FAMILY VISIT

     The past month has been super busy.  But, among the highlights were the end of my classes and my family's visit.  Sorry about my lack of blog posts, but I really wanted to watch a Muppet Christmas Carol for the hundredth time, and I had to cut out something. ;-)
     Roman and I celebrated Christmas with his family and the family of his sister's boyfriend.  Argentines celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve by having a large dinner and exchanging presents.  Luckily, Roman was nice enough to let us open some of our presents on Christmas morning as well, so it wouldn't feel so different for me.
     This year, Christmas Eve was the hottest and must humid day EVER...in the history of EVER.  I believe it was in the 100s and humid until it stormed in the middle of the night and things cooled down.  The power in our neighborhood had even gone out and our apartment's generator stopped working for a few hours as well.  In the end though, it was an enjoyable day.

Roman on Christmas.  

     Two days after Christmas my parents and brother arrived for a week!  Roman and I were looking forward to their arrival, not only because I missed them, but because we were excited for our families to meet.  Except for a couple mishaps, I think they had a great time.  Here's a brief timeline of their visit:

FRIDAY

- Walking tour led by me and Roman through San Telmo and Puerto Madero.  Insights gained from Roman on the tour included such gems as, "See that building over there?.............. I like it."  

- Dinner at a Peña Folklorica.  Sadly, this turned out to be only a guy and his guitar instead of a tribe of Argentine singers and dancers.  I think everyone enjoyed the dinner at least.

Dinner after a long day of touring.

SATURDAY

- Engagement Party!  As Roman and I will be getting married in the US, we wanted to have some type of celebration in Argentina for those that cannot make it.  The party turned out to be a lot of fun and was complete with more bottles of wine than I could count, vegan Indian food catered by one of our favorite restaurants, two singing performances by our friends, and dancing.

Roman and his friends at the party.

SUNDAY

- Day at Estancia El Ombu on three hours of sleep. "We" rode horses, "we" ate empanadas, we listened to a gaucho singing traditional music, and we took a nap outside under the Ombu tree.  

Lunch outside.

MONDAY

- Recoleta Cemetery and New Year's Eve.  We watched thousands of fireworks exploding across the city from the roof of our apartment in Buenos Aires.  It was the most awesome New Year's Eve we have ever experienced.

TUESDAY

- Asado at Roman's parents' home.  The day included a traditional barbecue and tour of Luján and its cathedral.

Drinking mate and eating postre.

WEDNESDAY

- La Boca, Congreso, and some café.  We took my family to the old port, the capital building, and a typical cafe for a mid-afternoon snack.  But, another day of walking through the city ended with an early night (by Argentine standards) and a relaxing dinner at home.

Trying to do some kind of tango move in the colorful Caminito neighborhood.

THURSDAY

- Wine tasting, Bodega Fin del Mundo, and tango lessons. We capped off my family's visit with a fabulous wine tasting that focused on Argentine boutique wines and followed it with dinner at the restaurant of my favorite vineyard, which has my favorite wine...ever.  Roman and I also took my mom to learn tango at the place where we met...awwww.

Dinner at Bodega Fin del Mundo in Palermo.

     We missed my family as soon as they left, but we will see them soon when Roman and I go to the US in February!