I cry for Argentina and visited the hermanos at least half a dozen times while residing in Rio. There almost can’t be a better roadtrip than from the tropical north and its Jaguars in Ibirapuera National Park, via the wine and food pairings in the extravagant wineries of Mendoza (I love Rib Eye with high altitude Catena Zapata Malbec) to Patagonia xx kilometers further south. Upon arrival my wife and me set up our tent next to a small stream resembling a surreally beautiful painting. At 3am we embarked with torches on a hiked to a  glacial lake beneath majestic Fitz Roy. We just arrived after sunrise when the first spines were illuminated by the golden morning sun.

A friend’s apartment in Buenos Aires offered a NYC-Central-Park-like view by day and the sound of a roaring lion out of the nearby zoo by night. On our great friend’s advice we almost developed the following routines:

1. Join the auctions at the huge cattle market on the outskirts of Buenos Aires in the morning.
2. Browse through  which must be one of the world’s most beautiful bookshops.
3. Eat great pasta for lunch and enjoy a Chorizo sandwich with fresh potatoes and onions for breakfast(think of Pici-like Spaghetti with homemade rich tomato sauce).
4. Indulge in Weltschmerz (no way to translate this beautiful German word) while listening to the sound of Tango in a dance pavillon in a posh Belgrano park (unfortunately I can better eat than dance).

It is always great to have great friends in a great city.