Buenos Aires on the Move

Buenos Aires is a combination of Paris, New York City and San Francisco with South American flair and sophistication all rolled up into one. My first taste of Buenos Aires was a woosh of people walking fast not looking at each other, no one waits for each other poofs of exhaust right in your face as traffic screams by you, pedestrians don't have the righter way, cars do so watch out. At first, I didnt like it because I'm laid back, take it easy, what's your rush...

But then I got used to it, stepping out right as cars passed waiting for no one, no pauses, just go, go with the traffic of people in black suits, slicked back hair and dress shoes. No shorts, no slippers, no casuality at all to be seen. Just keep your eyes forward, no time to take pictures, no time to look around until you step into a shop or galleria out of the hubbub for a second or two. People were a bit snubby and impatient with my sub-Spanish, but after awhile I didn't care and blended with the sea of black hair and straight faces.

Then, there are the underlayers of Buenos Aires, the bohemian La Boca section where there are colorful buildings, tango influence of red and passion everywhere, near the soccer stadium where soccer hooligans as they're called rather than just plain ol' fans break out in their blue, white and gold for the pride of Argentina, cafes bursting with color and life welcome you with wide open doors, artistry on every corner in murals, paintings, sculpture and handicrafts.

The Cemeterio de la Recoleta took my breath away with its above-ground tombs the size of small houses and churches fit for one person to stand in with plenty of arm space, intricately constructed to pay homage to families historically over generation upon generation. And standing in front of Eva Peron's gravesite was surreal as I only dreamt of standing there, pinch me please, was I really here? Tourists edged closer to her gravesite snapping pictures but in a quiet respectful way for a great woman who was loved and adored by her country all the way to her untimely death. Absolutely lyrical. Don't cry for her, Argentina, because she lives with you in your hearts forever.

The wine, oh the wine, was so fine. Yeah, we can buy wine from just about anywhere in the states, but I needed to buy two bottles of this particular Argentinian merlot because the minute it hit my tastebuds, there was no going back - smooth, down, perfecto. I had fresh heart of palm with spinach salad, sirloin steak and perfect cabernet sauvignon for dinner one night, and I ate every last bite and drank every drop because there was something about the quality of the food that was rich and delectable like no other, unbelievably good, fresh and tasty tops. I knew I had to take it all in and savor it.

We went to a tango show, and I thought it would be halfway cheesey...but no. My mouth dropped over and over again as I could not take my eyes off the dancers, such elegance, grace and flexibility in the poses they struck, wow! Impressive, bravo, encore!! The womens' outfits were sparkly and fitted just so that it was classy yet flowed with the dance moves, aggressive and strong yet feminine and poignant, and the men were dashingly, charismatically good-looking, strong, masculine and...well, I couldn't keep my eyes off of one of them in particular.

Buenos Aires is quite a character, complex with layers that need to be taken off one at a time to discover its true beauty. The skies poured rain as we headed to the airport to go home, and our guide Laura said the skies are crying for us since we were leaving. Don't cry for me, Argentina, either as I will surely be back.