The Slower Road

First, let me say that I’ve been remiss in not giving you these two links, which will give you a tiny glimpse into the life of Argentine luxury that the CAA group is living …

The beautiful Sofitel hotel in Buenos Aires: http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-3253-sofitel-buenos-aires/index.shtml

And the Bella Vista estancia, where the group stayed on Monday night (at the end of their second day): http://www.ladatco.com/AR-BUE-Bella%20Vista.htm

Here is Jill’s report on the rest of the third day:

Tuesday Afternoon:

After a wonderful lunch yesterday, we loaded up luggage and people and headed south for the beach community of Carilo. We checked into our charming accommodations for the next two nights, La Estacion (http://www.laestaciondecarilo.com.ar/ingles/index.htm), just a few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. The area was developed by the Guerrero family and it was a member of the family that we visited today.
 
Following breakfast in our rooms (what a life!), we departed for an hour’s drive through the countryside to the Estancia Charles Viejo to visit a small but wonderful carriage collection. We were first shown the history room that houses photos, books, maps, and papers of the Guerrero family and most especially about Hector Guerrero (the one who began to develop the Carilo area). Then we moved on to the harness room (which now houses only a part of the original collection) and saw wonderful leather harness hung and all cleaned and well maintained – it was a joy to see.
 
Then on to the carriages, all painted in the family colors of yellow and black. There were many of Argentine make and, although there were only seven vehicles on the estancia at this time, they were all in original condition and wonderful examples (Mail Phaeton, Barouche, Dog Cart with their original lamps).
 
We enjoyed the warm sun and had a chance to tour the gardens and house before partaking of a light lunch of beef and ham and cheese empanadas.
 
We then returned to our beach hotel to enjoy the sun and relax.

More from Jill, who is with the CAA group in Argentina:

Day Two (Monday):

Although the rain had stopped in B.A. overnight, it had apparently not done so on the outskirts of the city, and so our host for today – Dr. Guillermo Gibelli – had arranged to meet us at a gas station in a nearby town to lead us in through the mud roads! We headed off from our B.A. hotel, luggage loaded, and well-fed on the hotel buffet breakfast for a two-hour drive southwest of the city to a town called General Belgrano. We duly met Dr. Gibelli at the appointed gas station and everyone checked over our minivan to make sure it would make it through the mud. It is hard to describe the road once we turned off the main road and were met by a formerly dirt road, now deep, slippery mud. The car in front (with four-wheel drive) was doing fine, but we had more difficulty as our van had larger wheels and we were not able to stay in the other car’s tracks and were slipping and sliding all over the road. (Photos will follow upon my return!). We made it finally to our destination, the estancia owned by the Gibelli family. (Our driver was never more pleased than to see the house, I can tell you!)

Dr. Gibelli and his son, Mathias, and daughter, Sofia, plus a neighbor friend, Carol, were all there to greet us and we enjoyed an hour just looking around the beautiful house with all its photos, books, paintings, and art. We then sat down to a delicious lunch followed by coffee on the terrace and a showing of the estancia horses. Dr. Gibelli has a number of Orlov horses, and he has been crossing them with Hackneys. The result is a very attractive black horse with action and a quiet disposition. Rain threatened, so we viewed the sixteen or so carriages in the large barn, all the while hoping the rain would hold off so we could go driving with Dr. Gibelli’s four. The decision was finally made to put the horses away, and we all loaded in trucks and drove through fields to see the herds of Angus cattle and some mares and foals. Then we drove farther down the muddy road to the next estancia, where the housekeeper (the owner being away) had prepared a scrumptious afternoon tea for us. We all sat at a large table as cake after cake (all homemade) appeared, along with cups of tea. (By the way, for those of you who have been on our Argentina trip before, you will understand that many in our group wondered if we were on a gastronomic tour and not a carriage tour – say no more!)

We were forced to tear ourselves away from the tea and the gorgeous house and property as we soon realized we had been at these two estancias for six hours and it was time to get on the road before it got dark and we could not see to drive back down the muddy road to get back on the main road to find our home for the night.

We made it and got on our way (about an hour’s drive) down a main road with NO lights whatsoever to guide you. We found the side road (mud again), by which time the group was wondering where we were leading them and more than one was heard to say, “Are you sure there is a hotel down this road??” We found the gate and saw the lights were on (it was not yet 8:30 p.m.), and we came upon the beautiful estancia Bella Vista.

