'Oh What A Circus'

Long walks between the sometimes quite distant city quarters were part of the daily program. In the evenings, it went mostly to the nightlife district of Palermo, where the Italian influence was particularly noticeable with pizza and Fernet Branca. During the day, back to the historic city center until my feet were smoking. In between, changing hostels, with all my belongings, or standing in line for 'blue chip' dollars. And if you forgot your passport at the hostel, you had to make extra rounds. Furthermore, you should also keep an eye on the next travel destinations, so a stopover at the ferry terminal to organize the tickets for the crossing to Uruguay. Positive stress that I enjoyed because I felt like I had everything under control.

My Argentine everyday life was interrupted by Easter Sunday. It happened that I hadn't planned anything for Sunday at all. The weather was moderately cloudy and for the first time in days I could sleep in my bed. Drinking coffee, I strolled along closed shops. A feeling of having completed all tasks fulfilled me and on this autumn Easter Sunday my thoughts flew towards home. Strange enough.

And yet there was enough free time for a routine to establish itself. In doing so, I held on to regular establishments: my favorite breakfast café, my favorite empanada stand, and a restobar in the theater district. At this point, the fantastic local term 'restobar' should be highlighted, which conveyed so much cozy homeliness.

My favorite breakfast café was an American place specializing in burgers, bacon omelettes, and pancakes. The shop was adorned with sports pennants, license plates, and two extra-large TV screens. One screen broadcasted sports, while the other showed news, which occasionally led to absurd combinations: basketball, coffee, and egg toast, along with the war in Ukraine. Or: French toast with syrup, a massacre in New York, and women's promotion in elite sports. America could not be summarized better for outsiders ... My return flight was next week from New York.

Time for news, Easter greetings from Germany, and the free time that excluded the busyness of backpacking, my break inevitably approached its end.