Lost on the Lines

Last day in Buenos aires and where we going to go touring around visiting places?... Definitely not! We planned to relax.

Having woke up at 12pm and saying our goodbyes we headed for our next destination. We headed across town to our next house in acoyte. Access to the house was much like a prison cell door, with access to and from the corridor needed. We walked down an unpainted corridor with lots of cobwebs above to reach our destination door. We were immediately greeted by our host who was most welcoming and friendly.

The inside of the house was interesting.  There was a gigant space in tge middle allowing for the sun, surrounded by little bedrooms. There were two cats wandering about the place and the most beautiful drawings on the wall. We sat and chatted with the house for two hours before heading off to town. We walked past lots of street stalls selling clothing etc. 

An hour of wandering and it was time for us to visit our friend in Castro Barros. We got on the subway and realised that the lights indicated we were going the wrong way. We got off and changed direction, only to realise we were going the right way in the first place. So again we got off and switched direction. 

We eventually arrived at our destination, which was guarded by gigant black gates. Inside was an open plan building with a fountain to the side and a pool and patio
area out back.

We relaxed by the pool all afternoon chatting with our friend, before heading back to acoyte. We met with another friend there to go for pizza. 

Having eaten our pizza, we headed back to the train. Luckily catching the train we headed back for the house. We arrived at our stop and asked directions in a nearby restaurant before realising we got ofg on the wrong stop. We immediately ran to catch the next train. Luckily we managed to catch the last train and headed for the building. Everyone at the house was still wide awake and so we stayed chatting until early hours of the morning. We called it quits at 3am where we headed to sleep in our double bed.

Not looking forward to traveling in the morning.

Sara to post about Spanish lect...

No time for dilly dally

Having slept the night on a pump up mattress and sofa in our new swanky residence, we woke to go in search of some breakfast. We found a very cute cafe on the corner of an avenue, which displayed the most lovely looking cakes and pastries. We hid inside from the sun and indulged before heading back to the apartment. 

We decided to change and go to the pool on the roof for half an hour before heading to the city centre. We quickly changed our minds having felt how cold the water was and headed back down to get ready.

We caught the subway down to FUBA - a University in the centre where we met with the president.  We ate in the union canteen and interviewed him in Spanish before running to meet our next interviewee in a seperate location.

For the second interview we went to a posh cafe on the side of a street where we were sat opposite what looked like a mafia gang. We also interviewed this person in Spanish. Little to our knowledge, a friend of ours had arranged another interview for us directly after and so we completed that one straight after the second.

Tired, we headed back to the apartment to get ready to see our new host. He took us to a tango bar where we met with one of his friends. The entrance to the place looked much like an abandoned building, where a man sat behind a pop up table selling tickets. We continued up the stairs until we reached a large hall filled with people. There were paintings and ornaments all over the gigant walls and open windows that lead sight to the night stars. The roof looked much like that of a barnyards with wooden slats and crossover beams.There was a large stage with an equally large dancefloor, directly opposite a large bar and seating area. Next door was the kitchen and a large empty space, dotted with artwork.

We sat down at the tables and enjoyed watching some tango before ordering some interesting vegetarian food. We stayed until 3 in the morning, being treated to a scene play from a famous local actor, some proffessional tango and an array of songs from an accordian band.

We exited the club and headed back towards the apartment.  It being such a nice night, we decided to go to the roof and had some drinks. We stayed chatting until we heard the birds start to sjng and worryingly headed back downstairs to sleep.

No rest for the wicked Buenos dias..

Gold and Glamour

Contrary to our previous lye ins, today we got up early. Raring to tackle the day head on, we took the subway to the centre of town.

We arrived and headed straight to buy tickets in the grand theatre. These tickets having been sold out on our last visit, we were determined to get a set this time around. We successfully picked up tourist tickets, which were three times the price of a ticket if you were a local. 

With an hour to the tour, we visited a diner opposite. The place sold the most delicious croissants and the staff were very friendly.

We ate and headed back to the theatre for our tour. We entered the foyer with a group of Americans. The hall was very grand and boasted expensive materials and luxurious paintings and architecture.  There were statues around the place and lots of glass boxes containing the opera costumes from back in the day. We were taken around, where we were told of the materials, costs and uses of each area. The entire place was like a palace, surrounded in gold.

We entered the main seating area, where there was a beautiful view of the stage/place. There was a grand stage with a very large opera box. Above us way into the ceiling was a grand chandellier surrounded by a water colour painting. Both were seperated by a gold rim which could seat 15 musicians. On the corners of the ground tier was what appeared to be grids. We were told these were for the widows to watch a show where they were not to be seen by the public.

The place before restoration could host 3000 individuals and can now host 2700. The tickets varied in price back in the day with a sjngle ticket costing around five months pay. Going to a show demonstrated wealth and was utilised more for the social aspect as oppose to attending a show. Guests would arrive at least 1 1/2 hours before the show to gather and there would also be two 1 1/2 hours intervals. 

