Argentina was soooo long ago!

So many trips have come and gone and now the new adventure in Porto begins!

Pictures

We have been taking lots of pictures, but I haven't been including them in the blog.

I have been uploading them to Picasa though, and you can see them here:

Argentina

Hope you enjoy them.

Taru

Making Up For Lost Time

Of course, the great thing about a blog is that it functions like a diary. And the bad thing about a blog is that it functions like a diary. Now that we've acclimated, we've stopped being so particular about getting everything down in the blog. We've moved from English time to Latin time--and it's a pleasure to slow down and get there when we get there.

And what have we been up to since last our sticky fingers touched the keys? A parrilla at our B&B where good company, good food, and many bottles of good wine added up to an evening that was even better than the sum of its parts.  A parrilla (pronounced parr-eesh-uh) is a cooking grill or barbecue fueled by charcoal.  The style of cooking is extremely popular, and just about every home has one. Our parrilla started with a glass of wine and then a trip to the butchers to pick out the meats that would be cooked.  The cuts of meat here a very different than we see at home, and I don't remember all the pieces that we bought, but I think most of them originate in the hind quarters.  We brought our selections back to the B&B and enjoyed a glass of wine as the asador (the grill master) got the grilling started.

First off were some tasty trout (wait, that's not beef) that had a very pink appearance like salmon.  Shortly after that came some chorizo sausage (which reminded me very much of linguisa), also very tasty served with a chimichurri sauce. A new wine was opened and then we snacked on some lamb chops.  Everything tastes great off the grill.

The matambra was next which is a very thin flank steak that basically covers the belly of the cow.  Though a little chewy it was also very flavorful and was worth the effort.  We then started into a few of the more 'exotic' parts of the cow, chinchulin (intestines) which were suprisingly tasty, I'd eat them again, morcilla (blood sausage) spiced with fruit - didn't care for it, and mollejas (sweetbreads - I'll let those of you who don't know that that is look it up on your own) which again were suprisingly tasty.

Taru got to play asador and pulled a cut of meat off the grill and sliced it for service. Several more wonderful meats came off the grill including bife de chorizo and a couple of wonderful salads and grilled vegetables were available throughout the night.  After nearly 8 hours of eating and partying, Barbara and I toddled off to bed around 2:30 AM.  We understand that a couple of other guests called it quits about 10 minutes after we did, but that things went on for another hour or so.  Quite the night. We felt like we had experienced the cow from the nose to the tail.

We've wandered the streets and markets of Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood and a little of Monserrat (or San Telmo). We've studied the wine selection at the Carrefours and shopped the neighborhood for fresh pasta so we could cook dinner. Most importantly, we've arrived safely and happily at Molly and Craig's gorgeous apartment.

Not to rub it in, but frankly, we're having a fantastic time and already planning a return trip. Soon we're off the San Telmo market.

Gnocchi Day Thoughts....

In no particular order, here are a few things that have drawn our attention:

• Many drivers seem to regard traffic signals and lane lines as suggestions. As a pedestrian, you need to move briskly and with intention or you won't get across many intersections.
• And speaking of walking, many sidewalks are in disrepair by U.S. standards. The concrete is cracked or missing, and tree roots abound. Between that and uneven curbs, we've been minding our steps.
• We are red-faced that we don't speak Spanish, yet still we have met many warm and welcoming portenos. So far, we haven't had a single encounter with anyone who was less than gracious and lovely.
• Change (monedas) is highly sought-after. You need exact change for the bus, and we hear that the bus system hoards all the monetas and then sells the coins back at a premium to the government. One English-speaking portena suggested to us that we might suffer grievous harm if we try to fly out of the country with any monetas. We hope she was joking, but monedas is definitely a serious subject here.
• We've seen very few young women whose hair is short. 
• Homer Simpson saying "doh" in Spanish must be heard to be believed.
• As warm as it is, bugs are surprisingly scarce.
•  Pepsi, Coke and other gaseosas (sodas) are very popular here, and they taste different than home. We're attributing that to their use of cane sugar rather than corn sweeteners.

We continue to be amazed and delighted to find ourselves in this glorious place. And, enough with the cultural observations. Who do we think we are? Let's get to the food. 

