Ethan's First Chanukah

These are some pictures from Ethan's first Chanukah.

Ethan watching Steve light the candles on the last night of Chanukah.

And Ethan checking out the candles after they have been lit.

Holiday Dinner

Last Saturday (the 4th night of Chanukah), we hosted a holiday potluck dinner. As with all traditions while overseas, you need to be creative to continue a tradition, or be flexible enough to start a new one. We went into the weekend thinking that Steve would make latkes and brisket. The scene in the butcher shop was hysterical as we tried to explain what a brisket is. There was a charades game of pointing, asking question and general cracking up between us and our good natured butcher and staff. In the end, we figured out a brisket cut just doesn't exist in Argentina. So, we got a tenderloin instead. No applesauce for the latkes? Steve made it from scratch.

And the amazing lomo (beef tenderloin) and applesauce and latkes were just some of the great dishes we had that night as our friends brought some of their best dishes too. Salads, risotto, greens, mushrooms, couscous, empanadas and amazing deserts were just a few of the things that made it hard to get out of our chairs after the meal.

Steve explained that the idea of a holiday potluck is stolen from our friends Erica and James and their monthly potlucks. We also mentioned Erica's tradition/requirement that at potlucks everyone needs to share "good news", one good thing that has happened to them since the last potluck. Our guests were more than game, and so, we had the first "good news" potluck in BA!

So, our holiday dinner was a great mix of old traditons, stolen traditions, and hopefully some new ones too!

Quest for My Personal Penguin

Hi! Ethan here. Mom just posted our "Last day in Ushuaia" post and she forget to answer that one question you have all been dying to know! Did I get a personal penguin?

OF COURSE! Grandma and Grandpa bought me my very own penguin when we were in Ushuaia. He is my personal penguin and he lives in my room. I like him a lot.

Mmmm....tastes like chicken.

Last Day in Ushuaia

These are some pictures from our last day in Ushuaia. Outside of our hotel there was a strip of grass between the road and the water. On our last day, when we woke up, there was a horse tied up there. A little later we saw a man come and move the horse to another spot in the grassy strip, so I guess the horse was enjoying a day of munching on some new grass. Ethan and I headed out to see the pretty horse.

An amazing picture of the view outside our hotel

Ethan and I outside of this neat cafe and shop called Ramos Generales. We hung here a couple of times for afternoon tea and stopped in once more on our last day.

The inside was decorated with all these neat collectables, signs, maps, toys, etc. It was a really interesting place to hang out on a chilly afternoon.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles...and boats and buses

Ethan here, again! And I am on a train! I have been on a plane, in a taxi cab, on a boat, a bus and now a train! Ushuaia is so much fun!

These trains used to take inmates from the prison that was here in the early 1900s out into the woods so they could cut down fire wood for the prison. Now, the train takes us into the National Park so we can see all the pretty views!

A pretty waterfall we saw on our trip and...

HORSES! What a nice day!

Estancia and Bus Tour

Ethan here again! My goodness was our first full day in Ushuaia a big one! After seeing penguin island, our boat dropped us off at an estancia. An estancia is kind of like a farm or ranch.

This estancia was one of the first ones in the region. After taking tour and having a nice relaxing lunch, we got on a bus and headed out. This is where I fell asleep (it was a long morning!), but I can still tell you about these pictures!

This picture is from a valley where the beavers live. The beavers were brought here by immigrants, but the have overrun the area. The trees here are in an area flooded by the beaver's dam. There are lots of areas like this in the region.

These trees are shaped funny from the wind! The Antarctic winds blow so hard that the trees' branches lean to one side!

Penguin Island!

Ethan here! Sorry I am taking so long to upload all my photos from our trip to Ushuaia...I know you are all wondering if I found my personal penguin.

The boat tour we were on took us to an island where the penguins live in the summer. The boat was able to get close so we could take lots of picture and so I could pick out my personal penguin. I was very excited.

This penguin looks nice - he would be pretty in my room, and I am sure George and Gracie would like him!

Here I am taking a look at all the penguins. I like it here, the penguins seem to be having such a great time!

