Bite-Sized Buenos Aires

After a long day and a red eye flight where I didn't sleep (blasted in flight entertainment system!) we finally arrived in Buenos Aires. The problem was that even after taking a bus into the city and then a van to our hotel it was only 8:30 in the morning. The staff took our bags but sent us off into the cold morning to start our bleary-eyed sightseeing until the room was ready at 2:00. We were staying in the Recoleta area so we started by wandering the streets until we found the cemetery. Once there we wandered some more until we found Evita. The plan was to hunt and hunt until we found her, after all, we had five hours and had seen her resting spot on the Amazing Race before so we had an idea what we were looking for. As we all know, things don't always go as planned...just ask this cat we saw walking around the cemetery:

So eventually we had to break down and ask.

The Recoleta area also has parks, a huge flower sculpture (that actually opens and closes) and a wonderful art museum that we didn't spend nearly enough time in. It also had the largest concentration of dogwalkers we saw anywhere in the city.

Buenos Aires like most big cities is broken up into little neighborhoods. So, although we stayed in Recoleta, we actually spent the rest of our BA days making our way around the ones that most interested us. The architecture and tree-lined avenues of the city feel very European but each area really did seem to have its own personality.

Palermo seemed to have a more residential feel with more French-looking apartments but lots of green spaces throughout. There were lots of gardens to explore if you didn't mind fighting for space with the hundreds of cats that prowled the paths.

Also in this area is the Evita Museum and not one, but two really super creepy Barney the Dinosaur characters giving kids balloons near the zoo and park entrances.

The Retiro/Plaza San Martin area is where the government buildings Casa Rosada and Congress of the Nation are along with some other important military buildings and several statues in tidy little plazas. The Casa Rosada is where the president, Cristina Fernandez (you go, girl!), conducts the business of running a country.

Retiro is also the area where the pedestrian only Calle Florida ends. Strolling along this street on a national futbol game day was a real highlight for us. We were able to watch Paraguay fans, decked out in their red and white jerseys, break out into their national anthem, full of pride though they were the underdogs of the match up.

Another little nook we meandered through was San Telmo. Our first time through there we weren't too impressed, the buildings and stores looked cute enough but everything was deserted. We went by a second time during the weekend and saw a totally different side to the area. It was packed with musicians, performers and shoppers. There's a sizable antiques market in Plaza Dorrego that fills the streets to where several blocks are closed to cars and become pedestrian only.

One of the coolest neighborhoods was La Boca where the Caminito fills with tourists on the weekends eating, drinking, shopping and watching the dancers. The architecture was brightly colored and the story goes that the immigrants used the leftover paint from the docks to paint their metal buildings. Apparently this area is being revitalized and many artists are moving in and changing it from a working class neighborhood into a more cultural center, while preserving its history. The local futbol team, the Boca Juniors, are pretty much the equivalent of the Dallas Cowboys in the US; they're pretty much everyone's team in BA.

Buenos Aires was a nice start to the trip. It was fairly easy to navigate the city by foot and subway and we were able to see just about everything we wanted (except Teatro Colon that was closed for remodeling). By the end of our last day there, though, we were ready to move on from the big city and get a change of scenery. Boy did we ever get that by going to Puerto Iguazu next...

I'm Baaaaack (and Tagged)

We're back to the old grind. I was worried I'd forget how to do my job completely but fortunately I only forgot a few entries today. I remembered all my passwords and locker combination which I thought would be my biggest hurdle, so after that it was smooth sailing (through the 300+ emails that awaited my return, that is). I got my 5 year anniversary pin today. It was strange to think I've worked for this company for 5 years. That's 2 years longer than I worked for the state or Applebee's (my previous records for longest employment). It really has flown by since I've been in school full time most of those years and, with the exception of the 2 years I worked in reservations which were horrific, I've really had fun doing what I'm doing and am so grateful for a job I enjoy, albeit not as much as a month long vacation.

So my SIL, Debbie, tagged me while I was away and I'm to reveal 6 quirky things about myself. I had to go to Keck and Sissy for some of these since apparently what I might consider normal is actually "quirky." Yikes! Additionally, let it be known this list had to be scaled back to meet the requirement of just 6 things - whoa...

