Wanderlust Wednesday: Recoleta

Located in the heart of Buenos Aires, the Recoleta district is considered one of the more affluent parts of the city, but tourist head to this residential neighborhood to take in the architecture and the famous Recoleta Cemetary. 

The cemetery was designed by the French architect, Prosper Catelin, at the request of President Bernardino Rivadavia, and was dedicated in 1822.
It is an extravagant display of wealth, with row after row of private crypts of the bourgeoisie.  The most popular among them is the tomb of Eva Perón whose grave is visited daily by large numbers of tourists and admirers.

In 2008, I spent a day browsing the old and narrow alley ways between family crypts, mainly searching for Evita (or Eva Peron).  The whole experience was actually serene and not at all creepy. The architecture and family history throughout the cemetery was amazing to see, and on a sunny day it was actually a good place to spend the afternoon. 

And after a long day of sightseeing and walking, the Casa Calma Wellness Hotel would be the perfect place to rest your head and not to mention tired feet. 

Casa Calma is Buenos Aire's first wellness boutique hotel, creating a sense of tranquility and wellbeing centered around a vertical garden that flows up into the rooms. There is even a stocked "snack" bar, where you make yourself at home, and charge it to your room at a later date. It seems like the perfect little sanctuary away from the craziness of the city.

*disclaimer: the idea for the post might have been inspired by watching the Kardashians...there was a whole episode about mausoleums...

Travel Tip #2: Argentina

Travel Tip #2

When in Argentina, eat membrillo and cheese. Seriously you must try this, even outside of Argentina, it will change your life.

When we were in Argentina a few years back we stumbled upon this red jelly-esque substance in the grocery store.  We were later informed that Argentinians eat it with a bit of cheese as a dessert or a sweet snack. Once we tried it, we were hooked and continued to eat the stuff, day and night, throughout our whole trip. 

Membrillo (pronounced MEM-BRI-JO, the Argentinian way or MEM-BRI-YO, the Spanish way) is a paste made out of quinces, which are small apple like fruit, but way more tart.

To make membrillo, you simply need to combine quinces (if available), sugar, lemon, and water.  You can find detailed instructions here, or take the lazy way out and buy some (which is what I do).  Membrillo is usually in the cheese aisle at any Whole Foods, or specialty foods store. I pare slices of membillo with manchego cheese for a perfect and easy dessert.

Photos via here

*Side note: when in South America, you must also share Mate with a local!

Wanderlust Wednesday: Uruguay

If I could pick up and move anywhere in the world, it would probably be to Uruguay. In 2008, my two girlfriends and I backpacked both Argentina and Uruguay, and although I loved Argentina, there was something about Uruguay that has stuck with me. So if you have a chance to visit South America, go to Uruguay, I promise you won't be disappointed.

We ventured into Uruguay via Buenos Aires, taking a ferry across the Rio de la Plata into Colonia. From Colonia we bussed it up to Montevideo, and then on to Cabo Polonio, and Punta del Diablo. 

Over a chance recommendation, we went to Cabo Polonio. Apparently, it is a popular place in the summer, but we happened to be there in the dead of winter. Nevertheless, it is a crazy moonscape-esque place, and was completely deserted, minus the giant blue whales hanging out 15 feet from shore.

 

 Our "bed and breakfast"

Punta Del Diablo: situated right on the border with Brazil, and was equally deserted, although we stayed at a beautiful hostel owned by a young couple from Minnesota, go figure!

Uruguay is amazing; beautiful scenery, genuinely friendly people, and a full of the unexpected.

The Notebook Doodles/Argentina

This is a great thing to keep in mind and I love the way it was scribbled so beautifully. 

Via: The Notebook Doodles

Ps: here are some lost photos from Buenos Aires, Argentina back in '07!