Hello again, Buenos Aires!

Thursday, October 15, was our first full day back in Buenos Aires. We knew this trip would be different, in part because we were by ourselves. We would also be splitting up our eight days, as we were scheduled to fly to Iguazu Falls for a two-day visit.
Eighteen months ago, Summer 2008, we traveled to Buenos Aires for what was our first trip to visit as a family. While Henry was raised there until age ten and had returned to visit his godparents twice in the intervening years, Buenos Aires was all new to the rest of us.
On that first trip, we spent most of our time seeing the major sights of a South American capital that had the feel of a European city. One of our first stops was the famous and much-visited Recoleta Cemetery with the crypt of Eva Peron among many beautiful monuments,

We also went to San Telmo, where tango began and where someone is always dancing in the street.

We also rode the oldest subway and saw the "flower" in the park.

We met Henry's godmother and her family who graciously hosted us for lunches and dinners and took us to unusual events such as the Argentine Rural.

 

This trip was to be different in many ways, some unexpected. Going to Argentina was something that we decided to do after we made our decision to take the Peru/Bolivia trip. We decided we wanted to see Iguazu Falls in northern Argentina in addition to visiting Buenos Aires again.

When we were first planning our trip, we had heard we might need visas for Argentina, so we inquired at the Argentine consulate in Los Angeles. We were told we wouldn't need them; however, Henry was also told that he might be eligible for an Argentine passport. "All" he needed was a certified copy of his birth certificate; therein lay the unexpected.

Henry wasn't exactly born in Buenos Aires. He was actually born on a boat with Argentine registry, the Mendoza, when his parents immigrated to Argentina from Italy. His "birth certificate" is actually a portion of the captain's log.

Thursday, our first day in Buenos Aires, we dropped our dirty clothes at the laundry service and headed downtown to the government office to see about the birth certificate. The building resembled any social services agency: lots of people in lots of long lines,  waiting. The young man we met at the information desk said that it would be possible to get the certificate, but we'd have to show proof (our flight plans) that we'd be in the country a short time so that our appointment could be expedited. We were told to return by 2pm. We went back to the hotel to retrieve our paperwork, and after a stop for gelato, we returned to the government office. This time, we were told that the record was in the system and were given an appointment for the following day.

Since we had the rest of the day to ourselves, we shopped some. One of our favorite places from last year's visit was a small housewares shop named J.B. Penney,  not the more familiar JC Penney. We also went to an upscale shopping center, Patio Bullrich, which was walking distance from our hotel.

Our plan for dinner was to go to El Yugo, a restaurant we ate in twice last visit. The beauty of the place was delicious food, simply prepared.

Another surprise: the restaurant was gone! We knew exactly where it should have been; in fact, we found the building, but it was boarded up and the sign was gone. Not surprisingly, we soon found another place to have a delicious dinner.

 

Note to my readers: All of the preceding pictures are from the 2008 trip.  Stay tuned for the Quest for the Birth Certificate and other adventures.