Escape of the Week: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from Rease Kirchner. If you are a writer and interested in providing a guest post, please  contact me. 

Up until very recently, I was living as an expat in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Whenever people find this out about me, there first question is, Why Buenos Aires?

Allow me to (attempt to) explain.

Buenos Aires is a city full of life. This city is constantly moving, yet somehow slower and less stressful than my life was in my much smaller city back in the US. The city of Buenos Aires parties hard, doesn’t take work too terribly seriously, and relaxes like a champ.

Although Buenos Aires has a misleading name, as the air is actually quite polluted, I still think it can be really beautiful. It certainly had its days/areas that I might want to retract this statement, but most of the time, Buenos Aires was just an awesome place to walk around. It’s important to remember to look up too, otherwise you’ll miss out on some great architecture.

It would be ridiculous for me to write about the merits of Buenos Aires, Argentina without mentioning the wine. The wine is cheap, delicious and an integral part of every meal. I loved that getting a bottle to share between friends was not only economical, but something we did without hesitation.

And of course, I wouldn’t be me if I did not highlight my absolute favorite thing in the world, but especially in Argentina: ICE CREAM.

Argentina is up there with the likes of Italy, France and Spain when it comes to the quality of ice cream. Not only is the artesian ice cream absolutely incredible, it’s everywhere! There is no need to hunt down a specialty shop because you’ll stumble upon a place every few blocks. No one buys ice cream in the supermarket because it’s not even in the same league as the stuff you can get at an ice cream shop. Plus, they deliver! Kilos of artesian ice cream, right to your door! I have literally dreamt of a world like this, then I discovered the world exists, and it’s Buenos Aires.

Getting there: Buenos Aires is a major hub in South America, so there are always flights going in and out. If you are traveling through South America, you can grab a really cheap bus from any nearby city or country and if you are coming from Uruguay, there are boats running between Buenos Aires and Colonia or Montevideo several times a day.

About the Author: Rease Kirchner is a US Citizen who spent the last year and a half living the expat life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is fluent in Spanish, overly snarky and more in love with ice cream than anyone you have met or will ever meet. She likes to keep it real and keep her readers laughing. You can follow her at @Travelated, @TravelatedRease and on her site, Travelated.com.