Day 2 & 3 February 26 & 27

Buenos Aires is an interesting city with a very modern business district that shows off some striking contemporary architecture. There is another side to the city as well since we were warned on numerous occasions to beware of pickpockets. We were able to meet up with Mike and Cathy who had to take a side trip to Uruguay because they did not get their Brazilian visas, which are required to board the ship. We went to a Tango show yesterday night, which was one of those cultural experiences of our introduction to Argentinian life. It was a good experience, but one of those things once done does not need repeating. The next morning we boarded our ship. The Colon Theater was our goal and we made it. It was built in 1908 and, at least from my perspective, is an impressive and wonderfully ornate structure. The materials used to build the building were all brought over from Europe. We went on a tour of the opera house after buying our tickets and grabbing a quick bite of lunch. To get there we walked most of the way and crossed one of the streets that stuck out in my mind due to its odd name and the fact that it is a major thoroughfare. Its name is “9th of July Avenue”. We are told that this refers to the date that Argentina won its freedom from Spain. Apparently, July is a popular month for a country to get its freedom. The group consensus seems to be that we are glad we stopped here and enjoyed the city but would not make it the point of a return trip. Chris – We left our hotel yesterday in Buenos Aires and transferred to the Crystal Serenity Cruise ship to begin our cruise. We actually don’t leave Buenos Aires until 6pm today but the adventure on board started yesterday. We spent the afternoon unpacking and getting acclimated to the ship that has a guest capacity of 1,070 passengers. As you can imagine we have not slipped in under the radar traveling with Mike and Cathy in part because of his Segway. The staff is amazing in that there is a less than 1 to 1 ration to passengers and I met one crew member at dinner and when I saw him 5 hours later he called me by name. I’m in big trouble in that their bakery is incredible with all day free mini cupcakes and cookies to die for…Gret maybe it is a good thing you didn’t come with the cookies so good. The food is great and the company extraordinary…having a blast with Curt and Paula and Mike & Cath. Gotta go walk before I eat again.