My weekend trip to Rosario, a city in Argentina's Santa Fe province, with my gal pal Rachel was nothing out of the ordinary – our initial plans to go kayaking in the Rio de la Plata, biking, and boat-touring all fell through but we weren't the least bit upset about it. We ended up just soaking up rays exploring the beautiful city, hanging out in parks, and eating every other hour to our heart's content.
On our very first day, we visited Rachel's family friends who treated us out to a wonderful outdoor lunch right by the river (I still dream about the delicious grilled boga fish we had). It's always nice to practice my Spanish with locals even if I stumble with pronunciation (especially Argentina's unique accent) and struggle to remember specific conjugations (present, preterite, imperfect, and more!). How nice it was to be chauffeured around town for a few hours; it felt odd just cruising around in a car for the first time in a while.
The rest of the weekend we spent tanning on grass until we felt the dew on our clothes, pedal-boating across the lake, studying (just a teensy bit since midterms awaited us back in Buenos), and perusing Rosario's impressive flea markets. Rach and I must have strolled up and down the same streets eyeing the same stalls' antiques and vintage goods at least 8 times. I scored some pretty cool things for my friends back in New York, but mostly just resisted making some major impulse purchases. One of my favorite finds was a gorgeous beaded purse in perfect condition for just 7 USD.
I had the best hostel experience in Rosario. We lived in an immaculately clean, colorful, and bohemian 3 story house, and got to really know the superb guy who lives there and runs it. That's the thing about Argentines – everyone's incredibly warm and open. It's such a contrast to New Yorkers who are unfortunately too cool to care, or too wary / guarded / reserved in general to strike up a conversation.
My moments in Rosario – spending nights chatting up bartenders, making A+ homemade dinners, eating amazing ice cream at Messi's family's restaurant (Rosario's his hometown!) and consuming too much cheap wine in a single sitting – was nothing short of memorable. Even though we didn't do anything eventful, it was so much fun leaving Buenos Aires, a city that reminds me of New York sometimes with its high density and constant stimulation, for a smaller, more relaxed city. I would go back in a heart beat to do it all again.
On our very first day, we visited Rachel's family friends who treated us out to a wonderful outdoor lunch right by the river (I still dream about the delicious grilled boga fish we had). It's always nice to practice my Spanish with locals even if I stumble with pronunciation (especially Argentina's unique accent) and struggle to remember specific conjugations (present, preterite, imperfect, and more!). How nice it was to be chauffeured around town for a few hours; it felt odd just cruising around in a car for the first time in a while.
The rest of the weekend we spent tanning on grass until we felt the dew on our clothes, pedal-boating across the lake, studying (just a teensy bit since midterms awaited us back in Buenos), and perusing Rosario's impressive flea markets. Rach and I must have strolled up and down the same streets eyeing the same stalls' antiques and vintage goods at least 8 times. I scored some pretty cool things for my friends back in New York, but mostly just resisted making some major impulse purchases. One of my favorite finds was a gorgeous beaded purse in perfect condition for just 7 USD.
I had the best hostel experience in Rosario. We lived in an immaculately clean, colorful, and bohemian 3 story house, and got to really know the superb guy who lives there and runs it. That's the thing about Argentines – everyone's incredibly warm and open. It's such a contrast to New Yorkers who are unfortunately too cool to care, or too wary / guarded / reserved in general to strike up a conversation.
My moments in Rosario – spending nights chatting up bartenders, making A+ homemade dinners, eating amazing ice cream at Messi's family's restaurant (Rosario's his hometown!) and consuming too much cheap wine in a single sitting – was nothing short of memorable. Even though we didn't do anything eventful, it was so much fun leaving Buenos Aires, a city that reminds me of New York sometimes with its high density and constant stimulation, for a smaller, more relaxed city. I would go back in a heart beat to do it all again.
I miss you!!! come back already :'(
ReplyDeleteon another note, so jelly of your adventures!!