Our Spanish class started on Monday, February 15th, 2010. Michael joined a beginners class, Christian an advanced beginners class. Both classes only comprised two students so it was very intense. The school „Vamos Spanish!“ was just one block away and it took us only two minutes to walk there – very convenient.
Read about our first week in this blog post: Exploring Buenos Aires: Our Two-Month Spanish Learning Adventure (1)
We also found a gym close by called Megatlon inside the shopping center Alto Palermo. It was just five minutes walking distance to our apartment. We were really active and went there four times that week after our Spanish lessons. So body and mind were well trained!
On Tuesday our friend Bibiana invited us for dinner. Bibiana used to work together with Michael in Hoofddorp. She had been together with her 2nd husband from the Netherlands for 13 years. After she quit Bentley she moved back to Argentina and her husband spent most of the time with her here. It was such a beautiful evening on their quiet patio in the middle of the city!
As we went out clubbing on Wednesday night we did not get much sleep. So we were really tired after classes on Thursday. We managed to have a nice lunch outside on a terrace close by and were surprised how cheap it was. Two main dishes, a basket with bread, a large bottle of mineral water and a full bottle of white wine: 16 Euro in total for both together. Wow!
Afterwards we had to nap 5 hours long…
Friday we went out again but Christian started to get a cold which further developed during the weekend. Thus we had a quiet weekend, used both Saturday and Sunday for walking in the city and did some sightseeing.
On Saturday we started our tour at the Obelisco de Buenos Aires at the Plaza de la República. The Obelisk (67.5 metres in height) was constructed in 1936 for the 400th birthday of the city. It has become one of the most important national monuments.
We continued walking to the Plaza Mayor where several important buildings were located such as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral (consecrated in 1779).
Coincidentally we saw the closing ceremony of the tombs of the national hero: General San Martín. The general was the leader of the Argentinian independence war about 200 years ago (1810-18). He was nicknamed “the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru” as they all got independent from Spain.
The two soldiers guarding the tomb were formally picked up by five more soldiers and they all walked back to the Casa Rosada, the president´s palace.
Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires
We followed them and noticed that it was possible to enter the “Pink House” as tourists. So we got a guided tour around the presidential building. We felt the Evita spirit everywhere. Especially when we stood on the balcony where she famously waved to the Argentinian people during her husband´s reign.
We finished that day by walking around in San Telmo. San Telmo is the cultural quarter of Buenos Aires with a lot of Milongas (Tango bars) and other cultural places, theaters and artists, antique stores and markets on the weekend.
Bosques de Palermo
On Sunday we went to the Bosques de Palermo – a conglomerate of parks just 30 minutes walking from our place. It was cloudy but fortunately there was no rain! We only realized during this day that parts of Buenos Aires got flooded Friday night because of the heavy rain falls. Although we had crossed the city that night by taxi three times we did not notice anything at all. But the newspaper were full of photos the next day showing that some streets were flooded up to one meter.
We crossed the Parque de 3 Febrero with its rose garden and lakes and passed by the Japanes Garden which we were planning to visit on a different day.
Furthermore we saw the Plaza Alemana which was constructed 100 years ago. The monument there was donated by the Germans living in Argentina for the celebration of the centenary of the Argentinian country (1910).
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