After checking in and having our luggage delivered to our rooms, we gathered at 9 p.m. for dinner. Despite all we had eaten that day, we STILL had room for three courses!

The end of another wonderful day.

Day Three (Tuesday):

We woke up to the sun shining through the windows, and we were finally able to see the land stretching out for miles in all directions. Today, we are enjoying a lazy morning: some are carriage driving and some are riding. After lunch, we will depart for Carilo, a small beach resort on the Atlantic.

Jill sent the following update from Argentina:

I tried to get on the computer yesterday morning before leaving the Sofitel Hotel in B.A., but I could never get a free computer so I was not able to write before leaving the city. We are now at the Bella Vista estancia.

Day One:

The entire (small) group arrived yesterday and enjoyed a free afternoon before all meeting up for drinks in the hotel bar at 7:15, followed by a sumptuous dinner in the hotel’s French restaurant. Unfortunately, it was raining a lot on Saturday and the storm continued through Saturday night. So we had a quick change of plans on Sunday morning. We were going to leave the hotel at 10 a.m. and visit the open-air market in the city (where there are masses of antique shops and stalls, but impromptu tango dancing). But the heavy rain meant we had to cancel that adventure and wait until 11 a.m. to leave for our drive out of the city to Quilmos.

Quilmos is just south of the city and is famous for its beer. We passed by the large brewery on our way to visit Marcelo Decoud and his carriage collection (http://www.gracielagiacosa.com/The_Carriage_Museum.html). Although it was cloudy, the rain had stopped and did not interrupt our day any more.

We were warmly greeted by a large number of friends of the family, and we all enjoyed a glass of wine to break the ice. We then visited the collection, housed in a wonderful building copied from a barn in northern France. The property and collection were started in 1904 by the uncle of the present owner, and the nineteen carriages (plus eight more at another ranch), all in original condition, were very special. There were Dog Carts, an 1885 Spider Phaeton, an Argentine Break, a Tilbury, two Duc de Dames, an Omnibus, a Mail Phaeton. Some were Argentine made, but most were English or French (Binder). There were sets of Hermes harness, English and French harness sets, and all manner of other appointments.

Because of the rain, many of the invited members of the Agrupacion de Carreros y Cocheros de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (commercial carriage association of the province of Buenos Aires) were not able to get there, but five hardy soles managed to bring their horses and carts, and we all thoroughly enjoyed a full explanation of the vehicles: their original use, the reason for the colors on the vehicles, the harness, etc. Fascinating.

Several CAA members were able to demonstration their driving skills when the reins of the turnouts were offered to them! We then all enjoyed an Argentine barbecue (an asada), which was prepared inside a large barn (the first time they had ever barbecued over an open fire INSIDE the barn!!). Despite some language difficulties, we all got along famously and we exchanged gifts and thanks and compliments and then headed back to our B.A. hotel for another very comfortable night.

Jill, her sister, and a few other trip participants arrived yesterday morning in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a day before the remainder of the CAA travellers. The group for this year’s Argentina trip is quite small.

We were hoping that Jill’s Blackberry might work there (in B.A. at least) so that she could send regular updates for the blog, but that appears to not be the case. She says that she’ll send updates as she can find reliable Internet access. I’ll post these as I receive them, and then we’ll have a wrap-up post and photos when the travellers return home in a couple of weeks.

Jill’s first update (from Saturday morning):

Five of us arrived one day early in Buenos Aires, and the rest of our small “elite” group arrive today. All of us were tired from the trip. I flew from Lexington, KY, to Atlanta, GA. And then it was a 9 1/2-hour flight to Buenos Aires. I was lucky to have an empty seat next to me, but it is still a long flight. There is only a one-hour time difference with Eastern time, so at least we do not have to contend with a time change.

We all arrived in B.A., and all our luggage was there, and our driver was waiting with a “CAA” sign to greet us just outside the customs area. All was well, but then we hit Friday traffic in B.A.!! It seemed like everyone with a car was trying to go in our direction. An hour later, we were safely in our hotel, the Sofitel, on a nice quiet street right in the city center, our home for the next three nights. We all rested that day and then met up for drinks and a bar meal before an early night.

This morning, the group of four (not me, as I am nursing a head cold) head off on a city tour with a small group of other visitors to Argentina. They got the right day for a tour, as all the cars on the streets yesterday have apparently left the city, and the streets are deserted!

The balance of the group arrive today, and then we shall “officially” begin the CAA trip with a welcome dinner tonight in our hotel.