Lots to see in Buenos Aires. It’s a big city, and like all big cities, impossible to experience fully. I only had a few days to spend there, but I did at least manage to make a dent in seeing the sights of Argentina’s capital. I also ate three empanadas a day, but the way I see it, with the conversion rate, I was really only eating .71474 a day.
As you will quickly find out while watching this video (SPOILER ALERT), I don’t speak Spanish. I spent my formative years learning German, a useful language if I ever move to Central Europe. Seriously, you’d think with that Third Reich business there’d at least be a few places in the world that were forced to speak German and continue to do so now. My friends who learned French can at least go up to Canada and speak with the locals. I gotta fly to Europe.
Why, then, did I choose to study German? Well, my ancestors were German, and at the time, I guess it felt like my chance to learn about my ancient Germanic culture. My lazy high school German teacher had other plans, though. He “taught” us German by playing American movies dubbed into German, where we’d hopefully pick up vocab words. Nothing says Germanic culture like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
I’ve never really used what little my four years of studying German taught me, but I will say the classes were an easy A, and at the time, that’s what I needed most. Since English is a Germanic language, if you said an English word in a German accent, there’d be, like, a 1 in 3 chance of you saying an actual German word. Next time you’re in Germany, give it a shot. I’m sure they’re really cool about you gambling with their language.
It’s pretty easy to find the standard souvenirs walking through the city center of Buenos Aires. Shot glasses, t-shirts, magnets–they got all of ‘em. Postcards? Oh yeah. Why wouldn’t they have postcards? BA is like any other city with tourism as a major part of their economy; they’re ready for your money, so go shopping! I did notice a few differences from other cities when looking at the keychains they sold, though.
One place to check out next time you make it to Buenos Aires is Cafe Tortoni. From what I hear, it’s gotten a bit touristy over the years, but that just means they’re used to people like you. Yes, “tourists.” It does feel a little dirty calling you that, I’ll admit. “Traveler” sounds much more palatable, doesn’t it? It’s like how “liberals” are now “progressives,” or how in Disney theme parks buffets are no longer “all you can eat” but “all you care to enjoy.” Oh, George Orwell would have so much fun writing about the power of words in modern day society. Wait, I think he already did.
With that tangent safely typed up, watch the video to find out more about Cafe Tortoni. I don’t like repeating myself, if I can avoid it. If I can’t avoid it, I will, but I don’t like repeating myself.
Miami International Airport is one heck of a place. It’s big enough to have those monorails to transport you to gates farther down the terminal. Those monorails are great. I like to pretend I’m in Disney World whenever I’m on one. Of course, I’m disappointed when the doors open and I see an airport terminal, but for a few fleeting seconds, I forget where I am. I think that’s a medical condition, actually.
Another perk of MIA: it’s really clean. I didn’t think about it too much when I was there, but in hindsight, those janitors liberally applied elbow grease to those floors.
I think I like Miami’s airport so much because this place would be my gateway to South America. I had never been south of the Equator before, so this was a pretty big trip for me. By the time I recorded this video, I had already flown from LA to Miami for a good five hours and was about to board another plane that would be close to nine hours of flying, but at this moment, I was too excited to really think about exhaustion.
