Buenos Dias en Buenos Aires

I know I haven't been to all that many cities around the world, but I now know that Buenos Aires could eat Denver as a snack! With ~11 million (very stylish) people throughout the city, you can feel the hustle and bustle no matter where you are. It is filled with contrast - buildings that look to be several hundred years old stand adjacent to 20 floor glass skyscrapers; the wide avenues versus the long green parks; our Colorado fashion sense versus everyone else. Many buildings are either painted bright colors or are decorated with huge murals. If they are tan, like many of the apartment buildings, they are colored by the drying clothes hanging from balconies. Our apartment is directly across the street from a park, with trees so large you can't see the ground below. We are here in the midst of fall, so the green leaves are turning and some fall off the trees with each gust of wind. One thing that I really can't get over are the roads. I'm not sure if the drivers are excellent or terrible, but I've never seen such confidence while surrounded by cars close enough to touch on every side. Lanes are definitly just a suggestion, and they don't even bother putting up stop signs or speed limits. It feels like a big river, or at least that's how I see it. Stick with me - the buses are like the whale sharks (apparently a salt water river), that only stop when they really feel like it. Then there are the regular fish (I don't know a lot about marine life, sorry) who travel in big seemingly disorganized schools but they all seem to know where they are going. Then there are the guppies (now it's a fresh salt water river, be cool) who are the crazy fast motorcycles and mopeds that FLY through the cars and congregate in packs at the front of every stoplight until they speed off again. No matter the hour, there is a constant buzz coming from the street, with the not-so-occasional series of honks. Despite the insane number of cars, the air was weirdly clean due to the constant slight breeze from the water. Now I understand the name Buenos Aires!

When travelling with Vic, it's always a good time for Dutch Blitz.

Apparently we don't have enough Wi-Fi to upload pictures to the internet at the moment, so I will try to add some later! (Update - "later" is over a year and a half (and a quarantine) later. I suck!) The first few hours off the plane consisted of the most important things - food and sleep. In case you were wondering, our love for siestas has not declined one bit since Spain. Once we woke up feeling like humans again, we began what would be a 3-day exploration of the city, thanks to our incredible tour guide and Argentinian Mama Mariana. We began in Palermo and walked through a beautiful modern art museum there called the Malba. Then we made a huge loop passed the university, which had a HUGE flower art piece thing in the garden, followed by Recoleta, which had even more neat architecture and beautiful artwork. There was an exhibit of murals and graffiti there, which was really neat. After that we took a break at an ice cream shop, as we do best, where we had our first of many ice cream cups (my lactose-free self included!). We ended our first day by having dinner with Cecilia, the nice lady who let us stay in her apartment. What we didn't tell her is that I broke one of the beds in our apartment by shifting my weight towards Victoria while she was sitting on the end. Don't worry, we are engineers now, we fixed it - I just never touched that end again. However, this created an additional challenge for my short little buddy, Addy, as she had to stretch her stubby legs over the bed to get to hers (Addy's use of the word stubby) :)

Thank goodness for both Mariana and ice cream :)

The scene of Lauren's crime

                                              

The next day was a big one! We started out by taking the Knight bus to Boca, home of the Boca Junior futbol team (Vic's team, not Mariana's. Don't bring it up.). The entire area was incredibly colorful, and we got to go inside some of the buildings. It was decided that our home needs a spiral staircase somewhere, preferably connected to the slide, which is our next purchase once we actually have money (so in like 5 years, 50 for Addy). We then toured the soccer museum and stadium, and learned about the crazy passionate fans that have required a barb wire fence to be put up around the field. Wowza. After the tour Mariana bought us churripan (a chorizo sausage sandwich) for good behavior and we all proceeded to burn our mouths on it because we are wildly impatient and it was incredibly delicious. Afterwards we headed to Puerto Madero for a long walk by the water and to see a bridge that belonged in the Incredibles. Near there we walked back through the center of the city, where we saw their White House (it was pink, and appropriately called Casa Rosada) and the main plaza. Mariana gave us a nice, short summary of the history of Buenos Aires as we stared in awe of the beautiful monuments surrounding us. We then walked some more to Mariana's best friend's apartment, where we met Olgita and her daughters, Louisa and Clara, for dinner. The girls' English was even better than ours, and we were all able to laugh at Addy and I. However, I do think we are improving much faster than we did in Spain, mostly because we have no choice but to try and understand what Vic and Mariana and their friends are saying. Everything we've eaten has been sooo yummy, we better keep walking if we have any prayer of coming home without 10 extra pounds!

"No, our feet are fine"

You saw it here folks. Miracles can happen!

The creation location of churripan!

Name a more romantic couple.

