Pasta, San Telmo, La Boca y No Mas Papas Fritas

On Saturday night, Bella Italia was OK. Ari got the ricotta-filled spinach ravioli with tomato sauce and Jeannie got the mushroom-filled ravioli with cream sauce. The highlight of the meal was the drool-worthy melted camembert and mixed green salad with a sweet balsamic dressing. We also noticed that we were seated in the "pretty people" section by the front windows -- although the restaurant was nearly empty. We still struggle to get the timing right in this city.

Half way through the meal Ari felt nauseous (again), so Jeannie inhaled her food and requested the check. By that time it was nearly 1am, so we headed home with raviolis in-tow.

On Sunday morning, we arose with new life. Gathering up our dirty clothes, we did a load of laundry and enjoyed a breakfast of cold pizza and orange Gatorade. Lickity-split, we hit the road and hopped on the Subte (subway) to San Telmo -- the birthplace of Buenos Aires and the tango.

In San Telmo on Sundays there is a huge street fair. We disembarked the train at the Independencia stop, and ran across the street (twice) in what we thought was the direction of the main street "Defensa." Instead, we found ourselves wandering amoungst locals past fresh pasta and empanada stores and wondering if knowing the way to San Jose meant finding our way to San Telmo.

It did not. After less than 10 blocks, we consulted the map and found we were in no man's land in the opposite direction from the San Telmo market. However, as we walked back from where we came, we enjoyed witnessing local life separate from the tourist traps and luxury shopping.

Reaching San Telmo, we sauntered down the cobblestone streets, past antique stalls and elderly dancers. The area was overrun with tourists and reminded us of Ghiradelhi Square in San Francisco. Instead of chocolate and trolleys, there was tango and relics of the colonial past.

We hailed a taxi to the Estadio Bombadera de los Boca Juniors in La Boca. We nabbed a quasi-English language soccer stadium tour and two museum passes. The stadium holds 58,000 spectators with seat costs ranging from $15 to $1,000 a game depending on whether the sun could burn you. The Boca Juniors were founded in 1905, although the stadium was not completed until 1958 when the added the third deck.

After the stadium tour, we found our way to the Caminito -- a touristy but inviting part of the otherwise residential neighborhood La Boca. The Caminito contains brightly-colored buildings, painted with the leftover paint from ships passing through the primary seaport of yesteryear. There were many stands with leather and silver goods nearby. Happily, we found belts for the both of us and a small purse for Jeannie. We then enjoyed coffee and empanadas (since they were out of fries) along with a boisterous multi-lingual waiter who was covered in tattoos and seemed to be a local attraction for the older ladies.

Exhausted from walking and taking pictures, we hopped a taxi home past the historical water works and the Congressional building -- where our cab driver was kind enough to risk all of our lives to stop on the thoroughfare so we could take these pictures. At home, we traversed the stalls surrounding the plaza and found a pair of shiny pewter sandals for Jeannie before heading home.

Tonight, we plan to dine on Mexican fare in the neighborhood at Maria Felix. Que te vaya bien!