Last night I finally got a full night’s sleep for the first time all week.

I went to be just before midnight and didn’t wake up til 9:00am this morning.

Because I opted to watch the BC Lions unceremoniously lose last night, I still had to put together yesterday’s blog this morning.

So, between that and watching some YouTube, it was noon before I headed out into the day.

First stop was a repeat lunch.

A repeat lunch

After that amazing sandwich I had yesterday, there was just no way I wasn’t going to go back there today to get another one.

Today I went for the Pampeana sandwich which was brisket served with chutney, caramelized onions, fresh arugula, and melted cheese on that beautiful pumpkin bread.

It wasn’t quite as good as the Brooklyn sandwich I had yesterday but, still, it filled me up.

I see another visit to Il Mandorla in my future that’s for sure.

The world’s most beautiful bookstore

That’s not hyperbole!

The El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore was named just that in 2019.

So, with that billing, obviously I had to go take a peak at it.

And, yup, it was definately grand!

The bookstore is situated in an old theater and has several levels to it including a little cafe where the stage used to be.

It’s obviously a popular tourist attraction as well with it overflowing with people snapping photos.

Of course I did what any good tourist would do and I snapped some photos too.

Recoleta Cemetery

After the bookstore I hopped a bus a couple of stops and ended up at another tourist attraction.

The Recoleta Cemetery is where many of Argentina’s wealthiest and most famous people have made their final resting spot.

Today it’s a kind of morbid tourist attraction.

Sure enough, as I walked up to the entrance gates, there were a few tour buses parked outside.

It costs $22 to go inside and apparently there are free tours around the cemetery as well but, me being me, just showed up and went inside.

It wasn’t until later that I found out there were tours.

Oh well, sometimes it’s just nice to go wandering around on your own.

You can tell that the wealthy and prestigious are buried here just by the lavishness of their grave sites.   There’s so many buildings and statues to see.

I wonder if these people ever thought that decades after they were put to rest that people would be wandering around their graves day after day snapping photos.

Floralis Genérica

Just a short walk from Recoleta Cemetery is Floralis Genérica.

Located in United Nations Square, it is a sculpture made of steel and aluminum that is designed to move, closing its petals in the evening and opening them in the morning.

On a nice sunny day like today, it’s a great place to just relax on one of the many benches and chairs within the park.

It’s always cool finding these parks in the middle of a bustling city.   You walk from chaotic traffic into a serene, peaceful area.

After spending awhile there, I finally headed back to the hostel around 3:30.

In for the night

I had planned on also heading over to the San Telmo part of town but, honestly, I just felt like taking it easy tonight.

I have a big day trip to Uruguay tomorrow and then I’m off to Ushuaia and then onto Antarctica in the next couple of days so why not take a night off, ya know?

Besides I still have a day and half here in Buenos Aires when I return after my Antarctica cruise so there’s plenty of time to see everything.

I didn’t even head out for dinner tonight as I used the Rappi app to get food delivered to me here in the hostel.

I ordered a couple of dishes from Je Suis Raclette – one for dinner and the other for breakfast tomorrow before my ferry trip.

For dinner I had one of their gluten free “pizzas” which is on a potato crust.   I went for the one with shredded pork shoulder, caramelized onions, confit cherry tomatoes, arugula, and raclette cheese.

While I wouldn’t quite say it resembled a pizza in any way at all, that didn’t matter cause it was amazing and so filling.

I also ordered the flank steak rosti for breakfast tomorrow.   It’s basically the same dish as my dinner except with shredded potatoes fried in butter and with flank steak instead of pork.

I ate dinner watching last night’s SNL and put my rosti in the fridge for tomorrow morning.

And that was the night.

Overall, it was a pretty tame day but, honestly, that’s not a bad thing, ya know?

Tomorrow I’m finally off to country number 64, Uruguay, to spend a few hours in Colonia del Sacramento and then it’s off to begin the Antarctica leg of this trip the following day.

This is going to be an amazing week coming up…