Buenos Aires - Theater, Books, and Dulce de Leche

After about 17 hours on the bus, we arrive at the terminal in Buenos Aires. Since we also received a cancellation from the second Airbnb accommodation, we first look for a café to have a small breakfast and search for a place to stay in peace. There is Wi-Fi everywhere in the bus terminals, even here, but it seems to not be working today. Lisa's mood is getting better and better. What else can we do but consult the travel Bible...the Lonely Planet recommends some nice hostels in the Palermo neighborhood, so we put on our backpacks and go on our luck. When we arrive at the hostel of our choice, we are initially scrutinized because we don't have a reservation and apparently almost all accommodations in the city are fully booked. There are only 2 beds left here, one in the mixed dormitory and one in the women's dormitory. Of course, more expensive than any Airbnb. Lisa cooks. Nothing to do about it, at least we found a free Airbnb accommodation for the next 3 nights starting tomorrow. Although we are completely exhausted from the bus ride and hostel search in the heat of the big city, we now set out to explore Palermo.

Our path initially leads us through a large shopping street, Avenida Santa Fe, where Lisa discovers numerous cute boutiques that she would love to empty. Since space in the backpack is unfortunately limited, we continue strolling and discover a small bakery named 'Hausbrot' (House Bread). And indeed: They have various whole grain breads and even gingerbread. I wonder if Germans were involved here? We now leave the main street and immerse ourselves in a series of small alleys and squares with colorful street art and small individually designed shops, bars, and cafes. The sun is shining and the relaxed atmosphere is just right for us. When our stomachs growl, we find ourselves in an Italian bistro where they serve homemade pasta. It tastes pretty good, but not quite like it does in Italy...In the evening, we fall tired into our dormitories and look forward to our own room starting tomorrow.

Before we move into our new accommodation, a very sparse breakfast awaits us. There is not even jam, only Dulce de Leche, an extremely sweet caramel paste that Sebastian loves and Lisa hates (NUTELLA - the one and only!). Unfortunately, not only Sebastian loves the sticky cream, but all of Argentina... so that you can only find Dulce in all the sweets and pastries. Although we are already used to the meager breakfast, we would have expected something different for the price we paid. But nevermind, we go to the center and move into the 6th floor of a pretty little house. Our harp-playing host seems very nice, but a bit peculiar as well. But she has some great recommendations, such as the little empanada snack bar right around the corner - here we eat extremely delicious empanadas with well-seasoned veggie fillings. The apartment is also perfectly located for exploring the center, which is on our agenda for today. First destination: Teatro Colon. This beautiful theater is one of the largest in the world and an absolute must-see for culture fans! We even manage to get tickets for the evening performance of 'Andrea Chenier' with Argentine tenor José Cura. But before the

performance starts, we stroll around Avenida Florida, the main shopping street of the city, for a while. Then the time has finally come - we go to the theater. Lisa is already very excited and annoyed by the limited evening attire in her backpack. The theater is beautiful both from the outside and the inside, and with its 5 levels, it is absolutely gigantic. We sit all the way at the top and believe that we have the best view. The performance is musically great, and the singers are amazing! However, there is still room for improvement in terms of the staging... it's quite dusty.

We like Buenos Aires from the very first moment. The city is simply beautiful, behind every corner there is a new mixture of modern and historical architecture, and you can't get enough of the houses, shops, and streets. Although we are clearly in a big city, we hardly feel the hectic hustle and bustle, the pulse of the city is beating exactly in our rhythm.

We have now gotten to know Palermo and the center, today we dedicate ourselves to San Telmo. This neighborhood is especially known for its antique scene and its artistic bohemian charm. There is also a wonderful weekend market here, but we will explore it after our return from Iguazu.

Not far from the city center, there is a large ecological reserve that is considered very worth seeing. Our host Leila even offers to lend us two bicycles so that we can ride there. Said and done. We cruise through the city, it's somehow nice to be on a bike again. On our way to the reserve, we come across some roadblocks, something seems to be happening in the city today. At the entrance of the reserve, we then get the answer - there is a big international congress taking place at the Sheraton Hotel, which is why the entire area near the hotel is cordoned off and the reserve is closed today. Well, we have great timing, as always. Nevermind, we ride our bikes around a bit more and then take the subway to Caminito to have a coffee.