Please forgive me if some of this writing is choppy, I am writing based off my memory from years ago. I started working for Delta Airline’s subsidiary, DGS, July of 2017. It was a crazy long year for me, which included me losing all my college financial aid, forcing me to drop out of school and move home. I was dedicated to my passion to travel, so I kept my job working for DGS at the South Bend Airport even though we were severely underpaid ($7.75/hr). This trip was a culmination of everything that happened in my up and down year. I was never able to afford traveling outside the country, and the wage I was making at the time didn’t help. Working for Delta gave me the opportunity to fly non-revenue pretty much anywhere in the world I wanted to. It changed my life. Enjoy the memories of my first trip.
I started my trip pass riding in 1st class. My economy flight experience was ruined from this point forward.
I took a cab from EZE to the hostel I has booked my stay at. I don’t remember the name, but it was only $9 a night!
It was a pretty basic bunk set up, but the fresh air was impeccable!
I really had no plans for this trip outside of getting to explore a new city in a foreign country, so I went out wandering. I made my way to a random coffee shop in the center of the city, and it just so happened there was a festival on the other side of the street. Little did I know that Buenos Aires is known as the city of protests. A local told me they have the highest frequency of protests per capita of any place in the world! I’ve never fact checked that, but there were multiple protest I stumbled upon in my brief time there. The protest/festival that was occurring was bringing awareness to schools in the city losing vital funding to arts education. There were vendors selling food, merch, and arts, as well as dancing acts and performances by local music artists. The festival was a rally of sorts. It was not only a celebration of the arts, but a gathering of people who view art as a fundamental aspect of a person’s well being. I ended up making friends with some random nice locals who were hanging out at the festival. I wondered around BA the rest of the night with them.
The next day I wandered around the city completely lost. I ended up walking the wrong way for awhile, but it ended up working out because I found this little hole in the wall that sold the best empanadas I’ve ever eaten in my life! I ended up doing a free walking tour that took me through the main city square of BA. There was a cool corner block that showcased all the different architectural periods of the city. I found that fascinating. Buenos Aires is called the Paris of South America, and for a good reason. There is a high mixture of cosmopolitan architecture all over the city, even a casting of Rodin’s The Thinker looking over the main street leading up to city hall. After my tour I made my way to the famous bridge Puente de la Mujer, another gem of BA. Did I mention another protest?
Enjoy my little slideshow of the BA obelisk from the bus!
One of the reasons I set off to Buenos Aires was to visit the world renown Recoleta cemetery. This sprawling cemetery was as impressive of a resting place as the people who are buried there. Every single mausoleum had its own beautiful and grand design. You really can spend hours here if you take the time to read about all the different people who are resting here.
After I left the cemetery I had the whole afternoon to do some more wandering around. I stumbled upon this building that looked a lot like the Lincoln Memorial, so I wanted to see it up close. I took some pictures inside and outside not knowing that it was part of the University of Buenos Aires.
I enjoyed walking the halls of the school and looking at the student’s artwork so much that I decided to go to an art museum. I found two different exhibits.
One of the last places I visited in BA was the famous Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore. This has to be one of the most beautiful collection of books in the world. It’s an old theater converted into a magnificent bookstore, located in the heart of Recoleta. It was so pretty in there, I could have spent hours reading if I had the extra time.
Well that’s the highlights of my short time in the beautiful cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires. This trip meant a lot to me, being the first time I left the country. I will definitely have to go back to see them dance the tango, have some more of their delicious wine, and get lost in the city all over again. Until next time, BA.
