everything you could ask for, including a devoted dog at your feet!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Dusk
My only wish was that I had a tripod; this was so serene and beautiful, and above it all the moon was a thin crescent...
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Early in the Morning
Today has been a lazy day, but I'm about to go out with Michael, who's been strolling already. Here's the photo he took this morning...
Friday, June 6, 2008
Sunset on "our" patio, Estancia La Paz, Argentina
Michael's conference is over, and we took a long taxi ride to this beautiful, tranquil place. I will write about this more, but I'm so excited about this photo that Michael took, I wanted to post it right away...
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Cascada Siete (7 Falls)
Thursday, 5 June, 2008, La Falda
After a cloudy day yesterday, and solid fog this morning, the sun came out and the sky is totally blue.
Michael and I walked down to the 7 Falls (Cascada Siete) just down the road from our hotel. Very peaceful spot...
After a cloudy day yesterday, and solid fog this morning, the sun came out and the sky is totally blue.
Michael and I walked down to the 7 Falls (Cascada Siete) just down the road from our hotel. Very peaceful spot...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tango performance at the conference banquet
I wish at least one of my photographs would have caught their very charming smiles; as much as it was hard work, they seemed to be enjoying it. We surely did!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tuesday, 6 June, Settling in at Hotel del Lago
Michael must have seen the taxi arrive, since he was out the doorbefore I was out of the car. Lovely to be together again! Lunch was
being had, and a yummy buffet it was, too. Cold meats & cheeses,
beets & corn, empanadas, several good things I couldn't identify and
deviled eggs... Then came the second course, which was gnocci with
meat. I had no idea there would be more!
A nice long nap after lunch; Michael woke me up and encouraged me to
get outside, since sunset is about 6 pm.
We walked around a while and
watched the volunteer hedge trimmers and the water fowl … he pointed
out a kingfisher also. As usual, I take his word for it. Lots of
familiar trees and plants and the sound of mourning doves and
roosters. Why do we think of roosters crowing only at sunrise? Is it
just because that's the time we appreciate them least, especially when
dawn is at 4 a.m.? Discuss among yourselves.
Now I'm sitting in a comfy leather chair in one of the lounges; there
is a truly roaring fire going; the fireplace is at least 4 feet high…
Before I end, I want to say how much I appreciate it that Michael
makes a point to introduce me to everyone he knows by name. It was
fun seeing some of the people I met back in April, in the snow-covered
Canadian Rockies…and I like it (after being a bit surprised) that
women give a one-cheek kiss, even if it's a first meeting.
Tonight is a special banquet, possibly with a tango show. I believe
the main dish is cabrito, which will be familiar to those of us who
have been to Uncle Kenny & Aunt Nita's in Leakey, TX. I'm hoping the
hedge trimmers mentioned earlier will not be part of the feast… which
begins at 9 p.m. in true South American fashion.
So… how was YOUR day?
Love, Laura
ps—I really DO want to hear about your day… keep me connected, ok?
Splash on Berg
ok, not my photo. but what a PHOTO! You can see PhotoFiddler's remarkable artistry at: http://flickr.com/photos/ggpics/2549547500/
I don't think I've seen more than 2 or 3 photos of his that I didn't admire...
I don't think I've seen more than 2 or 3 photos of his that I didn't admire...
Tuesday, 6 June Driving to La Falda
2008.06.03
Driving to La Falda ("The Skirt")
The flight was 1.5 hours, very easy. Daniel, the driver that Michael
had arranged was waiting for me with a sign bearing my name; the ride
was companionable though mostly silent, since we didn't have a common
language. He was kind enough to encourage me in my halting attempts
at Spanish. Or perhaps he had a carefully hidden sense of humor
regarding my attempts. I may try and reconstruct the "dialogue"
because my word-by-word questions and statements were probably fairly
comical. However, I did express that the scenery looked like
California, and he agreed that in summer, the mountains were not
"verde" but "amarillo"…Just like the "golden" hills of California.
