Buenos Aires, Argentina

I don’t know why I am finding this post difficult to write. I think perhaps it is because I did not have an immediate strong reaction to Buenos Aires. It feels a lot like a city that could easily be in the States. Parts of it remind me of New York, others Los Angeles. I did not do as much sight-seeing in Buenos Aires as I have along other stops on my journey. It may be because I was tired from my travels, but more so, after days of analyzing, because I felt right at home in this city.

It didn’t take long for me to learn to navigate Buenos Aires. The convenient street signs all indicate which set of addresses you will pass by on each block. Despite having mixed feelings about the hostel I stayed in, I found it easy to make new friends here.

I befriended two locals, Pedro and Daniel, who I spent many hours conversing with in Spanish! This was extremely exciting for me – that I could actually communicate (though I know I sound like a toddler) and make friends with people using another language. By no means am I fluent though. They were very sweet and patient with my rudimentary communication skills. In my hostel I met Dominic from San Fran, a sweet young guy with perfect curls making his way through South America while taking online courses. And I met Kerstin from Cologne, Germany, who I instantly clicked with and spent lots of time with during my stay in Buenos Aires. She is moving back to Cologne from Vienna to be with her sick mother. She is finishing her trip in South America to help her separate from Vienna. Sounds like a good match for me, right? Kerstin, I miss you already! One more reason to visit Cologne.

While in Buenos Aires I visited the neighborhood Recoleta, and it’s beautiful cemetery. This is where I took the most photos because it was so picturesque. I wandered the City Center a bit as well. But I spent most of my time in Palermo, the neighborhood where my hostel was. Palermo is beautiful, with lots of restaurants and boutique shopping. One section is called Palermo Soho, because of it’s apparent similarities to Soho, NYC. Despite common belief, there are numerous vegetarian restaurants in Buenos Aires. I had the chance to try several in my 5 days there.