Tall and Tan and Middle-Aged and 150 square feet

We both intended to write more about our final days in Buenos Aires, but alas, we instead chose to soak up the time and just enjoy it. At some point in the future one of us may write about the Memorial Park, where we spent our last Saturday.

In the meantime...

We embarked on our 27-night cruise last week, with our eventual disembarkation in northern Germany. We haven't taken a cruise in many years, but when we stumbled across this one last year, the budget worked out in such a way that a month of rent + a month of food + 2 airline tickets to Germany would be about the same price.... so here we are in our palatial 150 sq ft cabina.

Getting on the boat was a textbook example of disorganization. We spent 3 hours in line outside, before then spending 2 hours in line inside.... Both of our logistics/project-management brains have SEVERAL (ahem) suggestions to help improve their processes.

Part of said chaos was probably due to inclement weather. We boarded on a Thursday and we were supposed to have our first port of call on Friday, in Montevideo. Because of a major storm at sea, our departure was postponed until Friday. Not only did this mean we didn't get a Montevideo stop, but also the 500+/- passengers who were supposed to get on in Montevideo had to quickly be transported to Buenos Aires.

Maybe neither of us wants a career in cruise line logistics after all.

Rio de Janiero

After all the excitement, we settled in to several days on the ship before arriving in our (now first) port, Rio. We opted for a quick 5 hour bus tour. Given the size and density of the city, and our utter lack of knowledge of it, it seems like the wisest choice.

It's hard to even get first impressions in such a short time, but my initial observations were of a city of opposites. Old regal buildings that have been neglected to the point of ruin. New towers of glass highlighting a modern era. A strangely beautiful middle ground, fill with modern and brutalist architecture (including the cathedral). All three of these eras seem to highlight the constantly shifting identity this city of 6 million people has had... First as a vital port for goods and receiving place for enslaved people; later as the seat of the federal government and a place of power; and most recently a glamorously aging beach hub, trying to discover a new relevance on the world stage.

One of my favorite buildings was the Cathedral of Saint Sebastian. Completed in 1979, it's a rare example of late-20th Century Catholic architecture, which fully embraces the era of its construction. From the symmetrical cement design to the soaring stained glass and 'theatre in the round' styling, it proved that modernism can also lend itself to holiness and spirituality.

Of course, spending a bit of time at a Rio beach is a requirement. The sand was white, plentiful, and there were plenty of people lounging under umbrellas. This is where the Girl from Iponema can walk just a few steps further to Copacabana.

Like many parts of South America (and the US, for that matter), the juxtaposition between those who are unhoused and those who have extravagant wealth is jarring. Seeing so many people just trying to feed their children and themselves continues to remind me how much the human experience is not fair, and how privileged we are.