After a morning of yarn shopping (yes Taru is the most patient husband in the world), hunger struck as we were walking back to our abode.  We dropped into Rustico and enjoyed tasty carne and pollo empanadas.  Barbara enjoyed hers with a Pepsi and Taru enjoyed yet another 'copa' (glass) of malbec. 

Since we have plans to attend a parrilla tomorrow night here at the B&B, we decided to have Italian tonight, and went to a delighful resaurant in Palermo Hollywood, the neighborhood just to the north of us.  We enjoyed a tasty caprese antipasto made of those amazing fresh tomatoes and mozzerella cheese.  Taru had a fish dish (trout) with steamed vegetables (yay!) and Barbara enjoyed a delicious Penne al Funghi.  We sat at an outside table, and it was a very pleasant experience, watching the street life go by, and in January.

Enough for now, we're off to a pasty tasting up on the terrace, where I think we're expected to judge which is the best. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

Barbara and Taru

We May Not Know Spanish Yet, But We Won't Go Hungry

We had our first parrilla experience last night. Bife, bife, and more bife (that's beef to those of us who don't know Spanish). We went to a famous parrilla, El Trapiche, and ordered ourselves some bife al punto (medium rare), grabbed our steak knives and our Malbec, and had at it. It wasn't completely carnivorous--we also had some salad. That said, this meal was all about the meat. And what meat it was! Now we understand where the Argentine reputation for excellent beef comes from.

As for today, we ventured out of our new neighborhood to Centro and beyond, in search of the American Express office (to garner pesos) and the famous bookstore, Ateneo Grand Splendid, the largest in  South America. The store is truly grand and splendid, situated in a restored theatre. We grabbed lunch at the store's cafe, Impressa, conveniently located on the former stage. Cue the Malbec music...

What? Eating, again? Yes, we did have dinner--and it was delicious, too. We're sure there must be bad (and mediocre) meals available here, but so far, so good. Tonight we tried Sudestada, a Southeast Asian restaurant. Yummy (that's the professional term) is the only word for what we ate, with gusto of course. Okay, we left our comfort zone a little--had a bottle of Torrontes (fruity white wine) instead of the inevitable Malbec. And clean plates were had by all.

Yes, yes, we know it sounds as though all we do is eat. But really, we walked somewhere between 4 and 5 miles today, and our eyes are full of sights. That's enough to make a couple of bodies hungry.

And so to bed, with hearts and tummies full.

We've Arrived!

We've arrived!

After just 16 hours of travel (is that all ?), 6 time zones and 55 degrees of temperature swing we're here in Buenos Aires.

We meant to take a photo of Starbucks at Dulles because we thought it would be the last one we'd see until we returned to the States. No such luck. 

The flights were smooth and easy, but there's not much to say about the food on the plane. When we asked the flight attendant whether she would recommend the beef or the turkey, she replied, "I'd recommend beef in Buenos Aires."

Clearing Customs and Immigration was just a formality, and thanks to great instructions from our friend Molly, getting a taxi to our first stop was also a breeze after a quick stop at an ATM.

The Argentine peso is currently about 30 centavos to the US dollar, so the ride in from the airport (98 pesos) costs less than $30.

Best sight from the taxi were the dog walkers, each with 15 or 20 or so dogs of all breeds and sizes, trotting along cordially. We don't know if the pros pick up after their charges, but it's clear that the amateurs don't. On that, 'nuff said.

We arrived at our B&B, Abode Buenos Aires. Zoe our hostess greeted us with tea on the rooftop terrace, and we sat savoring the warm breeze--quite a pleasant experience after the Seattle cold.  We'll post pictures later.

Then it was off for a quick walking tour of our neighborhood, Palermo Soho, many cute boutiques and small restaurants and stores, mostly local.  We dipped into Janio for lunch, a salad and Agua con Gas for Barbara, Tostada Napolitano with a glass of Malbec (yeah!) for Taru. Best part: tomatoes that taste like tomatoes. This is what summer tastes like.

Thats all for now, it's nap time so we can stay up for dinner, early seating at 8:30.

Taru and Barbara