This is a brand new four-day holiday weekend for Argentina in conjunction Carnival. To kick it off, we spent a quiet Saturday catching up on some work and reading and then went to the amazing park a few blocks from here to relax, take in some sun and an amazing collection of people.

But today we will adventure to El Tigre about 28 km north of here. What makes Tigre especially interesting is that it is the jumping off point for the Parana Delta. We will catch the #130 bus shortly to the Retiro train station and then our first train ride -- on to Tigre!

Here is a bit more of what we know to expect... more later.

It was a short bus ride to the Retiro train station. Our first thought was that the reports of a busy extended holiday weekend were exaggerated.

Retiro Train Station ©2011

But as we made our way to the ticket counter, that thought was quickly dispelled. Two long lines extended outside the station. The lines moved quickly, the purchase (about 5,60 pesos for two) went smoothly and we made our way to the tracks where this scene unfolded. It seemed like a large percentage of Buenos Aires' 15 million residents had the same idea as us.

Boarding for Tigre

Once the train was in position with doors open, any concept of lines was broken as a rush to the front seeking a seat for the 45-60 minute ride ensued. Unfortunately, we did not play the game well and ended up standing. The train made its way through the city and out into the suburbs.

Ride to El Tigre

This was the scene as we left the train at El Tigre. We traveled in the last car so we had a unique vantage point.

The Scene at the El Tigre Platform

We held the rear position as this mass of humanity made its way for several blocks to the amusement park, market, water-taxis into the delta, the casino and lunch. The group was like a quarter-mile human snake.

The Long March

We stopped at the local tourist office and gathered some much needed intel. It was confirmed that the boat rides to the delta are reasonably priced with lots of options like how far and long you want to travel. The catch was, this weekend was a holiday so the wait times for tickets were exceedingly long. We decided to save that excursion for another day.

The river scene was amazing. This is one of my favorite shots.

And another...

Picturesque River Scene

Our destination was the popular market (mercado) in Tigre so we were able to follow the crowd to the entrance. Along the way we stopped in the Casino, both for a bathroom break and to put a few pesos into the slots. The casino was familiar and similar to an American casino in setting and style. I mentioned earlier there are several things to do in Tigre.

Going for the Jackpot

Our feet were sore, so we sat down at a $1 peso machine. It was literally a spin or two later that the machine started to flash and the Argentine man next to us got very animated, Spanish spilling like a waterfall from his mouth. We were clueless, catching only a few of his words. He became more animated in the next few seconds, his language faster and more intense. Finally he indicated we should push a slightly obscure button.

Oh boy! Now things were happening -- the lights flashed and large "dollar" tokens, bigger and heavier than a 50 cent piece started pouring from the machine and making a banging noise that added to everything else going on. It was wildly exciting. Two hundred of these coins spewed out but in spurts of 10 or so, the man was laughing and we were laughing. He kept talking. The money tray was filling up. He indicated to Betsy she needed to do something. Well that something was to go get some of those plastic coin cups you have probably seen. Half understanding she took off to find one. Meanwhile we had drawn something of a crowd as Betsy returned with dos cups and we starting scooping. Coins were spilling on the floor as we scooped, everyone was laughing at our good luck, and we were having too much fun.

We spent another hour or so there and walked away with $188 pesos, enough for a good dinner. It is times like these that not speaking the language takes away from - and at the same time adds to - the experience. It would have been great to know what the man was saying. He was more excited than we were and it was contagious. It was all the more humorous that we had no idea what people around us were saying. The whole scene was hilarious.

Right next to the casino is the local amusement park which from the looks on some of the faces of the children (hijos) must be pretty cool. All we could make out from our vantage point was the roller coaster.

Amusement Park Entrance

Following the crowd that had not dropped off on either the boat rides to the delta, the casino or the amusement park we found the entrance to the market. The market was large (grande) and the temperature rising as we wove our way through the vast market.

Market Entrance

This market had a much different flavor than the ones we have previously visited. There were many small specialty stores much like you would think of in the United States. There were only a few fruit markets while there were scores of household item specialty shops. Kitchen, furniture and decorative shops were the most prevalent, along with a few leather shops, baby shops, a couple of nurseries, gift shops, etc.

Home and Kitchen Shop

Wicker Shop

Lamp Shop

Local Merchandise

Gourds

The flowers (flores) below were one of the more popular items of the day. Lots of people purchased them and we were tempted. They were really well done, bright, and cheerful.

Colorful Flowers ©2011

Another Source for Flowers

Waffles on a stick. This was the first time we had seen waffles this way. We tried one filled with apple (manzana) and it was tasty. The options were fruit filling or ham and cheese and others. Did I mention chocolate?

Waffles of the World

Waffles on a Stick

After shopping a while we decided to break for lunch. We found a small restaurant where we could sit at the bar. Menus are still difficult to fully translate.

Here are just a few more river scenes. The boats below are loosely called grocery boats and make their way up the delta to the various islands, restaurants and communities.

Grocery Boats

The river scene caught our attention because it is so unusual.

Mixed passage

Captivating

Typical Small Boat

Typical Long Boat

It was time to make our way back to the train station but decided to take the #60 bus home instead. On the way we couldn't help but notice this magnificent building.

Edificio Rio Mayor

The ride was long but brought us right to Avenida Sante Fe, a few blocks from our apartment. We bought some bread (pan) and a brownie and then stopped at the apartment briefly to put our feet up. About 9 pm we went to the local parrilla (grill) for some dinner.

What to Have?

We both had sandwiches that were delicious and decided we would come back again.

Monday in the afternoon (la tarde), we had a conversational Spanish lesson with Azul. She was great. For about an hour and a half we practiced. We talked about restaurants, vocabulary, the alphabet and worked on pronunciation. Come to find out Mollejas on the menu above are a personal favorite of our young Spanish tutor and she insists they are not to be missed. She confirmed what we were learning -- that in Argentina they eat all of the cow.