The Honeymoon
I wasn’t sure what to expect as it was my first time in South America. I had really high expectations for Patagonia and somehow the beautiful people, the gorgeous sights and the delicious food still managed to exceed my high hopes.
Since this was a bit of a longer trip— I’ll split these recaps into 3 main parts: 1) Buenos Aires 2)Northern Patagonia 3) Southern Patagonia and the expedition boat experience. We spent 16 blissful days away in November 2022 hopping between Argentina and Chile and our first stop was the capital city of Buenos Aires. Though we weren’t able to go through every one of the 48 neighborhoods in CABA, I think we were able to get a sense of its identity. It had a mix of cosmopolitan and wilderness, a combination of modern with a nod to its European history.
We started our trip strong on the food front with getting a table at Don Julio - a parrilla in the Palermo neighborhood which in 2022 was awarded the 14th best restaurant in the world (#2 in South America). This is not your average New York style steakhouse—parrillas are quintessential to Argentinian culture. This tradition dates back to the gauchos who roasted meat over an open fire. No part of the animal was wasted and it was a true celebration of excellent ingredients (the preparation was simple and the portions are large)!
While the food and wine were excellent, we did manage to do more than eat on this trip. We had the chance to visit a few cultural centers as well. The Teatro Colon Opera house opened in the early 1900s and had architectural influence from both Italian and French designs. The stained glass and gold accents are beautiful—I only wish we had a chance to see a show as this opera house is famous for having perfect acoustics.
In the Junin neighborhood of Buenos Aires lies the Plaza 9 de Julio where we saw the obelisk. This is the city center location where big celebrations take place like the recent World Cup win.
After a couple days to acclimate in Buenos Aires it was time to start the next portion of our journey — Northern Patagonia !
