Not only is this city a  treasure house of architecture, language and culture, but it is equal to European standards for wine and food. We have eaten so much food and had a bottle of wine with lunch and dinner so often we will need help when we get home.

Yesterday, Monday, was a holiday – Columbus day. For lunch we ate at a nearby Italian place that was highly recommended. T he talk around us was Spanish and the pasta and wine very good. Lunch's tend to be at least two hours here, I assume because there is a siesta following it as many stores do close from lunch to five at night. That evening we ate in the hotel main restaurant La Bourgogne, a French menu. The wine was spectacular.We tend to focus on Malbec wines. I had steak which was excellent and the service was impeccable. This is such a beautiful hotel that it is a pleasure to just walk around in it after dinner.

Did I mention that the taxis in down town don't turn on their headlights at night. I can only assume they the surrounding light is sufficient. Seat belts don't work in most taxis so the only other alternative is the rosary. Also, like Rome there are no lines and lines of three and four rows of cars merge wit h inches to spare in some kind of dangerous mechanical ballet. It is a "who blinks first" way of driving. Also, while the price of food and wine is inexpensive and taxis are dirt  cheap anything around this hotel is over priced. For example  the antique and ot her specialty stores in and around the building charge London prices for everything. Outside of this area things are very reasonable.

Today, Tuesday, we slept in from all the wine and food. We got a car and driver to look around the city. We were assured our driver would speak English since the local language is not "Mexican" Spanish but rather a mixtures with many local dialects. It t urned out Raul spoke no English, but we managed anyway.

Traffic was heavy and it took time to see only a small amount of this very large city,  Plaza de Mayo is the square where important events happen. T his is where the mothers weekly marches during the military dictatorship were centered. The beautiful Teatro Colon, the opera house, is closed for renovations and we were unable to see the insides. The Avenida de Mayo is the street where all the best preserved architecture is located. We drove to the barrio La Buca which is the oldest area in town. It is a rough and graffiti covered area. From there we went to the nearby San Telmo barrio which has many small shops and antique stores.  It was a very nice area and one we enjoyed. We ate lunch there at the place we were recommended. I loved the fact there was no English to be heard anywhere in this small cafe  like place. The salads were fresh and steaks excellent. The menu for the steak was lengthy. When I told the waiter I thought I'd have a T bone, he warned me that it was a huge cut of meat so I ended up ordering by asking him the smallest cut. The Malbec wine  was outstanding and of course it was a full bottle of wine (again) The bill was less then $50 and I would have paid more then that for the wine alone.

We returned to the hotel and I did what every good Argentinian should do, took a nap, while Lita roamed the stores around the hotel. This area is the Rodeo Drive of Buenos Aires. Every famous brand is here and represented by a small boutique.

We took a $2 taxi ride across town to a well regarded restaurant. Since we arrive at 8:30 pm for dinner in a country where the locals don't start dinner until 9:00 pm and most arrive later then that, we always get a good table. There are a table or two with people when we arrive, but by 9:00 pm people are flooding in as this is a popular place. Best of all, no one is speaking English. Another excellent bottle of wine and a very fresh salad with a seafood dinner made this a great evening. By the time we left people were waiting for tables. We headed back to the hotel and after a stop in the bar headed to our room.

Today is our last day in this enjoyable city. We have lunch at the hotel with friends from home and head for the airport for a late night flight to Dallas and from there to Washington. We understand it is cold in Washington swo I hate to leave the Spring weather of Argentina. I will enjoy seeing our two dogs and the cats, but I will miss the experience of Buenos Aires.