Argentine Friend - Thursday, October 14, 2010

The forecast predicts a couple of cool and rainy days before warm and sunny weather returns, but we will make the best of it. Today was one of those days.

The sleepy travelers didn't budge as we got up and started our day. We were fortunate to be able to borrow two twin mattresses, pillows, and blankets from the mission supply. Even though ear plugs were used, we still whispered. And, the lights on didn't bother them either.

Elder Kroff and I left at 8:30 to go to the office and work for the morning hours. We still had to keep up with our responsibilities at work, so it worked out well as our daughters are not morning people. By the time we returned, they were up and ready to tour in the afternoon.

I called a lot of elders regarding baptismal registers while Rich worked on financial matters. Elder Peterson and Elder Davis left to do errands for the President, and later in the morning Elder Paz took Elder Mamani with him to a doctor's appointment. No one was back by the time we had to leave, so we closed up the office and put the phone on night mode. Someone would be back shortly.

We introduced the girls to their first train ride as we made our way to the Capital. Surprisingly, it wasn't as crowded as we expected, probably because it was in the middle of the day in the middle of the week. For whatever reason we were grateful, because there were seats available for the ride. The girls enjoyed watching people and getting accustomed to the Argentine way of travel.

Now when we talk of the Retiro train station which is at the end of the line downtown, they can picture where we are and what it looks like.

The main reason we chose to head to the Capital today was to meet a gal from Argentina that Melissa met online who is involved in quilting too. She found Melissa's quilting blog site and they have become long distance friends with a similar interest. When Melissa told her she was coming to Argentina to see us, they made plans to meet each other.

We arrived at the meeting place which was by the Obelisk in the heart of Buenos Aires. She was looking for four people, and we were looking for a mother and daughter. We had been in communication with her by phone.

We had a delightful visit with Viviana Andrea Mazzarella and her daughter, Olivia. Viviana speaks English, but her daughter does not. Melissa made her a quilted patchwork piece and Vivi gave Melissa a box of the popular Argentine alfahores. We sat at a coffee shop and visited over hot chocolate and cookies.

She began asking us about what we did on our mission here in Buenos Aires and the conversation led to the message of the restoration of the church. Melissa wanted her Dad to explain it in Spanish so Olivia would understand what was being said too. Rich told her about the Book of Mormon, of course, and said that we had missionaries that could bring one to her. She was accepting of that and said that her husband would probably want to read it too. Wow! How great is that!! We will turn in this reference as soon as possible.

A dad with his daughters. He couldn't be happier!!

Our next stop after leaving Viviana and Olivia was to take the Subte to San Telmo where we were headed to Des Nivel for a steak dinner.

On the way to the subway, we came upon fabric store #2, and, of course, had to enter. It is common for men to work in fabric stores cutting material and waiting on customers. This man was the only employee working tonight. Most likely he was the owner.

Marianne wondered how she would look in this fancy, ruffly material. There was a wide variety of fabric in this store, and Melissa found more that she liked and purchased some.

The subway took us to San Telmo where we had to walk about six or seven blocks to our restaurant. We passed an area of wall paintings that were huge and interesting. Marianne and Melissa pose by two of them, but we aren't sure of the interpretation.

The night life in San Telmo seemed busy and fast moving. The traffic was heavy and we were glad we were on foot and not in a car. We were disappointed when we turned up Defensa where the restaurant is located because all the shops were closed. Awww geeee! This is a popular tourist attraction with antique shops galore. It is a sight to behold! But . . . .

Des Nivel was open for business and this is the main reason we came. Having been introduced to this quaint little restaurant over a year ago, we have returned four times. We have never been disappointed with the food. Tonight was no exception.

We all ordered Bife de Lomo (steak), and the feeling was unanimous that the meal couldn't have been better. However, Melissa would have preferred A-I Steak Sauce. We ordered a tossed salad that fed four and a side order of papa fritas (French fries). A bowl of a spicy salsa called Chimichurra was a hit to dip our bread into, but afterwards we decided it was probably to put on the meat. Nevertheless, it was talked about and searched for in all grocery stores throughout the visit.

It was convenient to catch the bus right across the street from Des Nivel. Since it was dark and we definitely looked like tourists, we didn't want to roam the streets looking for the right colectivo.

We got on the train for home at Retiro and these two old people were ready to call it a day. It was fun for the girls to talk to their sons over skype when we got home.

It was a fun, fun day!