Bolitas, Milanesas, y Libres...Oh My!

For the entire trip so far we've been on the hunt for a bead shop for Carinn’s jewelry, with low expectations of finding one. Imagine our surprise when we finally Googled bead shops and found one literally across the street from our hotel. It was the quintessential example of finding a needle in a haystack and was a good sign for the beginning of our designated shopping day. All you beadies out there know that each bead shop is unique in its own right and this one yielded many treasures. Unlike ones in the States, the beads in this shop are in individual jars that the shopkeeper must climb a ladder to retrieve.

Our next stop was the famous bookstore El Ateneo. It was once a theater that has been transformed into a modern bookstore, yet still retains the beauty and structure of the original interior. We were on the hunt for an Argentine cookbook in English but had to settle for one in Spanish. It might take us all day to figure out some of the recipes, but it’s worth a shot!

For lunch we headed into The Club de Milanesa. The menu looked like a normal pizza menu with different toppings, which is what we expected walking into this Italian joint. Our first clue that something was amiss came when we noticed that all of the "pizzas" required us to choose a meat-base: veal, chicken or fish. It turns out a Milanesa is a super thin piece of meat that's been breaded and fried, and then topped with traditional pizza ingredients. Weird! Delicious! We opted for one with ham, mozzarella, tomato sauce, and oregano. It was quite different from anything we’ve ever had in the States and we think it could be a big hit.

On our way to find tango shoes, we passed by the Teatro Colón. Instead of paying the outrageous tour fee, we caught this show on a skate ramp just outside the building. It wasn’t long before Elliott and this skater were fist bumping like old friends.

After Carinn found the perfect pair of tango shoes, we took a victory lap around the Plaza de Mayo. Here we are in front of the Casa Rosada, the President's official headquarters and the site of  Eva Peron's rousing speech. 

Finally, our weary feet brought us to this little creature, a chocolate cupcake filled with dulce de leche and topped with meringue. Sweet dreams!