An Afternoon in San Telmo

I love the idea of moving to a new city and meeting a new network of friends.  (No offence to my amazing friends at home though!)  It isn't the easiest thing to do, but I feel very lucky to have made a few good friends in Buenos Aires already in the short time I have been here.

Making new friends in the comfort of your hometown comes so naturally but when you are living away from home, it is the chance encounters that matter most.  You would be surprised how saying hello to a stranger can a build friendship for years to come!

Last weekend, we joined a few friends for lunch in San Telmo - an urban and edgy barrio (that's what they call suburbs here) in the south of the city.

Say hello to these good-looking cool cats ...

El Refuerzo is a hip little bar and restaurant in San Telmo.  It is a bit further away from the main street where the Sunday markets are held, but definitely worth a visit.

I was boring and ordered a sandwich.

Which was tasty, but I immediately regretted it when I saw what the boys had ordered.

A big hunk of marinated steak dressed with a fresh vinaigrette salsa and a side of thick cut potatoes.  Prepare to drool at the close up.

Time passes quickly when you're in good company.  So after lunch, we meandered down the road for another drink at La Poesia, a bohemian bar that was frequented by many artists and writers back in its heyday.

We didn't have much to contribute in terms of poetry.  But I think the bartenders found our subpar Spanish entertaining.

As the sky turned dark, we all decided to jump on a bus and zip towards the other side of the city.

To be exact, to the planetarium in Palermo where they were hosting Earth Hour that night.

When the clock struck 8pm (or was it 9pm?!) the dome of the planetarium switched off its bright lights for the next hour.

We huddled together, lit up our candles and watched the concert.

The families and kids really got into the festivities.

Especially this dude.

Then, my photography skills were put to shame by Thibault over here.  He was kind enough to share the last three photos below.

Once the Earth Hour finished, the lights came back on and we all went home to enjoy the comforts of electricity happily ever after.  The End.