Day 14: The long trip home

Previous South American vacation posts can be found here:

My concerns for travel to South America

A Buenos Apartment

Veg Friendly Dining in Buenos Aires

Day 1: Dining at Quimbombo

Day 2: Late late meals

Day 3: Picnic

Day 4: Bio

Day 5: Mimosas & Mexican

Day trip to Colonia, Uruguay

Day 6: Parrilla time

Day 7: Bye Bye Buenos

Day 8: En Punta Del Este, Uruguay

Day 9 – 13: The Hotel L’Auberge

Day 10: Day trip to town

And now, for the final installment…

We had 3 alarms set for Tuesday morning.  My iPhone, Kyle’s iPad, and the hotel’s wake up service.  After sleeping til noon every day, getting up at 5 am was as foreign to me as the gym.

Fortunately, everything went smooth and a few hours later we landed in Buenos Aires.

Let the layover begin.

We actually had over 10 hours to kill in BsAs…it was just the way our flights worked out.  Not ideal, but I was actually really excited to see Argentina again.

We killed the first few hours in Starbucks…caffeinating, playing words with friends and enjoying the free wi-fi.

We tried to store our luggage at the nearby Hilton, but when they realized we were guests, they weren’t keen on the favor.

So we sat in the ‘bucks with our suitcases…

 

I got a soy misto and an organic quinoa bar.

After killing major time, we both were so bored we decided to walk along Puerto Madero and find a place for lunch.

I wasn’t really hungry yet, but it was better than listening to Kyle whine the third rotation of the Christmas cd.

We wound up at i Fresh Market, which had a nice outside area perfect for people watching and a long drawn out meal.

 

To start, agua con gas and an array of bread options.

The menu had 4 salads I wanted and 4 sandwiches Kyle wanted.  So we agreed to divide and conquer.  What an idiotic idea.  I wasn’t even hungry and Kyle had already mowed through the bread basket by the time the waiter took our order.  In other words, disaster zone straight ahead.

Grilled brie and mushroom sandwich.

With fried potatoes.

Kyle was all over this one…meanwhile the first salad arrived in all it’s glory.

This had mixed greens, walnuts, dried cherries, and salmon with a light vinaigrette.

It exceeded my expectations in both size and deliciousness [twss].  But in all seriousness, the bowl was super grande and I was so sad that I had ordered another dish because I wanted to polish off every last bite.

Speaking of salad numero dos.

This one had grilled mushrooms and caramelized onions on a bed of greens (we got the cheese on the side).

 

The onions and shrooms were hot off the pan with mega oil, which somehow worked wonderfully with the fresh lettuce.  And once again, the portion was way larger than I was prepared for.

I did my best with both salads, trying not to play favorites and still get my money’s worth without setting myself up for the most miserable flight home ever.

I used the leftover brie and bread to make Kyle some cheese sammies for the flight, so we managed not to waste too much of the food.  I actually had a random empty ziplock bag on hand, believe it or not.

I went inside to take some photos of the market goods, but got scolded for my photography after a few shots.

I don’t know what they have against me taking pics of their baked goods, but whatever.

Alfajor de dulce de leche.

Pastries for days.

Above, the front lines.  Below, the reserves.

Yum.

Finally we headed to the airport.  We left way early to avoid Buenos Aires’ rush hour traffic, so once we were in the terminal, we still had another few hours.

Tick tock tick tock.

I used all our remaining dinero to buy chocolates and alfajores…which explains why I STILL have candy from Argentina.

I don’t have any pictures from the red-eye flight (or any of the rest of the day for that matter), but guess what I got at our next layover!?!

Nothing says welcome back to the states quite like Starbucks’ oatmeal with the works.

And that’s it!  Hope you’ve enjoyed my vacation recaps.  I realize they may not be as interesting as recipes or reviews of products you actually have access to on a daily basis, but I think it’s still fun to see how food options differ internationally.  My dietary choices weren’t always completely in line with the ones I make at home, but sometimes you have to go with the flow and embrace the hiccups along the way for what they are – once in a lifetime opportunities.  My kitchen will always be waiting for me when I want it, but traveling abroad is a unique gift.

The End.