Well, I asked the penguins, and as much as they were interested in coming and living in my room in Buenos Aires, these penguins kindly declined my offer of letting one of them be my personal penguin. With a view like this from where you live, you would want to stay at penguin island too!

Don't worry though, I hear that there might be penguins in town that would want to come home with me! I will find my personal penguin!

Ushuaia Boat Trip - Part 1

Hello folks, Ethan here. Well, here I am with Mom and Dad on our second day of our trip in Ushuaia. On Day 2 we decided to take a boat/bus tour. It was a perfect opportunity for me to look for my personal penguin! It was very cold out on the water, but the boat had a nice toasty warm cabin where I could hang out with Grandma and Grandpa and Mom and Dad.

We left the port in Ushuaia and headed out onto the Beagle Canal. Along the way our boat slowed down at some of the many islands in the canal so that we could take pictures of the wildlife. While the morning was cloudy, the day became more and more beautiful.

The whole tour lasted all day, so I have split it up into parts. If you look at the pictures in the Picasa folder you will see the first part of the trip. We saw seals and black and white birds that I can't remember the name of - and no they are not penguins! But stay tuned....there should be penguins soon!

At the End of the World!

Hello everyone! Ethan here, and this is pictures from our first day in Ushaia, and I am on the hunt for a personal penguin! This is me standing on the bed in our hotel room in Ushuaia. It is a nice hotel, a little aways from the town, but right on the Beagle Canal!

This is a picture of our hotel, the Costa Ushuaia. It was pretty cold in Ushuaia. It is the southern most city in the world. You can take cruises from here to Antartica.

This is a picture of the Beagle Canal from our hotel parking lot. In the background are the Andes. I learned that the Canal is not named for the Beagle that are doggies, but the HMS Beagle, a big ship that Charles Darwin once sailed on!

This is dad and I in downtown Ushuaia. It is not a very big town, but there were things to do and see. On our first day we had a nice lunch, then went to a museum in town that was once a prison! Now is houses information about the prison and also has art galleries. The next post....Day 2 - boat tour!

Getting ready for Penguins

Hello folks! Here I am on the plane getting ready for my big trip to Ushuaia where I am going to get to see penguins! Maybe I can take one home to be my Personal Penguin! I hope so.

Will you be my personal penguin? Will you travel with me far and wide? Will you be my personal penguin and stand right by my side?

No worries, while you decide I am just going to chew on my book for a while.

So, what do you think? Will you be my personal penguin??

A Day Out in Palermo

While Steve had to go to work last week, Ethan, Grandmom, Granddad and I were able to do a little sightseeing around town. We decided to make out way to the Japanese Gardens, which are in the Palermo neighborhood right downtown. The park is beautiful, with koi ponds and waterfalls. After meandering our way through the park we decided to go to the Evita Museum. On our way there we ran into two dog walkers and their herd of dogs.




The Evita Museum was really interesting, and while the history and the story of her life and the work she did for the country was interesting, we also learned that the women was well dressed! The clothes and shoes she had were gorgeous. After the museum we had a lovely lunch with an extremely awake Ethan at the museum cafe.

"Don't Cry for Me Argentina....

...I cry enough for both of us!" says Ethan as he looks out over the Plaza de Mayo from the balcony in the Casa Rosada where Evita would give her famous speeches.

On their first full day in Argentina we kept Grandmom and Granddad very busy. There was brunch at Oui, Oui and then off to the center of town to see the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada (or "pink house"). The Casa Rosada is the executive offices for the federal government. Unlike the White House though, the President of Argentina does not live there. The president actually lives in the suburbs and takes a helicoptered to work each morning. Afterwards we headed over to Recoleta Cemetery to take a walk around and enjoy the gorgeous day.

View from our Rooftop

I know we are over a week behind on our blogging, but it has been a busy week and a half!

Steve's parents Betty and Dick, aka Grandmom and Granddad arrived two Saturdays ago. One of the first things Steve did was provide a quick tour of the apartment and our building, which included a trip to the roof of our apartment to take in the spectacular views of BA. Hope you enjoy the pictures of our great neighborhood from way up high!

Over the next couple of days we will get the blog caught up with all of our trips and fun - enjoy!