Ticking Time

Paradoxically, time here is passing very quickly despite the relaxed pace of life (and for me, vacation) – I can already feel my vacation time slipping through my fingers. We didn’t make it to the tango show the other night (maybe another time). I went out with a couple other girls and we were having trouble finding somewhere to eat, so eventually we jumped in a cab and told the driver to take us to Palermo Hollywood. We found a resto vraiment sympa, as I’d say in French, though it really could have been a restaurant in Montreal or somewhere in Europe. I had grilled trout (trucha) and vegetables, and we shared a nice bottle of Argentinian wine.

I guess we adapted to the Argentinian/travelling pace of life very quickly, because we must have sat there for a few hours talking and nursing our wine. There’s a standard set of questions among travellers: where are you from, where did you come from before this, and where are you going next? I’ve heard people complain that you often don’t get beyond that when meeting other travellers, that you don’t really talk about home or reveal anything of yourself, but this night we did, talking about home and where we are in our lives. A complimentary glass of champagne (para la casa, chicas) rounded off the evening.

On Tuesday I set out by myself for the first time, explored a bit and sat in a café until I had to go to school. After class, a group of us headed to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. It was a mix of older and more modern Argentinian art. I got so involved in discussing the artwork with a new friend that we didn’t make it to the end of the exhibit before they closed.

Next, it was off to a sort of traditional Argentina restaurant for some parilla in an area of the Palermo neighbourhood called Las Canitas. I intended to eat beef (when in Rome do like the Romans do, right?) but kind of chickened out and ordered salmon a la parilla (typical of me – some day I really am going to eat a streak!), of course accompanied by more Argentinian wine. Though Buenos Aires is definitely one of the more expensive travel destinations in South America, eating out is still maybe about half the price it would be at home in Montreal. We had a large table of people, and several of us continued on to a nearby bar afterwards. The conversation varied from previous travels and strange experiences to music and literature (I’ve met a couple of other aspiring writers here, though unfortunately none of us are writing in the same language and so it’s a bit difficult to exchange writing).