Buenos Aires was always at the top of my bucket list, and one weekend, I flew down from Miami to see why. When I landed, I fell in love. As my taxi moved towards my hotel, I couldn’t wait to see, smell, explore, and enjoy a city I’d longed to visit. Every moment of the taxi ride was magical, and I loved it; I felt I was somewhere where I belonged, even in an earlier life.
I arrived at my hotel, and within 20 minutes, I was walking, exploring, and enjoying. I chose a familiar path for part of my walk, the area in Buenos Aires known as San Telmo (I bought the ceramic piece in the photo there). Everyone who sees Evita will recognize this immediately. It’s the heart and soul of old Buenos Aires, and I felt entirely at home. Mind you, at this time, I’d been in the Country for about 90 minutes,
I walked down an ancient street and saw the open door of a bar welcoming me. I hadn’t had breakfast, but this was the perfect location for my entry into Argentina. The bar was long, shining, and accommodating. I sat down, and the bartender, without a word, went to make a cortado (like an espresso with a bit of milk) and brought it to me with a small glass of a liquor I didn’t recognize; hey, this was no time to reflect, so I immediately drank both. I instantly felt like a local.
A few minutes later, an older couple moved to the dance floor. With a soaring tango playing in the background, they danced like they were soulmates. Sweeping, dipping, turning, all in perfect time to the Tango beat, at that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be a Tango champion myself, turning to the lovely older lady for a turn around the barroom floor to the beat of the music.
Alas, it didn’t happen. However, it was a marvelous, perfect welcoming present for me, a first-time visitor to an incredible city.
Are we there yet? 