Last day in BA

11th January.

Darn, it’s time to leave already! I had until 8pm though before my transfer from the hotel so could spend all day out and about again. I set out for the Museo Nacional de Belles Artes intending to spend a couple of hours there then go sketching in the Recoleta Cemetery afterwards. Well, that plan went astray, before I knew it, it was one o’clock, I was famished and had only just finished looking around the ground floor. I found a nice restaurant not far away for lunch then returned for another couple of hours. I’m blaming the heat for the awful angles on todays pics……….

Diego Rivera painting at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

One of my favourite artists, Edgar Degas

Little Chinese treasures at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

One of two paintings of the same theme, this one now and the other one old

The other showing the old version

Van Gogh painting at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

Toulouse Lautrec painting at Van Gogh painting at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

By then it was too hot to sketch in the cemetery, actually too hot to be outside, so I took a quick look inside the cloisters of the church next door, browsed shops and tried Starbucks for the very first time, before settling at an outdoor bar in the shade for a last quick sketch.

Lunch near the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

Lunchtime sketch

Rooftop view from Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

Floralis Generica, the huge flower that opens and shuts daily from the rooftop of Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, BA

Recoleta Cemetery from the cloisters of the church

Escaping the heat!

Resorting to Starbucks sketch

Last sketching place in BA

Last sketch in BA

Our Lady of the Pilar church at Recoleta

Apartment building with a deco feel near Recoleta

Good thing I headed back to the hotel a little earlier than planned as Diego arrived not long later for my transfer to the airport. Wow, it was so crowded inside and out. The traffic wardens were blowing their whistles non-stop! The driving continued to amaze me, so many drivers don’t seem to take any notice of lane markings or use their indicators – although Diego wasn’t in this category. Yet the traffic seems to flow just fine! I can’t imagine what would happen in Australia if you drove in the middle of two lanes – there would be lots of road rage!

At the airport I ordered a glass of wine with my baguette and thought it was expensive; not sure if they didn’t sell by the glass, but I got a half bottle!! Bit more than I bargained for, but why leave any when I’d paid for it, hehehe.

Cool sun and cloud formations, Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires airport – more wine than I bargained for, lol!

Flying home

So, that’s the end of another adventure, I’ve had a wonderful few weeks. Already planning my next one to Chicago for the Urban Sketchers symposium and a couple of weeks in either northern US or Canada in July/August. Hopefully that will keep the wanderlust at bay for a while.