avenue in the world with 7 lanes in each direction and is flanked on either side by parallel streets of two lanes each. Our crew bus arrived during rush hour and 9 lanes were still not enough.
Argentina has the third largest economy in Latin America. It is a member of the G-20 major economies. Its historical economic performance has been very erratic, with high growth alternating with severe recessions. It is my observation that it has a two class society-the have’s and the have not’s. Inflation has been a weakness of the Argentine economy for decades. Today it is running 15% after hitting 40% in 2014. When I first started flying down here the US dollar and Argentine peso were equal ($1 = 1 peso) Not long afterwards the government devalued the peso and today $1 = 9 pesos. Today an American can have a very nice dinner in Buenos Aires for a great deal. Could be one reason it is the most visited city in South America!
They have a diversified economy which includes: food processing, wine, tabacco products, cars & auto parts, textiles, leather, refineries for gasoline and diesel, chemicals & phI am hungry! There were a lot of Italian immigrants, so as a consequence, there are many great Italian farmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, iron, machinery both farm and industrial, home appliances, plastics, tires, glass, and cement.
English is taught here since elementary school but only 42%”claim” to speak it. I know from personal experience that many knew what I was saying but denied it. Pasta can be found on almost every restaurant menu. That’s because 55% of Argentines have Italian origins. Like the US, Argentina is a large melting pot of immigrants. The country has to highest consumption of red meat in the world. The meats are traditionally prepared as “asado”, which we call grilling. Another one of my favorite foods there is grilled provolone cheese with oregano on it. The “papa fritas” or French fries are also to die for. Ok, now I am hungry! There were a lot of Italian immigrants, so as a consequence, there are many great Italian restaurants here.
Argentina is 2300 miles in length, north to south, so it has a variety of regions. Northern Argentina has a more rugged terrain but is still very beautiful. The Pampas is a massive, fertile plain in the central part of the country where farming takes place. In the south is the Patagonia region that is characterized by arid, rugged terrain on east side, moist cold grasslands to the south, and dense subantartic forests to the west. There are also world-class ski resorts in Patagonia. Lying next to the Andes mountains almost due west of Buenos Aires is the city of Mendoza and this area is well known for it’s great Argentine wines. Probably the wine most associated with Argentina is “malbec”, a delicious red wine.
Buenos Aires is also the birthplace of the current pope, Francis.
What We Did Today:
It was after 9:00 am by the time we got docked. Rebecca just had to go workout despite me saying we would be walking a lot in the city today. So it was 11:30 when we got off ship. We are docked at the commercial port so had to take a bus to the cruise terminal. Then we caught another shuttle bus to the end of Florida street at San Martin Plaza. Regent is providing a free shuttle bus every half hour all day long until 8:30 pm.
We had a little trouble finding my favorite lunch place so we could have some good empanadas. I forgot which street it was on so walked SEVERAL blocks before finding it. After lunch we walked to the restaurant that we will be going to this evening. I had never been there so wanted to check it out before trying it. It looks great and is definitely not a tourist place. You have to know where it is to find it as is off the beaten track that most tourists take. It was recommended by a super nice Argentine lady who works here on the ship in the excursion department. Gabby said she and her family would be eating there tonight also.
On the way back to our shuttle bus I bought some traditional Argentine chocolate covered cookies with a dulce leche (sweet carmel like) filling. I gave all the girls who work at the reception desk on our ship one when we got back on board. Now they all love me!!! I also got some "Shot" candy bars. This is another Argentine must. We stopped at a pharmacy and got Rebecca some Nasonex (nose spray). $30 here as opposed to $125 in US. We also found some Halls cough drops. I may be needing these. I'm fighting this "thing" off with Airborne now.
This is the last day of the Lima to Buenos Aires cruise segment. Tomorrow all but 155 of us will be leaving the ship and new folks will be boarding. The ship's crew will also be doing a "deep cleaning" of the ship. They want it definitely free of the gastro-intestinal bug before the new folks board. Even the in transients like us would have to go sit in the Horizon Lounge from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm while they clean the ship and our suites. SO, we have decided to do a "Highlights of BA" excursion starting at 9:00 am. Did it back in 2012 but don't want to sit in the lounge. Besides I can get some photos for you!
Yea! The fueling boat just left. Below is the link to some photos I took last night and today.
https://goo.gl/photos/KHW7Leh6A9JQXD7m7
No comments:
Post a Comment