The next 2 days were filled with more exploring, family, and food. The highlight for me was the Rose Garden we found in one of the city parks - so beautiful. At one point Addy and I were hanging out in a little strip of shops for an hour while Mariana and Victoria went to get Victoria's Argentinian passport, and by the time they came back we had found churripan and more ice cream :) It's a sixth sense! That night we had dinner with Victoria's uncle, Jorge, and his family, which was also very nice. Afterwards, we met one of Victoria's cousins at a local bar and met some of her friends, who were also very nice and hilarious. Unfortunately, our sense of fashion once again let us down at this point, as the people surrounding us looked like they all belonged on the set of Gossip Girl, rocking platform boots and leather jackets. To top it off, one of her friends was even a fashion designer, who was probably not impressed by the jeans, vans and hoodies we were all trying to hide. Despite the awkward Americans, they were all hilarious. At one point they were imitating accents from all over the place, and they were so good. Now we can say we've heard an Argentenian speaking English in a Russian accent because that's just cool! They had also traveled all over the world, and had some really funny stories and weird questions for us about the United States. It was really fun! Considering dinner was at 10:30PM, it made it seem less bad that we were out until about 4AM. Well, that was until we had to get up the next morning.

                                                 

                                      

                                      

                                                 

 

Here it comes...Vic, not just lookin' like a snack, but a whole meal! :)

Our final day has been a bit of a whirlwind. We obviously overslept a bit, so we hurried out to go to an artisan market, where we were able to find bracelets with which to renew our true love vows. We ate lunch with Olgita (don't worry, she'll be back) before running back for our stuff and being late to the airport (late is an opinion) and staying awake just long enough to sit on the plane to Mendoza before all of us were out like lights (still feeling 4AM). We had a great time in Buenos Aires and feel like we saw a lot, but I think we are all even more excited for some quiet mountains and vineyards. Talk to you again soon, con vino!

Vic bringing back the most iconic moment snapped during our Spain adventures.

True love happens when food is involved.

Well, for some of us maybe.

Off to Mendoza we go!

Laced Up and Ready for Round 2!

                                     

So I realize I'm about 2 years behind when I said I'd be back to tell you about the rest of our European adventure. That's my bad, I didn't realize there would be so much running involved in those 10 days. From trying to walk at the same speed as Addy, to almost missing several connecting trains, to crossing 25 bridges in Venice looking for our apartment, we were able to find balance with how much we were eating. However, as I know all of you are our near and dear family and friends to even be willing to read this silly recount of our adventures, I'm sure you have heard those stories and seen the countless ridiculous pictures. Thus, I'm going to start a new chapter in our children's book - don't worry, Addy and I can't speak the right language in this one, either :)

Just a quick note before we jump in - I know many of you helped us celebrate our graduation from the Colorado School of Mines last weekend. Whether through our ceremony, party, family gatherings, phone calls, or any other form of your love, we are so grateful to have you in our lives and cannot thank you enough for your endless support. You give us the strength to push through every challenge and the confidence to experience the unknown. Which, brings me back to the small folding table in front of me. Here we go again!

Our new Alma mater!

                                     

In typical Addy, Victoria, and Lauren fashion, this story starts as explosively as the last one ended. For those of you who don't know or have perhaps blocked it out, last time we were on a plane traveling across the ocean together, Victoria almost did not join us. A quick recap - despite being 2 hours early, we were bringing up the rear of the check-in line. As we checked our bags 1-by-1, Marcello, Emily, Addy, and I were all ready for a long nap on the plane. That was until Victoria looked over at us from the check-in desk with her big blue eyes in a rare form of panic. Apparently, while Addy and my own confirmation had gone through the booking agency, they were not showing that Victoria was on our flight - our full flight. As we stood there in disbelief, we heard over the intercom that our flight was beginning to board, halfway across the airport. Luckily, while I may be the one whose face turns red in embarrassment, Addy's does in times of fury. That's usually when you know something exciting is about to happen. I'm not sure how many of you have ever tried to win an argument against Allison Bateman, but it's tough when she's barely invested. So, why don't we threaten leaving her best friend in Spain for funsies? For a little while I thought she was speaking a different language to whoever was on the other side of her phone. If they could've seen the hand motions and head bobs that were accompanying her speed and tone, they might have resigned from their job during the conversation. However, whatever she said, in whatever language, was enough, because Victoria got the golden ticket and we ran for the gate. As I said, much like any good sequel, we are picking up in the same way we left off - cardio included.

