After crossing the whole country of Argentina, we've arrived in Buenos Aires. Yet due to a general holiday around their May Revolution Day (25th), we could not schedule any official meetings or functions. Instead of sitting around waiting, though ...
... we decided to hit the capital with verve!
Buenos Aires is a bustling city with lots to see ...
(bus-tling ;-))
(... like a giant egg in the middle of the street ...)
- especially if your third eye is wide open!
-- or you can stand in the streets waiting for Carlos to shop for a cap ...
(well, there were looooots to choose from ...)
(... and sweet distractions in the form of Simon the giant bulldog ...)
An exhausted shopper who could find no relief on this bench: it's made of concrete!
A charming corner is "el caminito" in the heart of La Boca quarter.
The houses are painted in vibrant colours ...
... and display puppets of Argentina's iconic figures: Maradona, Evita and the Pope.
The affection of the Argentinians for "their" Papa Francisco ...
... finds interesting ways of expressing itself...
(they look quite skeptical, too)
La Boca quarter lies by the sea ... though sometimes it seems as if the sea was a jungle away ...
Their it is! We have crossed the whole breadth of the South American continent: from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast!
Meanwhile in the more monumental parts of the city ...
Plaza Lavalle
Teatro Colón - Art Deco opera house of Caruso fame ...
Dominican cloister.
The central "Plaza de Mayo".
Today's date inspires a reenactment group to remember the revolutionary days of May 1810, that led to the first Argentinian government not designed by the Spanish.
Martín junior ...
- the original General Martín ... leader in the revolution and creator of the Argentinian national flag ...
... which Argentinians like to display in abundance ... (it IS a beautiful flag, though!)
The White = Pink House
The "Women's Bridge" spanning the Río Dique.
Old and new means of trade ...
Timeless means of refreshment.
The girls' idea of a perfect coffee:
Historical Cafè Tortoni in San Telmo.
San Telmo is the oldest part of Buenos Aires. Birthplace of the Tango, which is still omnipresent today.
A place of refined culinary enjoyment.
The boys' idea of a perfect coffee:
A psychedelic alchemist's study of caffeinated experiments.
The coffee was equally delicious, though!
In the evening we came together for an epicurean feast of our own ...
... and a digestive round of table tennis.
Good night Buenos Aires.
Torch carried by Anita Costa(Portugal),
Atul Arora(India),
Banshidhar Medeiros(United States),
Boijayanti Gómez-Badillo(Puerto Rico),
Carlos Alberto Ramos De La Vega(Guatemala),
Chintamani Nordmeyer(Austria),
Gordana Petrovčić(Croatia),
Istidad Alvarado(Guatemala),
Jorge Patino(Colombia),
Mariana Mosquera(Argentina),
Nikolaus Drekonja(Austria),
Palash Bosgang(United States),
Santiva Morrison(United States),
Shumbhani Juarez(Guatemala),
Suchana Cao(Argentina),
Vaibhava Kuschnow(Austria),
Victoria Patino(United States),
Yolanda Lopez(Guatemala).