Don't cry for me...

We flew into the heat of Buenos Aires (at least what we thought was heat, until we got to Brazil... ugh). Buenos Aires is a pretty cool city. While Santiago probably has it beat on safety and cleanliness (where we live, at least), Buenos Aires puts Santiago to shame on character.

Our first night there we walked around shop-lined streets and explored a couple of plazas, particularly the "Pink House" made famous by Eve Peron. While we sat in front of the house, I channeled as much Madonna as I could muster and (as quietly as possible) sang "Don't Cry for me Argentina" from "Evita." As it got darker, I became more fond of Buenos Aires; however, I've found I feel that way about most cities. The particular streets we were walking on were adorned with ornamental lighting, and I'm kind of a sucker for things lit up at night. Later that evening we walked down by the river to an all you can eat steakhouse. It was a pretty successful first seven hours in Buenos Aires.

Now repainted, cow's blood gave the building it's original pink color.

 

Puerto Madero, where we had dinner our first night in town.

The following day we explored more of the city and took a little time to relax and regroup, which was lucky, because on Saturday night we hit the town in true Buenos Aires fashion. We left our hostel at 10 p.m. and staying out late (or early) enough to see the sun rise the next morning.

We were SO TIRED when this photo was taken.

But this sunrise was pretty worth it.

Other highlights of the trip included visiting a huge and cryptically gorgeous above-ground cemetery where Evita was burried. An antique market, a neighborhood with colorfully lined buildings called La Boca, and another neighborhood called Polermo. Beyond that, it was nice to be in a place long enough to catch our breath. We slept in the same beds for four nights, we were able to eat what we wanted when we wanted, and then there was the ice cream. If you ever go to Argentina, get ice cream every single day.

La Boca was super touristy, but super cute. A great place to visit for an afternoon.

Sophie and I checking out some glass work in the nearby market.

Pretty cool.

People still leave things at Eva Peron's grave every day.

I feel like I don't have too, terribly much to say about Buenos Aires, but I don't want that to make it seem like I didn't enjoy it. I did. It just all seems to meld together in a mass of graffiti, scents (or airs) both good and bad (and sometimes confusing), and incredible architecture. Oh yeah, the architecture... I almost forgot. In an attempt to keep up with Europe, Buenos Aires created a huge number of buildings with absolutely stunning designs. And they're something you can't help but notice as you travel thought the city. We had the chance to visit a restored theater built in the early 1900s, and you could almost feel yourself being taken back in time. It was amazing.

Such a beautiful theater.

And I spotted this guy just as were leaving. Score.