Flash forward 2 years and apparently we are still slow learners despite our new degrees. We had a plan. Leaving at 10:45AM would give us 3.5 hours before our flight to Dallas, where we would have a 3 hour layover before our prized flight south. At first, everything was going swimmingly, the Chick-fil-A included. We even boarded semi-on-time. All that was left was to take-off...but that would be a boring story. Once we found our seats and settled in, I took the prime napping position as the plane started to taxi and I began to doze (if you don't remember, I am an excellent travel sleeper). It was only about a 2 hour flight, and that is well within my napping abilities. So, that's what I did - slept through the turbulence, the dinging of the PA system, and the guy right behind us that was snoring louder than the crying baby. However, when I woke up to look out the window at the warm Texas land below, I instead was looking straight at the beautiful snow-capped Rocky Mountains. STRAIGHT. Looking at the clock, I had almost completed my task - take-off was at 2PM, it was now 3:10PM. Just then, the pilot came over the intercom saying that we had been taxiing for so long due to inclement weather that we were out of fuel and had to return to the gate. Few things - 1: number 1 rule of driving as a cheap college student - turn your car off when you're not driving. I realize planes are a little different, but over an hour of driving in a circle is not going to help! Just ask my mom while she was trying to teach me to drive a manual. 2: here in dear Colorado we have quite the range of weather possibilities, sometimes all in one day. No where on the list is 60 degrees and sunny considered "inclimate". 3: if it's not clear yet by my ranting, losing that much time and now turning back for fuel is cutting us dangerously close to a flight that is currently a few states away. Unfortunately, besides our normal comfort of sarcasm, there was really nothing we could do except not be freaked out by the text messages reading "it is likely you will miss your connecting flight to EZE. Please find alternative flights at the link below." Finally, at 4:15, we left the runway, with our next flight at 7:30PM, or 6:30PM in mountain time. That leaves us two hours and 15 minutes to fly, land, and get to the new plane. At least there's a chance. Well, thanks to some pretzels, tea, and encouraging wind, we landed at 6:50PM in Dallas in the C terminal. Thankfully, our next flight was just one terminal over in D...or, as usual, so we thought. I'm not sure how many of you have been to the Dallas airport, but each of the terminals is connected by a tram that circles through terminals A, C, E, D, and B. So, with our normal strand of luck, D was the furthest terminal from C no matter which direction we went. Go ahead, you can laugh. Needless to say, we burst off the plane, ran for the tram, and eventually flew down the escalator to our gate, where no one but the desk attendants remained. About 5 minutes after we sat down, we heard the plane doors close and the welcome video start to play. We were taking off early. I've never regretted primarily wearing sneakers in my life. Today was no exception.

See? Everyone has a gift.

And here we are, cruising/bouncing our way over a different ocean this time. We are also very lucky to have Victoria's wonderful mother, Mariana, with us throughout our journey, assuming Addy and I don't annoy her too much before 3 weeks is up. Victoria has fallen asleep to 27 Dresses, one of the greatest movies of all time, and I think that sounds like an excellent plan. I honestly have no idea what to expect in the morning, but as demonstrated, that is part of the fun! Whatever it is, one of us is sure to say something embarrassing in Spanish, fall down something, and have forgotten something essential from home. Now the question is, who is who? Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you know :)

Thanks for checking in! Talk to you again soon with some neat pictures and inevitably goofy stories from our first stop - Buenos Aires, Argentina! Besos y hasta luego!

Quick Update

Hello again!

Sorry I haven't been able to share anything, our adventures the last few days have made us need every moment of sleep we could steal! We successfully made it from Barcelona to Nice to Verona to Venice to Florence to Pisa and back to Barcelona all in one piece and are now preparing for our flights back to the United States tomorrow. I will surely talk all about it as soon as I can, but I just wanted you to know we are safe and sound and can't wait to see you all soon!

Back to Barcelona

We weren’t sure that train was ever going to end. Addy seemed to have a periodic alarm set for the entire trip that reminded her to turn around from the seat in front of me and whisper, “I’m. So. Bored,” each time placing the emphasis on a different word. The farther into the trip, the more I understood. When the train finally stopped at literally the end of the line, Addy looked like a pot whose lid was steaming from the water about to boil over. Between her massive amount of unused energy from the day and equal amount of excitement to see who was waiting for her, she was ready to run. And I mean run. While Victoria’s and my own legs felt like Jell-O from the sum amount of 200 steps we’d taken that day, Addy and all 3 of her ridiculously large bags were bee-lining it through the station like a mini-Hulk. Good thing she’s shorter than we are.

TRAINing buddies.