Most of the trip was on 2 lane, well maintained roads, and went
through more than a few towns, where I played "I Spy a word that I
already know" and "try and guess what THAT means"…
Driving to La Falda ("The Skirt")
The flight was 1.5 hours, very easy. Daniel, the driver that Michael
had arranged was waiting for me with a sign bearing my name; the ride
was companionable though mostly silent, since we didn't have a common
language. He was kind enough to encourage me in my halting attempts
at Spanish. Or perhaps he had a carefully hidden sense of humor
regarding my attempts. I may try and reconstruct the "dialogue"
because my word-by-word questions and statements were probably fairly
comical. However, I did express that the scenery looked like
California, and he agreed that in summer, the mountains were not
"verde" but "amarillo"…Just like the "golden" hills of California.
Most of the trip was on 2 lane, well maintained roads, and went
through more than a few towns, where I played "I Spy a word that I
already know" and "try and guess what THAT means"…
Tuesday, 6 June: Buenos Aires to Cordoba to La Fonda
BA (Buenos Aires, Argentina) to La Falda ("The Skirt")
How was my day, you ask?
Well, even though I'd slept for 12 lovely hours, when my alarm woke me
up at 7:30 a.m., I still had to remind myself that getting up was
"NOW", since I hadn't repacked my suitcase, needed a shower, wanted a
bite to eat, hadn't yet ordered a taxi, hadn't paid my bill AND had a
flight to catch at 10:15!
Fortunately, I was flying out of Jorge Newberry Aeroparque, which is
about a 15 minute ride, assuming you know where you are going, which
my taxi driver obviously did… And I made it with time to spare. The
runway is right on the water, and it was a pretty morning.
Wish I'd gotten a few more photos of the city before we turned around; but then I
could see over the water (bay? not sure the proper name for the mouth
of a very large river) to Uruguay.
How was my day, you ask?
Well, even though I'd slept for 12 lovely hours, when my alarm woke me
up at 7:30 a.m., I still had to remind myself that getting up was
"NOW", since I hadn't repacked my suitcase, needed a shower, wanted a
bite to eat, hadn't yet ordered a taxi, hadn't paid my bill AND had a
flight to catch at 10:15!
Fortunately, I was flying out of Jorge Newberry Aeroparque, which is
about a 15 minute ride, assuming you know where you are going, which
my taxi driver obviously did… And I made it with time to spare. The
runway is right on the water, and it was a pretty morning.
Wish I'd gotten a few more photos of the city before we turned around; but then I
could see over the water (bay? not sure the proper name for the mouth
of a very large river) to Uruguay.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Monday, 2 June, 2008 Buenos Aires
Monday, 2 June, 2008
at the Bed & Breakfast
Busy day!
Landed around 6 a.m., arrived by taxi at Solar Soler B & B at 8 a.m.; thankfully dove into bed for a nap when the room was ready at 10 a.m.
Got up after a short but much needed nap, put my hiking boots on (!) and off I went. First I walked around the block, just to get a feel for where I was, and what the area was like.
First impressions: Just as Michael said, lots of traffic pollution and noise, lots of litter and dog leavings (yuck) but much that is interesting, too. Quite a mix of styles & eras of architecture.
I strolled through the (free) botanical gardens; I imagine spending time there on a regular basis, with a book & a snack. Millions of cats* in the gardens, but they look pretty healthy compared to the ones we saw in Greece. Perhaps the goldfish pond has something to do with that?
I walked past the apartment building where we will be staying, beginning next Monday. The neighborhood is quite nice, as Michael said.
I stopped for some gelato (helado)... and wished I had studied Spanish a LOT more. Any time I try to think of what to say, all I can think of is French (and very little of that, I might add)
I managed to navigate the ATM at a bank; I got a little worried when I got my cash & my receipt, but not my card. But it was just checking that I was really, really done with making transactions. All's well.