The guide took us briefly to the princes box, which was located directly next to the side of the stage. We were told that this was so that everyone could see him. The guide went on to tell us of the room acoustics. Because of the architectural build the sound in the building was amazing, with there being no need to use microphones in performances. He demonstrated this by singing us an opera song.

As the tour came to an end, we received notice that our intrrviewee could not make it and so we were free for the afternoon.

We decided to head back to the house and spend some time with our host. We ate some pizza and indulged in conversation before saying our goodbyes and heading to our next dedtination.

This one was a little further away in palermo where we walked over 15 blocks after exiting the subway to get to. Having finally arrived we entered the flat. It was a very nice studio flat, very modern and clean.

We unloaded our things before going for a drink with our new host in the local area. 

Tired and looking forward to bed.
Buenos noches Buenos aires

Dining like true Argentinians

Following our very late party we had a long sleep. Having rested for a very long time we headed back to fuba university. 

We bought some trinkets in the market near the institution before going to the student cafe, where set up our question box. We waited for the arrival of our newly made friend in thesun eating some empanadas. 

Our friend arrived and we chatted for many hours before having to head home for our meal. On our way back we passed the students union where we popped in to chat with the president of fuba, who agreed to interview us later on.

We got home and changed quickly before heading off to dinner. The place was two hours away and was located next to a walk with water and pretty trees. The place was made ofwood and had very nice furniture. Starters were very nice and consisted of an assortment of meats and cheeses. We endulged in champane and red wine before being served steak from three parts of the cow. All three were very tasty. They also had bread that tasted a lot like bara brith.

Having wined and dined, we were driven back to the house. We got through the doors at 2.15am and fell fast asleep.

Nos da Buenos Aires

Sleep all day and party all night

Sleep all day and Party all night...

Having slept until 11am, we woke fully rested and recovered. We were greeted with a lovely breakfast spread.

Having eaten, we got ready to go to a large market across town. The market was enormous and hosted lots of various stalls, selling things from pasties to clothes to travelling gifts. We walked around for a very long time before reaching the end of the market where the government had put on a play. There were people dressed up in marching wear opposite an eco market selling recycled items. The recycling market was most interesting and was decorated with lots of different coloured umbrellas.

Having bought one or two things including a matte pot to drink the local tea in, where i got lost for over half an hour, we headed back through the market to the car.

We drove to a small area which played host to many chinese supermarkets. We picked up some snacks from one of these to take to our party 30 minutes away.

We arrived at the house, which was located in a very small alley. The house entrance was most interesting. You had to climb these one foot stairs, similar to how you would enter an atic to reach the house. Once inside you directly entered the kitchen which was located next to the toilet and bedroom. Across from the stairs was a beautiful sun terrace where everyone sat. Once everyone had arrived, they put a large wooden flooring across the stairs, which then gave access to the fridge.

We sat around chatting to the many people we had met from all over the world before calling it quits at 12.30am. We were hungry and so popped to a local steakhouse, which was very busy to pick up a sandwhich to eat. The meat was delicious and the topped filling was nice too. Having finished eating we headed home where we fell fast asleep.
Long day, deserving rest..

Hit the road jack

Hit the road jack

Our luxurious hotel lifestyle having come to an end today, we made the most of our all inclusive breakfast. After paying for our hotel munchies we headed for colonia where we were to greet our couch surfing host.

Using our subte card for the very first time,  it was an interesting experience. The trains were covered in graffiti and we were greeted with a number of marriachi bands and individuals selling things we  arrived at the place and met our host who very much resembled David Guetta. We were shown to a quaint room where we were to stay. Having been at the place forfive minutes, we were invited to a pool party in a different town.We decided to go along. We met with one of his friends who was very friendly before driving two hours to our destination.

The house was beautiful; there was a pond next to the drive which was next to masses of green grass. The house was interesting combining traditional and open plan features.  There was Argentinian meat cooking on the barbecue next to a patio with lots of seating. Near the palm trees was a beautiful pool, filled with inflatables. People were sat and stood chatting, enjoying the sunshine. We jumped right in, greeting everyone and engaging in the conversation. We jumped in the pool and played some frisbee before taking part in a very competitive game of football.

As the night drew in we gathered some contacts for our research, said our goodbyes and headed back for the centre of buenos eires.We arrived at our friends parents house, where we had dinner. The house was very interesting, filled with paintings and books from around the world. We sat to eat at the table and shared in broken english/spanish conversation before being served the most delicious empanadas. These were followed by the very nice triple flavoured tiramasu ice cream.We left the house very late having been fed until stuffed and were walked to the bus station. We caught the bus to our new home and after spending ten minutes trying to figure out the lock, we headed for bed.

A very sleepy Buenos noches all :)