The low point of our evening was the evil taxi driver we had the misfortune of meeting. I know I don’t know a lot of Spanish, but I know what he was saying and how he was saying it, and it’s a good thing Addy and I don’t know how to be sassy in Spanish. Victoria did her best to handle it, even after he pushed the x2 button on the bill when we got out. There are just some people that make you question it all sometimes. But, they also make you remember how lucky you are to find the good ones, too. When we made it to the alley of our apartment, we couldn’t figure out which door it was, and we had just about had all we could take. Well, that was when we saw 3 friendly faces strolling down the alley towards us, and the stress melted away and was replaced with annoyed laughter. Bret (our friend from Coruna), his friend, Sean, and our long-awaited new adventure buddy, Marcello (yay, he’s finally here!), came to the rescue and showed us inside. Our apartment was small but pretty neat and just enough space for us. The only questionable part was the stench that loomed from the bathroom, reminding us of the apartment we stayed in while we were in Madrid. At least they were trying to cover it up here, so it was now a smell of sewage with a breath of Fresh Daisy Breeze. Home sweet 48-hour home.

Bret waiting for Marcello's arrival.

The next day was a cycle of eating, exploring, taking pictures, and repeating. The heat sans an ocean breeze was back, and Vic, Addy, and I didn’t know how to handle it – we’re not in Coruna anymore. We set off early in the morning in different directions – Addy to the airport to pick up her sister, Emily, who’s joining us on our trip as well, Bret and Sean to rock climb, and Vic, Marcello, and I to Camp Nou, the official home of the Barcelona professional sports teams, and thus also the home of Victoria’s hero, Lionel Messi. The sports stadium was huge and had been set up with a full museum and self-guided walking tour of the history of the soccer team and the stadium in general. There were hundreds of trophies beginning in the 1920’s all the way up to their accomplishments this year. They also housed all 5 of Messi’s Ballon d’ Or awards, which is an honor given to the best soccer player of them all. And he’s won it 5 times. Needless to say, I have a new-found appreciation for both professional soccer and Messi, and we are now looking forward to the day we can come back to the soon-to-be renovated stadium and see it all in action.

After the stadium, we met up at the apartment, recharged for a bit, and set off on an impressively large loop around the city. We did our best to stick to the shady side of the road, drink lots of water, and fan each other on occasion, or in Addy’s case splash each other with water. None of us handle heat very well, but it was a mutual understanding of that that got us through. Marcello and Emily were both champs and fought the jet lag valiantly, but by the end I’m afraid we were death marching Marcello a little bit. He never complained though, and if it were any of your regular 3 idiots, we would’ve been whining endlessly. On our loop we saw some really beautiful places, check them out below!

Sagrada Familia

Your favorite traveling sister pair

Park Guell

The view from the top.

Casa Batllo

On our way back to the apartment, I was walking a few steps in front of our pack when three tourists who looked like they were from the States timidly asked me if I spoke English. In my head I said “yes,” but my minimal Spanish ability intervened and converted it to “si,” so when everyone else walked up, they saw three Americans explaining a map to a fourth American with the smallest words and most hand gestures they could. Unfortunately, I was in too deep, and I couldn’t help them with the map, so I just backed up and let Mama Addy do it and made sure I said, “adios!” in the most convincing accent I could as we walked away. Do you speak Spanish? Nope. Do you speak English? Nada. I speak perfect Spanglish though, just at inopportune times.

By the time we returned to our apartment, we had walked 15 miles, we all had super fat fingers, and the only way we knew our feet were still connected was the smell. Exhausting? Yes. Totally worth it? Absolutely.

We are spending today on a train to Nice. This morning we said our goodbyes to Bret and Sean, but we hope to see them in Colorado sometime soon! This afternoon we have a 4-hour layover in Valence, France, where we will hopefully find some lunch before our next train. We won’t get into Nice until late, about 10:30 PM, and we will have 24 hours there before our night train tomorrow. That’s okay, though, we are excited to hang out on the beach for a little while before heading to Italy! It has been so fun to have Emily and Marcello with us to witness our moving disaster in person and add commentary much like Cotton and Pepper. Actually, it’s rather impressive how many Dodgeball lines fit into our daily lives, and equally impressive how many times Addy and I crack them:

“Let’s see how this one works out for ‘em, Cotton.”

“If you can dodge traffic, you can dodge a ball.”

“Pepper needs new shorts!”

That’s all for now, folks. Talk to you soon from the rails of Italy! Bon voyage!

More pictures from yesterday:

We enjoyed some authentic Argentinean empanadas for lunch

Vic found her spirit animal.

When you start experimenting with sling shots. Shake n' bake, bro.

Quote of the Day: “It’s like the pee Olympics in there.” -Marcello, talking about the tricky situation of the toilet seat you had to hold open while you used it. What’s life without a little challenge?

Theme song of the Upcoming Week: 500 Miles, by the Proclaimers.

Lauren’s Country Count: 4, 3 more than just 6 weeks ago!