A few of the consular team and I were invited to tour the Libertad before she embarked on a five-month trip that celebrates the end of the school year for the cadets. Because they stop in Baltimore, they needed visas — almost 300 of them — and we worked hard to get them finished in time. The tour of the ship was fun and interesting – so much so that John and I went back on Saturday to watch them sail away. It was a festive event with the Navy band, families waving farewell banners, and the sailors all decked out. I was amazed to see them manning the crossbars on the masts, all the way up to the tippy top!
It was a short week – Thursday and Friday were both Argentine holidays, and we’ve enjoyed the long weekend. Thursday we went to Luis and Mercedes’ home for the traditional Argentine locro, a kind of stew that was delicious and served on Dia de la Patria. We were happy to see another Argentine couple we like in attendance, plus the two young adult children of Luis and Mercedes, who were both smart and engaging. It was a lovely afternoon, sitting in their glass-enclosed patio overlooking the yard and pool while it rained outside.
We’ve stayed pretty close to home on this luxurious long weekend; I’ve got the embassy duty phone and have been fielding a few calls. I read the amazing book, “The Wager,” which I thoroughly enjoyed — it’s about a ship in 1740 that wrecked not far from here, in southern Chile. It referenced “Candide,” so I’m re-reading it (and it also partially takes place in Buenos Aires and surrounding countries). We watched “Air,” about Nike signing Michael Jordan back in the 80s – it was a great story, and you don’t have to be a basketball fan to like it. Last night, we enjoyed “Turn Every Page,” a wonderful documentary about the lifelong relationship between a writer and his editor (Robert Caro and Bob Gottleib).
