While we had spent the previous night in Buenos Aires, we really didn’t tour much beyond the bus ride from the airport.  Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina having gained independence from Spain in the early 1800’s.  It is the largest city in Argentina, and has become quite cosmopolitan. Its center is the Plaza de Mayo, which is lined with stately 19th-century buildings including Casa Rosada, the iconic, balconied presidential palace (from which Eve Perón would wave to the people below). Other major attractions include Teatro Colón, a grand 1908 opera house with nearly 2,500 seats, and the modern MALBA museum, displaying Latin American art. 

It is known for its preserved eclectic European architecture and rich cultural life.  It is a multicultural city that is home to multiple ethnic and religious groups, contributing to its culture as well as to the dialect spoken in the city and in some other parts of the country. This is because since the 19th century, the city, and the country in general, has been a major recipient of millions of immigrants from all over the world, making it a melting pot where several ethnic groups live together. Thus, Buenos Aires is considered one of the most diverse cities of the Americas.

The following morning, back on the bus for a highlight tour of Buenos Aires, our first stop was to visit The La Recoleta Cemetery.  This cemetery holds the remains of many notable people including, several presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners and lots of others. However, the tomb that is visited the most often, is for Eva Perón, the former first Lady of Argentina who died in 1952.   Her memorial isn’t grand or excessive but part of a Duarte family vault within the cemetery. She was revered by the lower economic classes and helped enact a number of reforms and policies to their benefit.  She also helped bring about the passage of Argentina’s women’s suffrage law. 

 There are many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues in a variety of architectural styles, including the honeymoon bride.  The Bride died while on her honeymoon and this was done to memorialize her for all time.

After the visit to the cemetery, we stopped for a coffee and pastry at La Biela – a historic eatery specializing in salads, sandwiches & classic Argentinean mains.  It was a nice stop under the old trees with delicious croissants. 

From there onto the bus for more highlights of the city.  Our first stop was at ‎Plaza de Mayo to view the various buildings including the presidential palace and Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires.  

If you look closely, below the horse statue there are hundreds of stones. These were placed there by loved ones as remembrance of those who died during the Pandemic.

You may recall that this was the home church for Pope Francis – who was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires prior to his elevation to Pope. 

After walking around and taking in the sites, went to La Ventana for lunch and a Tango Show.   The La Ventana is clearly the place to go in Buenos Aires to see a tango show. The cellar restaurant was packed to capacity with long family style tables (although we scored a table for four) and waitstaff juggled pasta, beef or chicken brought from stacking carriers. A dulce de leche was finished just as the lights dimmed and the curtain to the side opened on a grand piano, double bass, guitar and an accordion like instrument which set the rhythm for the dancers. Three pairs of dancers appeared with opening moves, gliding and twisting. When the tango singer set the mood, one couple at a time began their play of seductive moves to the music. 

Our guide, Sol, said that the beginnings of the tango are thought to have been brought over by African slaves, and then adapted to the favelas and brothels of the city. The arms and legs of the dancers twist and turn spin and kick as they glide together across the floor.  

 At the sound of drums, El Gaucho came on stage stamping his heels and eventually, both he and his companion Gaucha swung the bolos in rapid wheels, tapping the floor in a rhythm with the drums.

A solo male singer shared the songs of the barrios, and a single spotlighted woman shared “don’t cry for me Argentina” in Spanish. 

After the show, we motored around looking at various neighborhoods before heading to the harbor to board our ship, Oceana Marina!

Several years ago, Janeen mentioned that seeing the Iguazu Falls was on her ‘bucket list’.  Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world.  Not having been in this part of the world I had no ready reference to how to get there or how to coordinate the trip.  After looking at a variety of tour options, my travel agent found a land excursion as part of an ocean cruise that would work out wonderfully.  So, we signed up – the trip, started in Buenos Aires and ends 30-plus days later in Miami, Florida visiting several countries along the way.

After connecting flights from Dulles via Houston we arrived in Buenos Aires, the final flight of 10 plus hours connected us with our friends Jim and Sally Bell and we overnighted at the Hotel Emperador.  We have been friends of Jim and Sally for the over 40 years – and when they heard about our upcoming adventure, they signed on to join us for the trip.  We had previously travelled with them when we did our Panama Canal transit in 2020 – just before the world changed and cruising become impossible for a while.  

Our first night was at a lovely hotel – Hotel Emperador where we crashed early.  Following breakfast, at the hotel, we transferred to the domestic airline for our 90-minute flight to Iguazu.  After arriving, we boarded the bus and headed into the Iguazu Falls National Park on the Brazilian side.  The Falls are located within the Park as was our Hotel for the evening.  After lunch, the fun began.

The afternoon adventure was to be a “motorized Boat Cruise” a Zodiac adventure.  

However, prior to getting on the boat there were 240 steps down from the parking area to the river.  Going down, not so much of a problem, climbing back up was a bitch.

We were repeatedly told that “You will get wet on this trip” and they weren’t fooling around.  Once down the steps, we donned life jackets and climbed aboard the boat for the trip.  Our first views, of the Falls, was from quite a distance but they take up a good amount of space and are maybe two or three distinct sections – each several hundred feet wide with LOTS of water flowing.  

After getting in the boat, I am fairly certain the skipper was aiming for the big waves as we headed towards the falls as several times I was slammed with a big wave of water – yes, I got wet repeatedly!  

After getting close to the falls, we then motored directly into them and through the downpour!  If you could get any wetter, I would be very surprised.  No wonder they gave us dry bags for our shoes and other stuff before leaving the dock!  Fortunately, I had the foresight to get a waterproof case from my iPhone and was able to take a bunch of pictures throughout the adventure.

After the trip through the St. Martin falls (twice!), the boat headed back to the dock where we got out and headed back up the 240 stairs.  Needless to say, Janeen and were the last to get to the top and it was not an enjoyable climb, particularly after using up 150% of any adrenaline during the boat ride.  Once we are at the top, we climbed into the ‘truck’ to take us to the Hotel.  As we got closer to the hotel and the drop off point, it started to rain.  Nothing like getting wet all over again! But as all guides repeated “It’s a Rain Forest!”

Once in the Hotel, a truly lovely place with a fantastic view of the Falls from our room, we changed into dry clothes and tried to relax for a bit before going down for dinner.

The following day we gathered for a walk along the lower walkway that traverses through the Park with spectacular views of the falls.  All of the Falls have names and our guide was able to tell us a bit about each of them and how they got their name. 

 In many areas, where the mist was rising from the Falls, there were rainbows. 

 Along the elevated walkway there were lots of different plants and some wildlife – it is a jungle after all.  

While I did see some monkeys after the boat ride, I wasn’t able to get any pictures – and the Toucan that several people saw flew away before I got to see him.  All very beautiful and wonderful adventure for sure.  After our walk, we returned to the hotel for some lunch and the final bus trip back to the airport for the flight back to Buenos Aires and the Hotel to be reunited with our cruise luggage.