Christmas Day in Buenos Aires

This morning, I woke up early to get ready for church and left the apartment around 9:30. The place was deserted! Absolutely no cars on the roads and nobody on the subway. Most portenos have already left for their summer vacations so for the next month, Buenos Aires will be a ghost town. Even the church was empty. There might have been twenty people in attendance.

The priest from last year remembered me and we had a nice talk about the former priest (who happened to be from NYC and now lives in Uruguay). After the service, I talked with an older woman who I've chatted with before there and she invited me to lunch. We walked about five blocks to one of the few cafes open today. I had a breakfast (it was only 12) and she had a huge "bife de lomo."

Over lunch, she told me a lot about herself - what a life she's lived. She was born in Shanghai (but she is caucasian) to a Russian father. She lived many years in Australia and is fluent in Russian. She moved to BA five years ago (and still hasn't learned Spanish!) and is very involved in the church. Next month, she is taking her second round-the-world tour, visiting 15+ countries in Europe, Australia and Asia, for three months. Best of all, she's 75 years old, looks like she's in her 50's and has the energy of someone in her 20's! She and her daughter are traveling to Macchu Picchu later this year, so I promised I'd meet up with her before she goes to help her with her hotel/restaurant/venue selections.

After lunch, I headed out for a few hours on my bike, stopping at the Obelisk (with one of the few Christmas trees set up in the city), then over to Bosques de Palermo. The park was packed with portenos, celebrating Christmas by drinking mate, playing futbol (soccer) and soaking up the sun (it was about 85 and humid today).

Now, I'm heading to La Cabana for a nice steak dinner with friends. I hope everyone reading this had a safe and Merry Christmas! Enjoy the photos from my day biking around BA!