The Opposite of Buenos Aires

The Opposite of Buenos Aires

¡Éxito! (Success!) Yesterday we got the last two bikes at an EcoBici station (see our last posting) not too far from our house and had a nice long ride around the city. 

Ama de Proa B & B

Last week we took the opportunity to get away for two days and a night to the countryside and a much different pace of life. While we have been enjoying Buenos Aires, it is a huge city, noisy, crowded, at times over-stimulating. Last Wednesday, January 14, we took a two-hour bus ride into the pampas to  San Antonio de Areco. We stayed at a lovely B & B whose dueña arranged for us to rent bikes that we kept for the time we were there.

Biking in Buenos Aires

Biking in not Buenos Aires

Parque Criollo y Museo Gauchesco “Ricardo Güiraldes”

Lonely Planet Argentina: “… Areco is one of the prettiest towns in the pampas… dates from the early 18^th century and preserves a great deal of criollo (people of pure Spanish descent born in the New World) and gaucho traditions.” The museums of these traditions were fascinating, the riverside parks and town squares were beautiful and tranquil, and mostly we found it to be very relaxing, a nice change of pace from the city.

We took a long bike ride to the neighboring town of Vagues which has an old railway museum.

Today - January 22 - we leave for a ten-day trip to Chile. We are looking forward to seeing and spending two Shabbatot with our friends from our 2008 sabbatical.

Railway Museum at Vagues

One of many plazas, San Antonio de Areco