Today I had plans to go with Andrea, her husband Jose and their youngest son Gonzalo to visit friends outside of the city. I was really excited to take a little side trip and to see what Argentina was like apart from Buenos Aires and the big city.
We left around 11:00 and headed west (I think). We stopped in a town called Lujan (I think...again) to see the Basilica de la Virgen de Lujan, which is considered the patron saint of Buenos Aires...It may actually be a little bit different than that, but that is the best I can explain it. We had a chance to get out of the car and go inside the basilica. It was amazing! The church itself was huge, and it looked very much like an old cathedral that you would see in Europe. Once inside, we were able to see all of the stained glass and artistic details. We walked around and took in everything there was to see, and even witnessed a baptism ceremony for babies.
After visiting the church we continued our journey out into the countryside. Traveling in the car on the highway and looking out the window, we could have been traveling almost anywhere in Texas...I could see pastures and fields beside the highway with cows and small farms. I told Andrea and her family that we are used to traveling in the car a lot in Texas, and that the countryside there looks alot like it does here in Argentina. I told everyone about the game that I used to play with my sister on long car trips, which involved picking a side of the car and looking out the window to count cows...Whoever counted the most cows before reaching the destination was the winner...but the one downfall of the game was that whoever passed a cemetery on their side of the car would lose all of their cows and have to start counting over from zero.
We drove about two and a half hours in all, and once we arrived to the town we proceeded to turn off the highway onto a side road. We drove on this bumpy dirt road for a while and then in a clearing, we pulled of the road and into the drive of a small brick home, or what actually appeared to be two small homes. We got out of the car and greeted the homeowners and their friends. The couple who owned the home and the other couple both had sons the same age as Gonzalo, so once out of the car, they all left to go hang out. The rest of us headed into the "party room" to get ready for lunch.
We entered the smaller of the two brick houses, and I saw that there was a long table right in the middle of the room, set for lunch. I looked to the side of the room and saw a huge grill...The most impressive grill I had ever seen! I am not talking about the kind of grill that you see in some of the outdoor kitchens we have in the US. This was the size of half of the entire wall of the party room (actually built into the wall), and it was hanging over a huge fire of burning coals or wood. Under the grill there were ricks and ricks of extra wood stacked to add to the fire, and the wall above the grill was exposed brick. Although the grill, or "parilla" was very rustic, the home itself was beautifully built and decorated and appeared to be almost new. On the other side of the grill there was a center island, topped with a grantie countertop complete with a sink, and then on the other side there was a another counter with all of the amenities of a kitchen, including a dishwasher built into the cabinet.
The owner of the home Ruben explained to me that this eating and grilling area was a separate part of the house, and that it was built mainly for eating, having parties and entertaining, and that the main house also had a kitchen and dining area and large center island. This was more or less a "party room"...He also explained that this enclosed outdoor kitchen and eating area was considered somewhat of a luxury here in Argentina. Knowing that this was a weekend home away from the city, it was very impressive for me, to say the least, and it gave me a new perspective on the lives of the people of Argentina.
Once inside the party room, we all spent time talking, and I had the opportunity to get to know everyone and take pictures of the house and the garden...and the huge grill, and then it was time for lunch. Again, this meal was a grand event, starting with drinks and all types of sided dishes and salads. Next Ruben began coming by with a giant skewer filled with different types of meat. He passed by us and told us about each meat that he had and then proceeded to take a portion off for each of us. We ate and talked, and Ruben continued coming around with different types and cuts of meat on a skewer...all that he had grilled on his GIANT grill...It was like being at "Fogo de Chao" or "Texas de Brazil" in Dallas...(sorry Daniel that you missed out on this one :( ).
After lunch we took a tour of the grounds and the main house. It was a great place for this family to escape the busy, fast paced life of Buenos Aires. We had dessert of baked apples with fresh whipped cream and then headed out for a walk in the area. We walked down a small dirt road and did a "walk around the block"...but it was more like walking between fields. We could see the highway off in the distance, but this place still seemed very secluded and realaxing.
After our walk, we came back to the party room to have cake and coffee (more food)!!! We sat and talked another hour or two and then said our goodbyes and headed back to the city. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive, so we knew we should probably get going so we could make it back to Buenos Aires at a decent hour.
We rode home listening to talk radio (in Spanish), which was great for me, because I got to keep practicing Spanish all the way back to Buenos Aires (and without having to talk, myself). We got back around 11:00 pm, and I headed straight to bed...I definitely didn't need any dinner that night!!!
PS: My camera batteries died...and although I got great pics of all of this, I no longer have a way to publish them here until I get home b/c I don't have the charger with me :(
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