Buenos Aires: What's not to like?

Of all the cities we've been to on the trip, the one that will meet with the most universal appeal is Buenos Aires: Its a really beautiful, cultured and CHEAP city.

Food: Combine high quality French/Italian/Argentinian recipes and wines, farm-fresh ingredients, cuts of meat even larger than a good American steakhouse, and cut the price by 2/3. (3/4 si vous habitez en France).

Architecture: 19th century European architecture; brownstone houses with 15 foot ceilings; lots of outdoor cafes, parks and museums.

Infrastructure: Tree-lined cobblestone streets, large boulevards, a subway/metro system based on those found in Germany/Austria, lots of taxis and buses.

People: 90% of Argentinians are recent immigrants of European descent (various nationalities, including Italian, French, Spanish, German, Polish, Russian, etc.) and have done a nice job of blending cultures while retaining their own identities.

Style: Those who take their cues from the fashionistas of Paris, Milan or New York will find themselves quite comfortable in this city. The shops in the neighborhood of Palermo looks identical to New York's Soho. And unlike Peru, there is no "native" clothing to be found anywhere.

So, what did we do? Walked around, ate a lot, drank a lot and slept a lot!


Freaky political coincidences
Both the US and Argentina have presidential elections coming up, so political information and posters are everywhere. But check out some really freaky coincidence regarding two candidates:

She:
- is a former attorney/current senator that will more than likely be the presidential candidate for one of the major parties;
- is a former First Lady (her husband is a former governor and president);
- met her husband in law school in the 1970s;
- is often referred to by her first name only (but occasionally with her maiden name);
- claims that she will bring change to a dysfunctional government.

If elected, she'll be the country's first woman president.

Who are we talking about? Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner