Our trip to South America started with a long flight through Houston to Buenos Aires and then transfer to our hotel in
Palermo. We arrived three days before our cruise, giving us time to enjoy the area, one of the nicer sections of the city. We had been here previously 8 1/2 years ago and held fond memories of the area. Many streets there are shaded by mature trees, providing a pleasant environment. Only a few blocks away, the “Ecoparque”, an environmentally friendly name for a zoo, offered free admission for tourists. We didn't have to walk far to find inviting restaurants. Our favorite was an Italian restaurant serving excellent Malbec wine from Mendoza. Italians form a large part of this nation's immigrant population, and their influence is still felt.
A walk in the park on a pleasant late Spring Day. This park was near the river and so large that it was divided into sections.
Streetside flower adds color to the neighborhood.
A cluster of dogs settled in the shade with their dogwalker.
High-rise apartment buildings just beyond the park's shade. This is where the dog owners lived.
A super big park was also nearby. We discovered that professional 'dogwalkers' each staked out a shaded area under the trees where they tended their charges, as many as 2 or 3 dozen dogs at a time. Nearby were many high-rise apartments buildings where the dog's owners lived. We took long walks to explore the area and felt safe while doing so. It was late Spring there; blossoms were falling from the trees to create a colorful ground carpet in places.
A typical shaded street. Temperatures were mainly in the 70's while we were there, but the shade and cooling from those trees will be highly appreciated during the warm summer.
Craft stalls at a local plaza. The craft wares were of decent quality, but we had no extra space in our luggage.
Nearby botanical park. We did extensive walking and found many such parks.
Metropolitan Cathedral mausoleum of General San Martin. We were fortunate to be there at the changing of the guard. Two soldiers are always posted here. General San Martin and his army liberated Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule.
MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY
Montevideo central plaza with monuments. It was an easy walk to get here, pedestrian-only streets and mild weather.
The first stop on our cruise was Montevideo, Uruguay, which is about 1/10 the size of Buenos Aires. We took a long walk through the old part of the city following pedestrian-only avenues. We stopped to look at products, mainly clothes, in the stores, but prices were at US levels, making them expensive for the locals and no bargain for us. An average wage here is about $500 to $1000 per month.
Pedestrian-only shopping street in Montevideo.
Live Musical production in local theater. We attended as part of a cruise ship excursion.
To break up the voyage south, we stopped at Puerto Madryn, Argentina. The nearby bay is a notable breeding area for whales as well as other marine species. Interestingly, many Scottish settlers came here generations ago to settle the area and have maintained much of their culture.
Puerto Madryn beach and business area. The summer attraction here is the extensive beach area.
Dawn looking seaward. The ship pier here is extremely long in order to reach deep water. That is our cruise ship in the background.
