Sunday night, after we went to Abuela’s we came home to have pizza. Just like Friday night spaghetti, Tios’ always have pizza at home on Sunday nights and it is one of the few times that Tia “cooks.” J And it sure was tasty.
So, despite LOTS of asking, begging and trying to persuade, Tio could not be deterred from driving me to the airport to get Mom on Monday morning. He had to miss work for the morning and drive forever out of his way, but that’s Tio. Look for him in heaven beside Saint Peter in ages to come.
Mom’s flight (and coincidentally Hubster’s Mom’s flight…they were on the same AA flight from Miami!) was supposed to arrive at 9:05am. Ha. At least when the two Moms arrived just before 11am, no bags had been lost. That’s a first, so really, who can complain??
Pobre Tio had to head into work after dropping us ladies off at the Austria apartment. Mom was a champ and didn’t want to nap so we went for a lovely stroll down Avenida Libertadad in BA. And if Monday wasn’t directly ordered from el Dios, I don’t know what day would have been. It was warm, a slight breeze, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. Yes, yes, yes!
May I interject here, on behalf of Mom, that she’s not at school working, WOOT! But hello to all of you North Carolinians!
Next came lunch at Lo De Mateo, just beside Tios’ apartment. Mmmm. I had a milanesa (a type of friend beef steak) the size of my head that I split with mom and she shared her fettuchinies. I really should take some pictures of the food here, it’s ridiculous and fantastic and I feel it would help in my mission to entice everyone to visit Argentina.
A tranquil afternoon of walking, coffee drinking and catching up with Mom ensued.
Then, Mom’s first Argentine empanada experience. There was Carne Suave. There was Pollo. There was Humita. There was Jamon y Queso. There was cerveza. Need I say it? There was happiness. LOTS of it. Then, there were thin mint Girl Scout cookies. Tio looked at Mom and said, in English “I think this is a drug.” Hammer, meet nail because you’re about to be hit on the head. He’s got a liiiiiitle bit of a sweet tooth and I think he’s hooked.
We’ll call the next period of time “Where is my passport” as sung by the members of Veggie Tales. It goes something like this:
Wheeeeeere is my passport?
Ooooh wheeeeeere is my passport?
Oh Sarah, I don’t know where my passport is and Tia is freaking out and Tio just wants to go to bed and I know it’s in one of my suitcases oh Sarah help me find my passport.
Whew. But we found it. J And now I’m carrying Mom’s passport.
Blah blah blah. 8 hour bus ride to Cordoba. Welcome to another beautiful Argentine day. When we got here, we dropped our bags at the Hotel-Apartment where the G’town crew and Hubster have been staying and headed out to explore the city. Hub joined us for coffee and medialunas (croissants) before heading back to the hospital.
Then, the Ma and I started walkin’. We walked through and past the cathedral (pictures to come). We walked past the Plaza San Martin. We walked through the pedestrian commercial district of the city. We walked past, sometimes stopping, every shoe and clothing store Cordoba has. We even stopped to buy Mom some shoes. Our next stop was a little out-of-the-way place for lunch – ham and cheese sandwiches and pomelo (the cousin to our Fresca).
FYI, I will probably mention food at least 3 times in each post as it is absolutely an integral part of Argentina.
It was lovely sleeping on Saturday morning, but, little did I know, this would cause a rucus here in the Casa de Regianni. After breakfast and a shower, Tio and I talked about going to see a movie, Monstruos versus Aliens. One of my classmates Diogo had seen it and said it was fun and especially good for someone learning Spanish. Bueno, entonces, I’ll spare you the details but because we also had to go shopping and then to a wedding yesterday, Tia was freaking out a little bit about the time. Yesterday afternoon was probably the first time that I felt really lonely. It’s an awkward place to be, causing a point of conflict but also knowing that it shouldn’t be a conflict. Tia didn’t think we had time. Tio did. I offered to go alone or on another day or whatever was easiest – though really, I wanted to go out for a bit.
In the evening, we went to the wedding of a friend’s son. It was lovely. It was very Argentina (aka: late).
Then pizza and Freddo!!! I adore Freddo’s ice cream although I was disappointed at the beginning of this week to find that they don’t have the coffee ice cream this year that I enjoyed so much on our last trip. Que lastima!
This morning, we (Tios and I) went to mass at the church just around the corner. I enjoy going to church in Castellano and it was Palm Sunday. :)
I also went on a run, FINALLY. And I feel SO good right now. I think my body has been screaming at me to be more active, but it’s been a challenge. Each morning and each afternoon last week I took a taxi to and from school although it’s a walkable distance – about 25 blocks. In retrospect, it was stupid that I didn’t just get up earlier and walk but Tia was insistent that I take a taxi.
Anyway, the weather is PERFECT today. It is sunny, about 25°C, and there’s a nice breeze. Mmmm. J
What else...?
Oh, it's got to be said. All Argentine men are really Italian at heart. The cat calls are a bit much, especially on a gorgeous day where there were hoards of people out running. Dear Machismos, over half the human population are women. Get over it.
When I get home, I’m going on a diet!!! Notice all the beef we eat:
Desayuno (breakfast) – some combination of fruit, corn flakes w/ milk, toast w/ marmalade and cheese, and coffee.
Almuerzo (lunch) – empanadas, bife, raviolis
Cena (dinner) – churrizos, bife de lomo, tomato salad, spaghetti, empanadas
Mommy gets here tomorrow!! I’m really excited to see her and spend time with her in Argentina! But, first thing, I plan on warning her about the dog poo!
