Over the past two weeks I have spent a good portion of my time figuring out how to get around and purchase what I need. I have never lived in a huge city let alone a huge city with many cultural differences so the learning curve is a bit steep. To get around, there are basically five ways; subway, bus, train, walking or taxi. All of these are very cheap except the taxi but if you want to have a good conversation about soccer or politics I would suggest them. Although I don't speak much spanish so I don't get a lot out of the conversation. I normally nod my head and laugh as to not look like a complete idiotic tourist lol. Buses are scary, walking is scary, but the subway is actually pretty nice. Plus there are many poor people who like to try and sell you ripped off movies or other small trinkets to make a couple coins. There are normally street musicians too who play in the subway and they are normally rather good.
So once you know how to get around, where the heck do you go? I have pretty much stuck to exploring around my neighborhood for the most part. Around me there are several carnicerias (butcher shops that only sell beef), Panderia (bakers), confiterias (coffee shops with cakes), lavadorias (laundry mats), farmicerias (pharmecies)... ok pretty much everything you could possibly need. The shops are all tiny and normally sell one type of good. Once you locate all the stores, its simply a matter of having the time to walk to each one. When you are looking for something specific, take the spanish word and add -eria at the end and BAM you got yourself the store you need.
Aside from exploring the little stores you expect in major cities, I have also had a chance to branch out and exploring different areas of Buenos Aires. The first place I went to was call La Boca which literally means the "The Mouth" as it is located near the mouth of the river. The neighbor hood is famous for its bright colored houses that are made normally of tin. It was founded by Italian immigrants is the site of one of the major soccer stadiums in Argentina. Don't were a River jersey down there unless you want to get into a fight. We went on there independence day which is July 9th. We took a walk down one of the historical streets and that is where most of the pictures I took are from. I have created a couple photo albums online to share my pictures and they can be found at www.petersengm.myphotoalbum.com.
The next place I went to was Recoleta Cemetery which is huge and located in the heart of Buenos Aires. The cemetery is completely filled with mausoleums dedicated to military, political and social leaders of Argentina. Each mausoleum in the cemetery is unique and often have very detailed carvings and statues. On my way there I also saw a protest right in the middle of a street. A large parade of people where masks marched into one of the busy intersections and stopped. They backed up traffic for miles i'm sure! I am not really sure and what point they were trying to make as they were pretty much pissing off everyone and there brother who wanted to get from point A to point B. I would think the idea of protest would be to inspire people to believe in your cause, not tick them all off. A great example of this was a group of women called the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. I am not so sure on all the details, but these women went to the Plaza de Mayo which is the political center of the country and marched around the obelisk in protest of their sons disappearance. The inspired many people to take action and are rather famous here as can be seen by the numerous pictures and posters I have found in the shops and flee markets.
Speaking of Plaza de Mayo, I took a trip there also. The plaza holds the La Casa Rosada which is similar to the Whitehouse only the president doesn't live there and its pink. There is also the oldest colonial spanish building and the main church located on the plaza along with other governmental buildings and a small group of protestors. We were lucky when we went there as we were able to watch the guards take down the flag.
Finally I want to conclude by sharing some pictures of the friends I have made here and of the wonderful food they have to offer. I also am posting a picture of the owner of the best parilla (Argentinian grill) in town! It's called La Pepa and you must go at least once if you come here. Till next time, Ciao! (Also check out the pictures! www.petersengm.myphotoalbum.com.
