BUENOS AIRES

Day 16 - Saturday, January 21st - Sea Day: We didn't do much today, but did go to the Queen's Lounge this afternoon for "Meet Doc Severinsen and the San Miguel Five." Theirs is an interesting story.  Tonight was another formal night and after the show (Paul Fredericks again) we played Name That Tune Trivia in the Piano Bar.  Another couple joined us and we did well--only had one point less than the winning team.

Day 17 - Sunday, January 22nd - Sea Day: Doc and the San Miguel Five did another show tonight.  When we get home we have to look for a recording of one of their songs, "Omar's Harem," which the guitarist Gil Gutierrez composed.  It rained very hard today, and the sun didn't break through until evening.

Day 18 - Monday, January 23rd - Buenos Aires: This is our first time in Argentina.  They predicted rain but it turned out to be a sunny, warm day.  Buenos Aires is a lot smaller than Rio and is on the Rio de la Plata.  We went on a shore excursion this morning that took us first to Eva Peron's grave, which is in a mausoleum in the Recoleta Cemetery.  Juan Peron is buried on the other side of the city.  We spent most of the tour on the bus, and drove past the Casa Rosada Government House (Pink House) where Evita and Juan made appearances on one of the balconies.  We also saw the Colon Theater Opera House and the Cathedral.  Our second stop was in La Boca, a colorful community that was founded by Italians.  We took a lot of pictures on Caminito Street in La Boca, where a woman dressed as a tango dancer put a hat on Jay and posed with him.  We came back to the ship, had a nap and went to the Lido for the Argentinian BBQ instead of going to the dining room for dinner.  Later we went into the city to see a performance of the tango, which is described as "a vertical expression of a horizontal desire." After watching the intricate moves of this dance, we would say it's a way for old people to cause harm to themselves.

Day 19 - Tuesday, January 24th - Buenos Aires: After breakfast we headed back into the city.  Buenos Aires, like Rio, does not allow any pedestrian traffic on the pier (too many big vehicles), so we took the shuttle to the terminal and then took a cab into the city to the shops on Florida Street.  Since Argentina is known for its leather goods, we bought a leather wallet for Jay and a glasses case for Barbara.  We also bought three bottles of wine from Patagonia (each passenger is allowed two per port), which we intend to drink in our cabin.  The ship's travel expert also recommended the caramel sauce, so we bought a small bottle.  We were back on the ship in time for lunch and caught up with our blog in the afternoon.

© JAY DEITCH 2020