1. I'm a chanter. I will break into chant without prior notice but most especially if I'm overly excited about something. I even have standard chants that must be completed at certain times. These are my "traditional chants." One example is my "Quicky Picky" chant. It will ring loud and clear in the car as I drive or ride by the Quicky Picky mart off highway 183 in Liberty Hill on the way between Austin and Copperas Cove. This particular chant was encouraged by the cute armadillo on the store's sign and fun name and was not discouraged by the change in said name or armadillo sign several years ago.

2. I get very, very nervous for other people. At the Buenos Aires airport 2 women going to Lima on the 8:10pm flight (the last of the night) were sitting next to us and come 7:45 they were still there next to us. Outside security. Eating crackers. Taking pictures. Eating crackers. Backs to the huge digital clock behind us. Outside security. Outside customs. Waiting for the last international flight to Lima that night. Eating crackers. It literally made me sick. My stomach hurt just thinking these women would miss their flight and have to sleep at the airport which, as I had earlier noted mentally, would be a terrible place to stay overnight due to an awful lack of good sleeping locations and a Patagonian winter chill that filled the place. I got up and made loud remarks about the time and tried to warn them discreetly without overstepping my bounds and saying "Yeah, I was being nosey and looked at your boarding pass. You might want to go through security now since your flight leaves in 15 minutes." I was nauseous and thought I might pass out when they finally asked what time it was and hurried off to got through security at 8:00. It was all terribly stressful for me and I had to be reassured by Keck repeatedly that they must've made their flight after all.

3. I'm a sneezer. When I wake up every morning I break out into a sneeze series. Sometimes it's right away but more often it doesn't begin until I start to really wake up and move about. I also sneeze on the plane when we start our ascent and again on the descent and, of course, after I wake up from any on board nap I may take.

4. I hate hate hate hate hate putting my clean laundry away with a passion normally reserved for the admiration of true, pure natural beauty (like watching the sun dip behind the Andes). I will gladly wash my clothes then put them in the dryer, where they will stay for what I hope will be forever but Keck always ends up doing his laundry too at some point and my plan is foiled. Why can't the dryer be considered acceptable storage space? It's really like a huge drawer. I mean it should be called dresser 2.0 not dryer.

5. I'm quasi-scared of balls or other flying objects coming in my direction. It freaks me out and I think it can be traced to being smacked in the face by a soccer ball. If you have something to give me please hand it to me and don't toss it at me.

6. I'm a boycotter. I will pretty much boycott anything at any time no matter how futile it may seem. I also join in on friends' and family's boycotts if asked (and within reason). Currently on my boycott list are Advantage Rent-a-Car, Starbucks, Wal-Mart and K.T.'s Cafeteria. I just love a good old fashioned boycott!

I'm supposed to tag 6 other bloggers but since I only know one other than Debbie, I can only tag Lor'n.

Soon I will start on a trip report for our trip but I plan to do it in installments to heighten the suspense and likewise lessen the burden on myself. Anyway, here's a little preview:

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

As of 1:45 this afternoon I'm on vacation.  That's not to say I'm entirely relaxed, however.  Planning a 3 to 4 week vacation turns out to be more work than anticipated, not that I'm complaining.  I actually love the planning process with all the possibilities and excitement it generates.  Packing, on the other hand, leaves much to be desired.  Since this is not just a quick 3 day hop to mom and dad's, where Target is only a 10 minute drive away should I happen to want nail polish remover, I'm having to put more effort into the packing part.  It's a long time to be gone but I don't want to overpack either, particularlly since I'll need to bring heavy/bulky cold weather clothing.

We've fleshed out an itinerary that will be heavily dependant on flight loads and our own whims but looks like it will start in Buenos Aires and move over to Colonia and Montevideo, Uruguay before returning to BA.  From there we'll jump up to see Iguazu Falls then start making our way down to Mendoza and/or Cordoba and then on to Bariloche and the Argentine Lake District.  There we hope to cross over to Chile, check out their Lake District and continue on to the Puerto Montt and Chiloe area, from which we'll hop down to Punta Arenas and do some Patagonian sightseeing.  After that we'll probably come up to Santiago and check out that surrounding area and maybe jump up to San Pedro de Atacama and back to Santiago to catch a flight back to the states.  If there's still time and budget left, maybe we'll squeeze in another trip.  We'll already be packed after all.

