Full Day in Buenos Aires

Where do I begin? The weather was wonderful. After breakfast, we started walking from the hotel, located in Retiro, west on Santa Fe Street and let the city show us what it had to offer. We made a stop at Iglesia San Nicolas de Bari, before heading to Cemetery de la Recoleta. Before the cemetery, we decided it would be a good time to have something to eat and drink. La Biela cafe has an outdoor patio and seating across from a large rubber tree. The rubber tree is so huge; the branches need to be held up off the ground by steel supports. There were also views of Nuestra Senora del Pilar Church from the patio. Once fully nourished, we set out to see the cemetery. I was keeping an open mind, as cemeteries are not a place I usually visit. We purchased a map at the door for about $2usd. The cemetery is huge and one can become lost quickly, even with a map. We paid our respects, while admiring the statues. Finally, we found the crowd around the Duarte Family Crypt, or better known Eva Peron burial site. Once leaving, we headed towards Retiro, but we had to stop at Cafe de la Plaza as it was time to sample some Argentina beer and pizza. Our next stop was Teatro Colon for a tour of the Opera house. The only thing missing from visiting Teatro Colon was being able to see an actual ballet or opera show at the theater, but it was not the season. One final stop before heading back to the hotel was Cafe Tortoni. I had to see what all the hype was that I read about, but more to say I was there and had a coffee. During the day we also stopped at a bakery, leather and shoe stores, and a soap and perfume shop along the way. For dinner, we made reservations at El Palacio de la Papa Frita. The puffed potatoes or fritas were good. Dinner was made that much better with some Malbec wine from Argentina. Well that was our day in Buenos Aires. We leave for the airport in the morning.