I was quite proud of myself for having asked at the airport for info on public libraries in "our" neighborhood (it apparently was quite a production even for someone at the information desk to get this info) and I found one of them while walking. However, it turns out that I couldn't just look at books; I had to fill out a request form for a particular book. The gentleman and I could not communicate, but I did manage to understand that much. I'm hoping it was some kind of rare collection, and that all libraries won't be that way! WAH!
**Note from the future**
the only other library I found was (If I interpreted the sign correctly) permanently closed. After that, I contented myself with a bookstore that had a small stock of English language books.
Finally, I popped in to a nice looking restaurant called "BIO"; it was a vegetarian, organic restaurant that served up a true feast for me. Now, don't laugh: sauteed tofu seasoned with curry, stir-fried vegetables & jasmine rice. I had a delicious fruit drink (fresh) and asked for the spelling of it -- turned out to be PLUM juice. Once I knew that, the taste was unmistakeable -- and very good.
Wandered on "home" to the b&b; tomorrow morning I catch an early flight to Cordoba (north & west) and then a taxi to LaFalda (north again), and find the conference, and find Michael and.... well, we're both looking forward to being together in person! I'm so grateful to be able to communicate with him (and now all of you back home) so easily!
I told a friend of mine that I typically only write travel journals until things get really interesting, so we'll see how that goes. I like being in touch, and if you would let me know what's going on with you & y'alls, I'd appreciate that.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Love, Laura
at the Bed & Breakfast
Busy day!
Landed around 6 a.m., arrived by taxi at Solar Soler B & B at 8 a.m.; thankfully dove into bed for a nap when the room was ready at 10 a.m.
Having done that, I set off in what I thought was the general direction of the major park here in Buenos Aires ("BA", from now on)... and thanks to all the time I spent playing with the amazing Google Earth mapping software, I was right! Of course, having the sun out made it oh so much easier!
First impressions: Just as Michael said, lots of traffic pollution and noise, lots of litter and dog leavings (yuck) but much that is interesting, too. Quite a mix of styles & eras of architecture.
I strolled through the (free) botanical gardens; I imagine spending time there on a regular basis, with a book & a snack. Millions of cats* in the gardens, but they look pretty healthy compared to the ones we saw in Greece. Perhaps the goldfish pond has something to do with that?
 |
| One in a million*, so to speak... |
 |
| Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag |
I walked past the apartment building where we will be staying, beginning next Monday. The neighborhood is quite nice, as Michael said.
I stopped for some gelato (helado)... and wished I had studied Spanish a LOT more. Any time I try to think of what to say, all I can think of is French (and very little of that, I might add)
I managed to navigate the ATM at a bank; I got a little worried when I got my cash & my receipt, but not my card. But it was just checking that I was really, really done with making transactions. All's well.
I was quite proud of myself for having asked at the airport for info on public libraries in "our" neighborhood (it apparently was quite a production even for someone at the information desk to get this info) and I found one of them while walking. However, it turns out that I couldn't just look at books; I had to fill out a request form for a particular book. The gentleman and I could not communicate, but I did manage to understand that much. I'm hoping it was some kind of rare collection, and that all libraries won't be that way! WAH!
**Note from the future**
the only other library I found was (If I interpreted the sign correctly) permanently closed. After that, I contented myself with a bookstore that had a small stock of English language books.
Finally, I popped in to a nice looking restaurant called "BIO"; it was a vegetarian, organic restaurant that served up a true feast for me. Now, don't laugh: sauteed tofu seasoned with curry, stir-fried vegetables & jasmine rice. I had a delicious fruit drink (fresh) and asked for the spelling of it -- turned out to be PLUM juice. Once I knew that, the taste was unmistakeable -- and very good.
Wandered on "home" to the b&b; tomorrow morning I catch an early flight to Cordoba (north & west) and then a taxi to LaFalda (north again), and find the conference, and find Michael and.... well, we're both looking forward to being together in person! I'm so grateful to be able to communicate with him (and now all of you back home) so easily!
I told a friend of mine that I typically only write travel journals until things get really interesting, so we'll see how that goes. I like being in touch, and if you would let me know what's going on with you & y'alls, I'd appreciate that.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Love, Laura
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