The Best Weekend Ever: Friday

On Friday I set out to do some shopping and see some sights in the city center. First I enjoyed a delicious ham and cheese quiche in a tiny café near the hostel. Then I made my way to Avenida Florida, which supposedly had the best shopping close to the hostel. The quantity was great, with block by pedestrian block stretching as far as the eye could see with shops and malls of different sizes, but unfortunately the quality was limited to either very cheap or ridiculously upscale, in the case of the misplaced Galería Pacífico. I left the avenida empty handed, but got to see the beautiful and green Plaza San Martin on one end of the street as well as the Plaza de Mayo on the other end. I walked around the Plaza de Mayo for a long time, soaking up the sunshine and taking pictures of the beautiful Casa Rosada (presidential house). Unfortunately I missed the Madres of the Plaza de Mayo, who gather every Thursday to protest the disappearance of friends and family members during the Dirty War in the 1970s. Still, the Plaza was filled with reminders of their continued presence—banners, graffiti and their symbol of a kerchief covering the pavement. I wasn’t able to visit the Casa Rosada Museum due to construction around the building, but I did get an excellent view of Plaza Colón behind the Casa Rosada, featuring a towering statue of Christopher Columbus.

In the afternoon I walked several blocks from the city center to San Telmo, an older neighborhood with narrow, cobblestone streets and dozens of antique shops. I first visited the Zanjon de Granados, an old estate house with access to the city’s underground ruins. I missed the last tour by a half hour, but I was happy to explore the neighborhood some more. I came across an old church, which turned out to be the Convento San Domingo. The courtyard had a huge statue commemorating the bicentennial of a famous school in the city, and the outer walls of the church were lined with plaques honoring the building and its history (built in the late 18th century). The church was empty save for a few quiet tourists, and I was happy to admire the statues of saints in silence. Suddenly, someone started playing the organ for just a short while, which gave me chills and made me feel so lucky to have happened upon this church at that very moment.

I spent another hour or so wandering the streets of San Telmo, looking into antiques shops and getting some delicious ice cream from a little shop. Some of the antiques stores were incredibly upscale, displaying only the most elaborate art and furniture, while others seemed more like personal displays of random stuff accumulated throughout the years. I really enjoyed looking at one shop that sold only old books, movie posters and postcards from around the world. Before taking a taxi back to the hostel, I also saw the museum of modern art and film, which was closed, and the Plaza Evita Perón, a small grassy space with a huge statue of people pulling a giant boulder together.

After several hours of walking around, I spent the early evening at the hostel napping and enjoying a quick dinner, preparing for another long night out. We met up with three friends, two British girls and an Argentine girl, and spent several hours playing games and telling stories with them at the hostel. Unfortunately, our group spent about an hour figuring out where to go for the night, so by the time we decided at 3am I was ready to go to bed instead of going out.