JL you are a dear!!! Hot ballooning & Jorge Luis Borges make you real close to my argie heart!!!

Ps Just found your post on your trip. Sounds like it was a great thing to do.

Hi Frannie, How nice of you to think of me. The trip was very interesting, and some of it was very fun. If you go to yesterday’s thread: “Have You Ever Searched For Your First Love OnLine” - in fact it looks like it’s still showing up on the main page at WOW, I wrote - maybe on page 3 or 4, I don’t remember - but I wrote to Phyllis about the trip. I wrote a brief summary there. Please read that. And I’ll make a few more comments here. One of the most fun times was when I went by myself to Zavals - a cd music store. I spoke to the staff there, with my high school Spanish. That was fun. They were so helpful. Helped me select a couple of tango cd’s for my dad. And they also suggested an area of San Telmo, where artists live and work. I was trying to help my mom find some oil paintings to buy. Some good art. And they gave me such a good suggestion. Later that day we went to San Telmo and my mom met an artist in his studio. It was magical. I enjoyed seeing the different areas of Buenos Aires. Hearing the sounds of the taxis and smelling the smells of the city streets. Seeing the beautiful women there. Just gorgeous. I enjoyed talking with the different taxi drivers, and listening to the variety of music they all played in their taxis. The food. We sampled so many foods. Everything from empanadas for $1 U.S., and a very good bottle of wine for $3 U.S.- to a very nice steak house, and we had Italian food, and the ham and cheese sandwiches that are all over. We ate in many nice cafes. No one rushes you out the door. And seeing the historical buildings was interesting. The presidential palace, and the area out front where once a week the Argentinian women protest the release of the accused (re the Disappeareds) from prison. They could not be held without a trial, so they were recently released. That was fascinating to see where the women protest on the plaza in front of the Casa Rosada. If I were to go again I would skip the Plaza Dorego in San Telmo. It was just like a big swap meet or flea market. And I saw no tango dancers on the street. I know this is not the time of year for it, but I hear they break out into tango there. I saw none of it. So we saw a tango show in order to see some tango. And I am glad I saw the colorful houses of Caminito in La Boca. But I would not do that again. It’s like a Knotts Berry Farm set up, very touristy. I enjoyed the cafes, and getting a feel for the different districts. Recoleta strikes me as being like Beverly Hills. Palermo strikes me as being sort of yuppy like, full of boutiques and restaurants. Sort of like Corona del Mar meets Berkeley or something. And you see the poor, the rich, and in between. I was surprised to see how monied some areas are. Puerta Madera - very monied. And in - it was either Monserrat or Microcenter - they have a mall like South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. With Tiffanys and much more. I was shocked. And in the cafes, you get these little tiny napkins. And the toilet tissue in the restrooms - very tiny and rough. Not at all what we are used to. And everywhere you go, you have to watch your feet. Cracks in the sidewalks, and sometimes holes. You always must look down. Well, I’ve gone on and on, haven’t I. Have a wonderful day, Frannie. And Happy New Year to you. And all the best to your son re his future.