Argentina: Day 6

It’s a privilege to pee!!!

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

I’m behind, I’m behind, I’m behind.

We got home very late last night (Thursday) and I came home and went straight to bed. More about that tomorrow.

Let’s get back to Wednesday.

I wake up Wednesday and my knee has exploded. Worse than it’s been since it started flaring up. On a pain scale of 1 to 10 it is a 12+.

By the time I make it downstairs, I’m near tears.

I am on the couch with my knee elevated, with a Ziploc bag full of ice on it and trying to get comfortable, to no avail. At this point the pain is so intense, that it feels like it’s spreading down my shin, like shin splints.

It’s SOOOOO bad.

I tell Adam that I’m not going anywhere. At least not till later.

He tells me that he is going to go look for a suitcase, get us lunch, and will be right back. We’ve decided on pizza for lunch. It’s about 3:45 when he leaves.

He is gone about 30 minutes when Chef texts to say that he is done with his errands and can pick us up at any time. Like now.

I suggest 5:00 and he agrees.

I text Adam and tell him he needs to come home soon as Chef is going to be picking us up at 5:00.

Adam gets home at 4:35 with a pizza in tow. We both have one slice, then start to get ready. I limp up the stairs, shower and get dressed. It is not fun.

We make it downstairs at 5:05. I let Chef know that I am NOT up for walking today.

We suggest we stop at a bar called Tres Monos. Three Monkeys. A cocktail bar near our house.

Chef has a better idea. He wants to go to one of the ritziest hotels in town to look around and have cocktails.

I like this because we initially chatted about me staying there when we were first looking to book my stay.

Off we go.

The hotel is called Faena. Faena.com

It is a 5-star Forbes rated hotel, started in Buenos Aires. They now have another location in Miami.

To say it’s over the top would be an understatement.

I didn’t take any photos of the staff as it felt rude.

But, when we arrived, we were greeted by a man in a top hat and white cape who welcomed us to the hotel. It felt a lot like Disney World.

Later there was a woman, hosting at the cabaret, who had a tiny hat perched on the side of her head and she was wearing a skin tight red dress with heels.

We go in and the space is insane. Beautiful and undeniably original.

The entry way is all stone with plants that leads to a VERY long hallway with a long red carpet with benches that are illuminated from below.

We wander down the hall, taking it all in. There is a shoe store that would have been a favorite of Carrie Bradshaw.

That restrooms and not hidden, but if you didn’t know where to look, you’d never find them. They are all marble inside.

Chef stops by their fine dining restaurant, which is closed at that time to see if we can look at the dining room.

It is exquisite.

After wandering around, we go into the bar to get a drink. We are offered seats inside, where no one is sitting or poolside.

It’s a beautiful day, so we take poolside.

Almost every, lounge chair is filled with people sitting by the pool. Not so much sunning as they are drinking and socializing.

We are seated at a 4-top at the shallow end of the pool.

We order drinks and snacks, and people watch for the next 90 minutes.

The staff is as beautiful as the pool.

Mostly though, we are just enjoy the evening air, as the sun sets and people begin to leave.

I know I’ve mentioned it, but they are permanently on Daylight Saving Time, so it’s 7:30 and it is still daylight out.

Finally, we pay out tab, and take one more look around the hallway.

Now, the really formal dining room is open and is white and red. Stunning.

Then we peak into the cabaret and it’s ALL red. No photos but it’s a great space.

With that we take our leave and are on our way to find dinner.

This is the tricky part.

We haven’t made reservations. And we are not sure where to go.

Chef texts some friends including his mom and we end up down at the seaport.

We’ve been given two options. I make the decision based on the name.

I won’t mention it here, because I don’t want to give a bad public review. But it is the 2^nd worst meal we had.

I didn’t say anything night of but turns out Chef agreed.

It reminded me of a mall restaurant. Or a tourist restaurant.

The space was huge. Easily seating over 200 people. The lighting was bad. The dining room we sat in had atrium windows ala Wendy’s 1986.

If I’d been a server at this restaurant, I’d have been 15 years younger than the next youngest server.

For a tourist restaurant, the prices were reasonable, and the food wasn’t bad. It was all just fine. Kind of like Olive Garden is just fine. Or Outback is just fine. Nothing is wrong with it, until you compare it to the 5-star meals we’ve been getting.

This was also the first restaurant we ate at where the food was served from the plate it was on, to the plate you’d eat it from. All done with one hand, while holding the plate on a tray in the other.

That being said, the service was fine, we had a great time, and it was something to experience.

Later, I told Adam it was like eating at The Big Texas in Amarillo. Great to do once, but not necessary to do every time you visit.

With that, I hobbled back to the car, Chef dropped us at our apartment, and that was my night.

A view of the pool at Faena.