Other than what we had seen, there was only one more vantage point from which to view Iguazú Falls: from the water at the basin below the waterfalls. We had made reservations for the Aventura Náutica earlier in the morning to do just that, so after our leisurely drift in the inflatable, we walked back … Continue reading
Paseo Ecológico
Although we took the tram up to the Devil’s Throat lookout, we returned to the main park by water on a 10-person inflatable. While we were waiting to launch, two unusual butterflies landed on Dale, posing for my camera. As soon as we launched our raft, our helmsman steered us underneath the boardwalk we had … Continue reading
Paseo Garganta del Diablo
After the upper walkway, we took the tram upriver to the boardwalk on the Argentinian side of the Devil’s Throat. It was around noon and the crowds had now made their way into the park, as you can see, above. At the terminal station, we trudged along with the crowd to the viewing platform perched … Continue reading
Paseo Superior
Leaving the lower circuit, we followed the second pathway, the Paseo Superior, up to the top of the falls. Although you can’t see it in this photo, the walkway runs right along the edge where the water rushes off the plateau. Every vantage point made for an amazing photograph (I took far too many pictures … Continue reading
Circuito Inferior
The Sheraton sits on a bluff overlooking the Rio Iguazú. Leaving the hotel, we headed down toward the river to the Circuito Inferior, the lower walk. Being the first hikers on the path, we found the walkway to be a little slippery, due to the pervasive mist from the waterfalls that covers everything (as you … Continue reading
Park It
The Sheraton, where we stayed, is located inside the Parque Nacional Iguazú, the Argentinian national park. By staying inside the park, we were able to get a head start on the crowds because the park is open to hotel guests at 7:30 and the trailhead to the Falls starts right at the hotel. Other visitors … Continue reading
Tres Países y Tres Ciudades
On our taxi ride back to the hotel after leaving Brazil, we stopped at an overlook where the Rio Iguazú flows into the Rio Paraná. The Paraná River separates Brazil and Argentina from Paraguay, which lies on the western side of the Paraná, and each of the three countries has an overlook and a monument … Continue reading
Coati
About halfway along the Path of the Falls Walk, we came upon a band of coatimundi, or coati as they’re called here. These mammals are relatives of our raccoons and cousins of the animals Dale and the kids saw in Guatemala years ago (I was laid up, sick, in Belize at the time). This pack … Continue reading
The Devil’s Throat
About half the water coming off of the Paraná Plateau at Iguazu Falls flows into the Devil’s Throat, dropping a total of 250 feet, though making that fall in two jumps. The highlight of our time in the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu was the boardwalk that has been built out onto the lower cascade jump … Continue reading
Parque Nacional Do Iguaçu
We spent yesterday at the Parque Nacional do Iguaçu on the Brazilian side of the Iguazú River. The Rio Iguazú (the Iguazú River) is the national boundary between the province of Misiones, Argentina, and the state of Paraná, Brazil. Back in the 1930s, Brazil and Argentina established national parks across from each other at the … Continue reading
Be Mine, Valentine
Ever since landing in Argentina, we have wanted to taste one of those famous steaks, cooked at a parrilla, an Argentinian BBQ restaurant. After spending about an hour researching the internet and asking for a recommendation from people in the hotel, we opted to just walk across the street to Restaurante Las Nazarenas Asador Criollo, … Continue reading
Yo Tengo Tango
Buenos Aires is the birthplace of the Tango, a dance loosely based on Flamenco that first became popular in the lower class neighborhoods of the city, like San Telmo, sometime in the 1880s. As Dale discovered when she tried to fill a dancer’s shoes, it really does take two to tango. A visit to Buenos … Continue reading
Pink House
The President of the United States has his residence and office in the White House. Here in Argentina, the President’s office is in the Casa Rosada, the Pink House! Fitting, since Argentina’s President is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the first elected female President of the country. Here’s Dale admiring the Pink House: We arrived right … Continue reading
Just Dying to Get In
After visiting the Teatro Colón, we walked down Avenida 9 de Julio to Avenido de Mayo (they like to name their streets after important dates here), then west on Avenido de Mayo to the Plaza de Congreso, where the Argentinian Congress meets. We hope that Rodin’s “Thinker” inspires them; maybe we can install one of … Continue reading
A Day at the Opera
On our way to the Washington Monument, er…, the Obelisco, we stopped at one of Buenos Aires’ most famous landmarks, the Teatro Colón – the Grand Opera of Buenos Aires. This building was built in 1908 and was only recently reopened following a six year renovation. Its original construction was funded by the wealthy families … Continue reading
A Spot of America in Buenos Aires
We got a late start today, beginning our walk to the Microcentro neighborhood around noon. First, we passed through the Plaza General San Martin, the location of the Monumento a los Caídos en Malvinas (the memorial to the Argentine veterans of the 1982 Falkland Islands War). Passing the monument, we came upon some sort of … Continue reading
Down Under
We’re much closer to the South Pole here in Buenos Aires than we are to home in Florida, as you can see from this map (you can just make out Florida at the top): Here in Buenos Aires, we’re staying right in the center of the city in the Retiro neighborhood, within walking distance of … Continue reading
Buenos Días from Buenos Aires
We had a nice flight (about 9 hours) to Buenos Aires, Argentina, arriving this morning at 6:45 a.m. local time, took a cab to the city center and checked into our hotel (the Sheraton). The weather here is just like home in Florida, and the skies are clear, as you can see from this view … Continue reading
Scones
Thursday morning, we stopped to see Kelly at work. While she’s applying to graduate school, she’s sharpening her baking skills as the pastry chef at Volta, a popular coffee shop in Gainesville. Here she is, standing behind some of her creations. The scones looked really good. We visited for an hour, then headed out to … Continue reading
Leaving Buffalo
We left Buffalo on Monday, planning to drive to Gainesville without stopping to do any sightseeing or excursions. We’ve really enjoyed being in the northeast to see the leaves change; the leaf-peeping season came earlier this year than it did last year. This photo was taken in New York, not long after leaving Buffalo: We … Continue reading
Stocking Up
Before we left Buffalo, we took Trevor to the grocery store to help him stock up for the winter. Trevor lives in the city in Buffalo, sharing the ground floor of this apartment… …with another AmeriCorps volunteer, Jamie. We had a great visit with Trevor and will be seeing him again in a couple weeks … Continue reading
Oh, Say, Can You See?
We had nice weather on Friday and decided to drive back up to Fort Niagara with Trevor so we could visit while walking around outdoors at the Fort. Trevor had been to Fort Niagara with the kids he mentors, so he also doubled as our tourguide. Fort Niagara sits at the mouth of the Niagara … Continue reading
On the Road Again
By the end of the day Tuesday, the RV had been repaired with a new alternator and new chassis batteries and we were on our way to Buffalo, stopping at Lyons, New York, to visit Von Gern’s mother, Betty. We had seen Betty in Madison back in July at Jim and Von’s son’s wedding where … Continue reading
Turning Point
Departing the edge of the Adirondacks, we drove to the Saratoga National Historical Park to visit the battlefield that it commemorates. The battle at Saratoga – actually, there were two battles – was a turning point in the American Revolution; not just because the Americans defeated and captured the British army there, but because that … Continue reading
Edge of the Adirondacks
We returned to Albany from South Florida on Sunday evening and drove the RV to the Cummins service facility a couple miles away where we spent the night in order to drop the RV off for service early Monday morning (hoping they would be open on Columbus Day). I had narrowed down the problem we … Continue reading