It's all subject to change, however, with so many factors out of our control, so it'll be interesting to see how it'll pan out.  We generally wing it like this on vacation but a trip of this length and detailed itinerary will be a first for us.  It's all really exciting and slightly overwhelming.  But as long as we'll get to be together and away from work for one month we know it'll be a great time no matter what.

Thursday morning we head out and we don't go back to work until October.  We'll plan to stay in contact via email a few times throughout the trip.  Can't wait to see what this month has in store for us!

Renewal

We've signed our lease for another year and so the countdown begins. The nerves are already starting to set in for me. I'm getting anxious just thinking we'll be making major changes in a year so I can't imagine how I'll feel once we're actually making those changes.

The renewal has also prompted me to do a spring cleaning of sorts. I want to start parting with things now before I'm too emotional with the move to make sound decisions on what to toss and what to pack. I've offered the idea of tossing it all and starting anew where ever we end up but Keck wasn't too keen on that, so we'll have to just sort through it all.

Of course we've got the long vacation coming up next month so this will all have to wait until we get back. Boy won't that just be a lovely task to come home to?

On a more personally fulfilling note, I recently got a gorillapod that I can't wait to break in. So, although I have yet to get a real tripod because I can't decide which one to get, I now have the ability to shoot long exposures and self portraits with my funky gorillapod that is oh-so-easy to transport. Now I'll be able to do this more often:

Trip Report - NYC

Is there ever enough time to do everything you want on a trip to New York City? I doubt it and so this trip was no different. We hit the highlights but will definitely need to return to do all the rest. After a close call when we cancelled our late night flight to JFK, we made it out on Jet Blue, comfy as can be, lulled to sleep by Direct TV. We get into New York on a Sunday morning so the traffic was light enough that Sue was able to drive us around. Nothing like a private tour around Manhattan after coming off a red-eye flight, right? We were able to maneuver around the city without much trouble and see many of the sights from the comfort of a luxury sedan with leather seats - ahhh. Keck got some great shots out of the car's sunroof and I had a wonderful time seeing his reaction to the over stimulation that is NYC.

The next days were spent on the Jersey shore. All jokes aside, the shore was actually surprisingly nice. We stayed at Sue's sister's trailer out near Long Beach Island on the cutest little campground. It's got a lot of trailers parked there year round with sweet screened in decks built onto them. We spent time sitting out there catching the cool breezes gliding in through the woodsy forest surrounding the campgrounds and getting bitten up more than I could have ever expected (especially considering we were covered in bug spray). The trailer itself was really nice too, perhaps almost as big as our little apartment (minus our $10/month vaulted ceilings, of course) and it even had cable, baby. We were in HGTV heaven.


Nice, huh?

I kid... this is the real shot.

The beach itself was clean, well, with this one exception...


I was goofing on Sue that I'd make sure everyone saw that picture since it just plays so perfectly into the Jersey Shore stereotype. The water was colder than I prefer and it was full of jellyfish. In fact, Keck spent most of his time trying to clean the ocean by fishing them out.






My little jellyfisherman - oh man, he's so cute!


The crowds really started pouring in later on. I remember thinking of all the beaches I'd ever been to this must have been the most crowded. It was a little surreal. Oh, one other thing, you have to purchase a "badge" to go on the beach. Another first for me, since I've never been to a beach that wasn't public. Apparently Jersey will tax anything it can. Evidently the money from these badges (which can be re-used endlessly) goes to maintain the beaches. Well, that's interesting...


I'll still take Hawaii given the choice and I do find the Oregon coast more beautiful, MIL. However, it was a great time and Keck got to feed his sweet tooth at an Italian ice shop that he loved.


