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Coming back to my first love

A moment lived in Argentina  by Elita, a traveller from Ireland

What does it come to your mind when someone asks you about child memories? For me, it’s road trips.
My mom and dad used to pack all our bags in the car and we would drive for hours and hours around the country. We would plan the route and enjoy the road until the great destination. These trips were the most amazing experience, almost like a tradition for the entire family. My dad was in charge of the driving and the bad jokes, my mum was the co pilot ready for conversation and preparing mate all the way there, I was in charge of photos and the map and my sister used to ask “Are we there yet?”.

So, as you can already imagine, travel is something that grew inside me since I was a little girl and for that reason, two years ago I decided I wanted to do more of it. I moved to Ireland to experience a new world, talk a different language, make new friends, visit cities I have never been before, eat food for the first time. I came here to live the ‘new’, to live the exciting things my body was asking for after being so tired of routine. The only thing is that all those ‘news’ are now ‘olds’ and my body began to ask for the old familiar so I went back to my city, my family and friends.

I flew several hours to cross the ocean and I arrived home. I was home away from home to meet my family. All the tears of happinness, cuddless, beers, walk around familiar places. I walked around the streets listening to people talk, falling in love again with the accent and the manners like I was a tourist but this time, in my own city. Being together again was amazing but it felt like wasn’t enough so we decided to do a road trip as a family, like the old times. Ok, we took a plane this time so it was like cheating but we went as far as we could to be somewhere new to all of us and we decided the Perito Moreno Galciar was the chosen one.

Now, you probably want to know more about the place. Right? Well, we walked on the glaciar for almost three hours, we took pictures, we felt it so close but no picture can show how insane this place is. Have you ever been in a place so inmense you stay speachless? This is exactly what the glaciar is: INMENSE. It looks like is infinit, the way it connects with the mountains. In between the silence you can hear when it breaks, so loud like a thunder. Falling into pieces like a perfect puzzle on the silver water, waiting there to be part of the lake. Real proof of how nature can be oustanding and leave you in a limbo, just staring at the beauty of being such a tiny thing in this wonderful world.

I went to Argentina to re live the old, to go back to my comfort zone for a few days, my house, my home but I instead I’ve got a surprise from it. I was not fully home, not there nor here in Dublin because once you leave it is hard to feel 100% home wherever you go. My heart is leaving pieces in places I visit and people I meet. My heart is now from the world and home can be everywhere. It is in Buenos Aires with my family, it is in Dublin with my friend and it is here with me wherever I go because once your heart travels, it is hard to stop.

This traveler has a travel blog : The Irish Luck

credit photo : Elita

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Living the dream!

A moment lived in Argentina by Cirilo, a traveller from France

Once upon a time, not so long ago (13 years to be exact) I decided to buy my first backpack (and I actually still have it) to hit the road for the first time of my life outside Europe.
During those last few weeks I was talking to my friends about going on a trip and on a Saturday morning, I woke up, passed by the ATM to withdraw 690 € and headed straight to a travel agency to purchase my “pass” to the outside world! I bought an open ticket to Santiago de Chile…Why? I do not know …but what I know is that I landed there on the 26th of May 2003 and damn, it felt sooooooo good!
Nowadays, I always say: “The best thing about traveling is not knowing where you are going, no planning is the key and I said to my friends before leaving that I would go wherever the wind would take me, well…It turned out that it took me to Argentina ! Buenos Aires to be precise, it is a very fast paced city with a population of over 15 millions, the city (as the country in general) is holding some very strong Italian – Spanish roots because of the migration during WWI. It is crazy to be in South America and be able to eat, what is for me, the best Pizza and pasta in the world…Let’s not forget the ice creams, which are a delight and the red meat can be cut only with a spoon as it is so tender.
But the biggest thing in the country is Football! And Buenos Aires is a capital city well known for its best football , there is a huge rivalry between the clubs of the capital! The most famous are Boca Junior where “the god” a.k.a Diego Armando Maradona played in the 80’s, the second biggest one is “River Plate” among some other ones.
While I was in Buenos Aires, I could not stop myself from going to la “Bonbonera” stadium to see a Boca game, and so…I was in for a treat as that year they won La “Copa Libertadores”. For the ones who do not have any clue about what “La Libertadores” is, it is the equivalent of the European Cup of football ! It is simply the “Holy Graal” of football in Latin America ! Later that week, I found myself walking around the city centre not anticipating what I would find that evening.. Just approaching to the “Obelisco” (the spot where Argentinian’s seem to celebrate everything or protest or just gather for any National day or sport victory) I found myself trapped among thousands of Boca hooligans screaming, jumping up and down.. singing “Football songs”.. and the funny thing is that they wanted me to be a part of it.. it almost seemed as I did not have any choice. Now…Close your eyes and imagine a young kid from Europe, not understanding the culture or language very well.. what would you do? you just JUMP! How did I end up this beautiful night? Well the latin way.. riots.. police arrival and hooligans challenging them! It is at this moment that someone took my hand and told me “Corré!!” = ” RUN!!” but… run WHERE?!! Well guess what? 13 years after I am married to an Argentinian Boca fan, and I came back to Boca Stadium more than 6 times already.. VIVA ARGENTINA and their passion for FOOTBALL!

credit photo : Cirilo

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