12/01/2022

 

cool bridge outside the Hilton Hotel Buenos Aires

Have a chance to tell you about today.  We are sitting in the VIP lounge at the Ezieze aeroporte with very good wifi and our plane boards in 3 hours so, why not?

 

Day started with breakfast at the World Café with Pete, Christine, Bob and Ann.  Sad goodbyes but promises to keep in touch.  Then sat with John and Michele to finish coffee and promises to keep in touch.  Then out of the room at 8, off the ship at 8:45 and on a tour bus.

 

The Tigre tour is not a tour company, but a unique place north and west of the city on the delta.  Tigre was the Jekyll Island of this area.  Like Venice everything is by boat to the various islands populating the delta crisscrossed by canals and many boats of all sizes and descriptions plying the waters.  It is a unique place.  Our tour guide Maximillian was one of the best we had giving us a ton of data about Argentina.  We toured the area on a large boat for an hour darting in and out of various canals and channels and rivers.

House along the canal in the delta

Used to be the casino, now it's a museum

One of the many rowing clubs along the river

The boats are not like the sculls we use in the north - they are a bit more substantial

Our second stop was at the cathedral of San Isidoro in the small village of San Isidoro,; it’s where the rich people live.  The church was big, rather plain, but one could tell it was the home of an active parish.  That is very refreshing after Europe.  Max said the country was 90% Catholic before the Junta came to power in 1972 and repressed the people – it seems the church cooperated with the Junta and this left many people disillusioned and they left.  Evangelical Christianity gained a foothold and remains popular.  Today the country is 80% Catholic and many are returning because of Pope Francis who is very popular here.

 

After the tour we were dropped off at the Hilton Hotel in a newly developed part of town.  Very posh.  We checked in the Viking desk and walked around a bit before settling in and waiting for Bob and Ann.  They had a buffet with sweets, coffee and juice.  At 3:20, Shirley and Paul were ferried to the International Airport, got the luggage and dropped off at Terminal C to stand in line for an hour while the Delta Counter opened up.  They were first in line and got through Security, Immigration, and finally settled in the VIP Lounge at 6 PM.

Plane has reported on time.  Adios amigos!