Day 9 Tigre, Parana Delta

On our last full day in Argentina, we departed our hotel this morning on the way to Tigre, which is the starting point for the Parana Delta. While driving into the province of Buenos Aires, we continued straight on the second longest road in Buenos Aires which is the Avenida Libertador. As we drove on this road, we entered the upper class district as well as passing by the house where the president lives which is nine blocks long and surrounded by a wall. We learned  that the only president to die in the president's house is Juan Peron.

 As we boarded our boat for the 2 hour ride on the delta, we saw many beautiful summer homes along the Delta. What is interesting is that the amount of water in the delta is not only determined by the rain, but the wind as well (which was different on the Uruguay and Iguazu rivers in the north. We ate lunch this afternoon in El gato blanco and again, we were treated to wonderful food. The menu item today was chicken and mushroom sauce followed by a scoop of ice cream and mixed fruit. Our bus then headed on the hour drive to the airport where we had to say good bye to our wonderful tour guide Marissa and our driver Eduardo.



The students had one last opportunity to speak Spanish when arriving past customs, they met a group of 90 fifteen year old girls headed to Miami for their quinceñera. The boys had many opportunities for photo opportunities!!! This was an excellent trip and I can't wait to visit Argentina again!!!!

Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay

Day 8 took us to a UNESCO World Heritage site in Uruguay. In the morning, we borded the Buquebus which crosses the Río de la Plata into Uruguay. 45 km across and an hour later, we arrived at the port of Colonia de Sacramento.  This is a very charming town that was battled and owned by both the Spanish and Portuguese for many years until Brazil took control. Finally it then gained its independence from Brasil in 1825. During our lunch today, many of us had steak which had to be on one of the best steaks we have ever eaten. In Uruguay, there are 3 million people and 12 million cows! This adds up to the average consumtion of steak eaten by Uruguayans to 75 kg per year. During our city tour, Fabían our tour guide took us to the lighthouse, the Portuguese style church, the stone streets (with both Spanish and Portuguese influence the way they were constructed) and we had the chance to do a little shopping. After our day in Colonia de Sacramento, we borded the Buquebus to head back to the city of Buenos Aires and for one last time, the students had a chance to visit Calle Florida to do some last minute shopping. Our final day will take us to the Tigre area before bording a flight to the U.S.