Buenos Aires, Argentina

Arrived safely in Argentina. Don't know why the world is so cruel? I leave town after 3 months at home and it snows like crazy on my lovely wife. Nary a flake while I was there to help her. Some would say it's a sign - stay home! I agree it's a sign. But it tells me - bring her with you!

Here are some views of Buenos Aires in the dog days of summer.

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and serves as the New York, London, and Beijing of the country. But BA has trees. Sycamores to be exact. It is great to have been transported to the heart of summer time. That is the National Congress building in the distance, looking west on Calle Mayo.

Buenos Aires City Hall on the Plaza de Mayo. It has a very European feel to it.

 Everywhere are reminders of the Falklands or South Atlantic War (1982).

Veterans of the conflict have been camped here on the lawn for as long as I have been coming (since 1994). They seek more government restitution for their sacrifice and service.

This is the Pink House or the Presidential Palace. The current president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner lives far out of the city and takes a helicopter to work here every morning (as other recent presidents have done). On March 1 when this photograph was taken, the National Congress began its yearly session and tradition has the President welcoming them back. She gave a four hour speech today. In the Legislative elections, the national quota law says that 33% of the candidates must be women. Voting is mandatory in the country for those between the ages of 18 and 70. 16 and 17 year olds have the option to vote.

 Did I mention it was summer time?

The La Boca district is colorful and artsy. Here is a wall mural of the family "Waiting for the Ship". La Boca is the site of the old harbor and here is where many immigrants settled, giving the district its Bohemian flair.

 More murals from La Boca

 Pope Francis from Buenos Aires greets visitors on Caminito street.

More wall art

Outdoor cafe

 Have your picture taken as a tango dancer. We saw an incredible tango show while here.

 Original cobblestone streets.

Enjoy my plastic human series. Pasta Man.

 Pizza man.

Beer stein man.

Real tango dancers luring us for lunch.

 I took this picture in 1998.

Same vantage in 2015.

 The Clock Tower in Retiro district - a gift from the British before the conflict.

BA is a city of trees, parks, and avenues. It is the second largest in South America (after Sao Paulo, Brazil) but seems much more livable than many other cities. It is one of my favorite to walk in.

Fresh peaches in my hotel room.

And my $11 steak at lunch. They eat a lot of meat here.

On to Ushuaia and Patagonia next!