Downtown Buenos Aires

Today was our last full day in Argentina. We depart tomorrow evening on an overnight flight back to the United States. So today after the "deluxe" (and included in the price of our stay) breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, we decided to walk a few blocks to the main downtown area--the pedestrian-friendly Calle Florida and Calle LaValle corridor--and spend a few hours window shopping while taking in the hustle and bustle of one of South America's biggest cities. 

Below are some of the sights of the day.

View from our hotel room window as we got ready to head out (we're on the 10th floor):

My wonderful family pausing for a photo in the center:

A painted "Evita Perón" billboard graces the top floors of a skyscraper in the middle of Avenida 9 de Julio, the widest street in the world. The gigantic drawing is her classic "turned to the side while talking into a microphone to her people" view, which seems to pretty much dominate the Evita category here.

Below is The Obelisk, located in the Plaza de Independencia along the city's largest downtown thoroughfare. It is certainly one of Buenos Aires's most photographed places. (For the record, I don't know who is copying who between Washington D.C. and Buenos Aires...like every good Generation X-er, I will need to consult google to see which was built first.)

Some more views of downtown:

Interesting buildings:

And of course, our daily dose of Argentine pride...some more Islas Malvinas (Faulkland Island) sightings:

For those of you not in "the know," here is today's Social Studies lesson. The hotly-contested islands are a smalll archipelago about 300 miles off the southeast coast of Argentina, with two principal islands (East and West), not too far from Antarctica. They are officially a self-governing British territory, use the Pound as their currency, speak English, and have a population of just under 3,000...most of whom are native islanders of British descent because the British have occupied the territory since 1833. (Getting the picture? They are pretty much British.) The main industry of the islands is fishing, followed by sheep grazing and tourism. For decades, however, Argentina has claimed the island chain as its own given its close proximity to the mainland. This has been off-and-on contested by the British. Until 1982, that is...when Argentina decided to invade for real, which naturally upset the island's "owners" (a.k.a. the British). A war erupted, and the British sent down naval vessels and guns and hastily added lots of armaments to their already-existing military base. Small-scale fighting ensued, with a few hundred killed on both sides (yet, surprisingly, no natives...who had no say in the matter and were left out of the battle). The British won, Argentina surrendered, and the islands have remained under British control ever since. Argentina is not happy about this, and in 2009 restarted U.N.-sponsored negotiations, though they have gotten nowhere. Today, the islands remain a British territory, though you wouldn't know it by walking around Argentina, where signs, posters, and politicians alike broadcast the archipelago as a full-fledged Argentine territory. I am told that pretty much every Argentinian--from president Kirchner, to poor peasant farmers, and everyone in between--thinks the islands actually belong to Agentina and were taken from them.

My only piece of advice on this whole subject = Never, under any circumstances, ever, ever ask an Argentinan how he actually feels about this whole situation. How would he react? I don't know...that's the advice I got before the trip, and I have stuck to it!

Anyway...

Following lunch, we found a great little park for Isabel and Gemma to play in. The main attraction (besides running after pigeons) was this little 6-inch high grass mound, which entertained our children for the better part of an hour. Note to self: by constructing about a dozen of these small mounds in our back yard, we might never need a babysitter again!

Isabel sitting in a tree:

Gemma still playing on the mound:

After the mighty mountain (a.k.a. tiny grass-covered mound) finally tired out the girls, we went back to our hotel for a girl's nap and a Drew treadmill run. Ahhh, what a good afternoon.

Here is our hotel room view about 6:00pm, with the sun setting to the west:

Then it was out in search of our last dinner in Argentina, which ended up being one of the best. A phenomenal Bruschetta pizza with fresh basil, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and cheese. And, of course, house-made French Fries.

With the day winding down, we headed back to the hotel to pack up our suitcases in anticipation of tomorrow's travel. The best part of having lots of clothes strewn around the floor before bed? Playing dress up!