We returned to the city again after this jaunt to the coast and this time we walked and walked and walked and walked some more. In between that walking we took pictures, shopped, rode the subway at rush hour, looked for landmarks and ate bagels. It was exhausting and so fun (except for the Statue of Liberty part which I'm just so happy I'll never have to do again).



We didn't get to do any of the museums but we've mapped out our trip for next time and still have money left on our metro cards so we'll just have to go back. It was a fantastic anniversary and we were able to keep our tradition of being at the beach on August 5, which we couldn't be happier about.

August 5, 2008

August 5, 2007

August 5, 2006

On Deck - New York City

Our anniversary is next week! We'll officially (per Emily Post and other etiquette experts) end our newlywed status by celebrating our second anniversary in New York (although we'll still probably consider ourselves newlyweds for some time to come because we're corny and very much in love). This will be Keck's first time there so I expect we'll do all the regular touristy things. We'll be staying with our friend Sue in New Jersey and hopping over to the city on public transportation. It should be a lot of fun and as a bonus we're going to try to check out the Jersey Shore. Our very biased Jersey friend Sue has told us tales of its splendor and our continual ridicule of her and our scoffs don't seem to slow her down one bit, so if possible, we want to try to see it for ourselves and determine if it really is better than this:

That's right, we've been told Hawaii has nothing on the Jersey Shore and, no, Sue was not joking. Last year while we were planning our first anniversary trip she told us (in all seriousness) to just skip Hawaii and celebrate on the Jersey Shore. We certainly didn't take her up on that offer but since we'll be in the area this time around, perhaps we can finally lay this matter to rest. Anyone care to guess what the results may be? I have a feeling I can predict this one...

Trip Report - Austin

As expected we had a great time in Austin. We helped Sissy move into a great new apartment and there really was very little manual labor involved. Let me tell you that hiring movers is the way to go. Of course when I first saw one of the two movers I thought we were in trouble. The guy was about 5'6" and 160 lbs and fresh as a daisy considering he's just come off another move earlier that morning and it was triple digit weather. I didn't think he'd be able to lift a box much less a mattress. As if to settle any doubt up front, he picked up the queen size mattress first thing and hauled it down the three flights of stairs with ease. Once the raccoon apartment was cleared out, which didn't take long, we saw the little guy change his sweat soaked t-shirt which explained his earlier fresh-as-a-daisy appearance.

I really am impressed with how little things Angie had. Other than these boxes she just had a living room set, TV and bedroom set. It certainly makes for easy moving and has inspired Keck and I to start tossing things out now in order to avoid packing and unpacking them later.

We got our Tex-Mex fix while we were out there, although I have no picture proof of it since I was rather starved and scarfed everything down without a thought of digital evidence. We also had a nice dinner at Shady Grove one night and didn't even have to wait an hour for a table - that was a bonus.

Side note on the Shady Grove experience - there was a little poodle tied up outside on the lawn and this grandfather took his tiny little grandson out there to see the dog. As we're getting into our car we get front row seats for a very unexpected show. We watch as grandpa sets the baby down face to face with the dog, leaving about 6 inches between them. At this point, I figured trouble was brewing since it was clear the dog and the baby didn't know each other and the dog looked like it was spooked by the baby. Sure enough the baby's big head and lack of center of gravity get the best of him and he starts to topple forward onto the dog. Feeling attacked, the dog strikes out and kicks the baby's face, cutting his nose. After that we left so we weren't able to see how it turned out once grandpa returned the baby to mom but I have a feeling it didn't go over too well. As we're pulling out of the parking lot we take one last look at the grandpa and find him holding the crying baby and trying to initiate some sort of reconciliation between him and the dog. Yikes!

Here's a sign that was adjacent to the scene of the crime. Perhaps it should read "violators will be mauled by a miniature poodle" instead.

Some shots of Sissy's great new place. Notice, the awesome kitchen with all it's cabinets and counter space, a girl could get used to this. It's pretty far south, in fact we tease her that she's living in Buda now and not Austin, but it's a nice property and it's close enough to be convienient to everything (Super Target, Central Market and Amy's Ice Cream, you know, the essentials) but far enough away to feel like a little retreat. We also spent time at the pool and played board games, what more could you want in a long weekend?