National holidays & bosques

The Jardines Japones en Palermo

Well, I'm into my third week of classes at UCA and I have been enjoying my schedule so far, lots of time to explore the great city of BA! I got back from Uruguay and caught up on sleep...okay, maybe not you never catch up on sleep here! Last Thursday, Jen & I enjoyed our day off by making dessert empanadas and sangria! Afterward we walked to a bar Sugar, and hung out there all night because we met up with some friends from UCA. We ended up staying until the bar kicked us out...reminded me of being at the lodges 'til they turn the light on :)

Saturday, we woke up and ventured out to the bosques de Palermo and the gardens and plazas that line the lower half of the city closer to the Rio. We stopped in the Jardin Japones, it reminded me of Epcot with the Japanese display there. They were really pretty and tranquil. That night we went to a bar in Recoleta where a lot of locals go to play pool and hang out. The tables were long and wooden and reminded me of being at camp. 

So my gym membership expired last week and instead of renewing it I figured I would start running in the parks right down the street from me, it's free and a good way to get outside! I ran in the 3 de febrero parque and it was gorgeous! There was a huge lake in the middle and tons of people biking, rollerblading, running along the many paths. I can't wait until it gets a little warmer and we can go for picnics there!

Monday was Dia del San Martin, he is one of the most important founding fathers of Argentina and other South American countries. Helen and I took the subte to Plaza de Mayo (the end of our line) and noticed this enormous line wrapping around an entire side of one of the buildings on Avenida de Mayo. We walked to the front of it to see what was going on. We saw amateurs tango dancing and tons of newscasters. We later found out that they were all waiting to get free tickets to the World Tango Festival that is going on here until the end of August. We then walked down through San Telmo, seeing the usual weekend fair that was set up for the holiday. After doing a bit of shopping, we walked into the Catedral that is in Plaza de Mayo. Only to see another crowd of people around San Martin's tomb! Later that night, we went to the Recoleta Cultural Center to see a free tango concert. It was two men playing flute and guitar and they were playing some of their songs, it was excellent! The audience was so into it! 

So, on Wednesday we went to a show called Fuerza Bruta. This was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I was expecting something like Cirque de Soleil (not that I've ever seen that, either) but this show was also in the Recoleta Cultural Center. So after classes, we took the colectivo to Recoleta, grabbed dinner, and went to the show! They herded hundreds of us, mostly a younger crowd, into a dark room. Then, they flash some lights, blow some gusts of air on us, glitter is in the air, and a man starts running on a treadmill type thing that they move throughout the crowd (we all are standing throughout the show.) It was just really fun and there was so much energy between the crowd and the few performers. They had this huge water tank with four girls swimming around in it and then the tank was lowered so that we all could touch it. Once the show is over, they turn on a shower that is above the audience and literally pour water on everyone. We all were just dancing and loving it! The show was just really bizarre and not what ANY of us were expecting, but it was tons of fun!

Some of Fuerza Bruta!

Well, I'm off to go see Brie! She is here in BA for a few days with her tour group! The weather is great, no more coat!! I love spring :)