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Field Hockey Team Met by Snow on First Day in Argentina
July 12, 2007 | Field Hockey
Argentina Day 1
by Kraftin Schreyer and Kristin Schwab
?Bienvenidos a Argentina!
Just when we thought we had escaped the snowstorms hindering our flight and extraordinary vacation to Argentina during spring break, we were caught off guard by the first snow to fall in Buenos Aires since 1918. And so, we were delayed yet again (as if the five month delay was not long enough). We finally boarded our plane in Atlanta, after waiting for two hours, expecting everything to run smoothly. Of course, it did not. As we backed out of our gate, we suddenly became immersed in total darkness. Apparently all of the auxiliary power had been lost. The safety video was lost in the calamity. Needless to say, we took off while the auxiliary power was “rebooting”.
Ten hours later, we arrived in a snow-covered Argentina. After changing out of our flip-flops and shorts to better prepare for the 32 degree weather, we were ready for our first day. We dropped our bags off at our hotel, Ayres de Recoleta, which is conveniently located in the “chicest” neighborhood in Buenos Aires ? perfect for shopping! After a scrumptious lunch at Pizza Cero, we toured the city. Highlights included visiting Evita?s grave, seeing La Casa Rosa (the Argentine equivalent of the White House), and driving on “one of the widest avenues in the world.” We also saw lots of ornate embassies (French, Italian, Brazilian...you name it, we saw it), an obelisk, and a rather large gum tree.
Our Argentine shopping began in La Boca, the south end of the city known for its colorful appearance. The day concluded with an excellent three-course dinner, complete with famous Argentine steak and glorious empanadas. Some fun facts we learned while on our journey include: Buenos Aires is known as the “Paris of South America” and is home to half of the country?s entire population, field hockey is the most popular women?s sport, and voting is mandatory. Oh, and Evita?s grave is nine meters deep, to protect it from over- zealous tourists.
Upon arriving at the hotel, everyone, even Bryce and Parker, went to bed, in preparation for another fun-filled day far away from Princeton.