After the tour yesterday, I met up with my niece, Tina for lunch and coffee. We wandered around the shopping area and took pictures of each other in front of the obelisk which just happns to be down the street from my hotel.

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Today was pretty much a free day so Tina and I spent pretty much the whole day together. I took a taxi out to the Palermo section where she is living and we wandered around her neighborhood. Weekends find fairs all over the city so we examined the wares–many beautiful gemstones and leather goods. I noticed that much of the graffiti is quite artistic.

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Tina had suggested that we lunch at Don Julio Parrilla, a very well-known steakhouse in the Palermo section. It is so popular that, even for lunch, reservations are required months in advance. We arrived on time and were seated at a lovely outside table. We made the decision to order el bife de lomo with sides of queso promolone a la plancha cubierto con pimientos rojos asados as well as calabaza asada, together with a bottle of crisp Argentine wine. We made the decision to order one of each to split figuring that we’d just order more if need be.

Translation: Filet mignon, grilled provolone topped by grilled red peppers, grilled pumpkin topped with toasted pumpkin seeds.

The steak, split between us, was so incredibly large that neither of us could finish our individual portion! Cooked to perfection, it virtually melted in our mouths. The sides proved to complement the meat wonderfully. I very much enjoyed the days spent with my beautiful niece and felt glad that I could visit in the middle of this semester she is spending at Instituto Tecnologico de Buenos Aires.

So, for our last night in Buneos Aires, we had dinner at Puerto Cristal where we said good-bye to six of our group as apparently they are not heading to Chile with us. After eating, we strolled along the waterfront…

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