We set out early on Thursday, October 17 to do the city tour. We purchased 48 hour passes so we would have time to see what we wanted and hop off to explore a few places we wanted to see up close. The city tour was AWESOME! You can listen to it in 9 different languages and it gives info about so many of the tourist areas. We learned so much about Buenos Aires those two days on the bus.
Our main stop for the day was Caminito. We got down and immediately found a restaurant for lunch since we'd already been on the bus tour for a couple of hours. We ate at a restaurant called Puerto Viejo. We all ordered choripan, which is a staple in Argentina. It's just like it sounds - sausage and bread - and is delicious. It took FOREVER to get a seat even though we were the only ones waiting. One thing I should mention is that Argentines tend to eat and chat for a long period of time (much longer than most people would do at restaurant in the states). So sometimes have to wait a substantial amount of time to get a table. When we finally got seated, we saw a table with a bunch of older men playing a card game. Marcos said that is pretty common. The biggest table at this restaurant was clearly going to be occupied for quite awhile. Marcos is obsessed with parrillas (the type of grills they use to cook asados). He asked the waiter if he and Preston could see the grill before they left so of course they got a picture with the cook. Pretty awesome!
After we ate, we walked up the little path to the bonbonera (soccer stadium) for Boca Jrs. Marcos has been a fan of Boca Jrs since he was a little boy. Their rival team is River. Their rivalry is INTENSE! We spent some time in little shops along the path, purchased soccer jerseys and t-shirts, and finally made our way to the statues of the soccer players.
We found Messi and took a picture with him. I pulled out a Christmas card and numbered sticker from a friend of ours who lost their 19-year-old son in February 2023. They sent out stickers asking friends and families to take Sam along on their adventures because he was always seeking adventure. I decided meeting soccer stars was a good enough adventure for Sam since many of our memories with him involved sports. Marcos couldn't believe I had brought the card and sticker with us. It was a very special moment for all of us!
We took a few more pictures with other soccer stars statues, and then rushed to catch our bus so we wouldn't end up stranded in a sketchy neighborhood at night.
We had a simple dinner in the Airbnb that evening and then Marcos went to Parque Norte to play tennis with his friends the Walkers (Alexis, Christian and their brother-in-law, Fernando). The Walkers are friends that Marcos met when both families were living in Mexico, and they love tennis as much as Marcos does. Yes! Even on vacation, watching soccer and playing tennis were the highest priorities for Marcos. Preston went with Marcos to watch him play tennis and to film for a little bit. I stayed back with Marissa and Caleb. Our day was plenty long without adding two hours of tennis at the end. ;)
Preston got bored by the end of the tennis match and started exploring the grounds. He found a frog and caught it. I love that even on vacation my kids are always curious about their surroundings - insects, animals, plants, trees, etc. We are constantly learning and exploring no matter what our surroundings may be.
Marcos, Preston, Alexis, Christian, and Fernando all went out for pizza after tennis at a pizza place called La Guittara. Preston LOVED the pizza!! We would all soon learn how much we love the pizza in Argentina!
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