It’s glorious summer, here in Australia. So, what did my family and I do? We left… and went to South America, where it’s also summer!

In a long-planned trip, we spent almost the entire month of December in Buenos Aires, where we rented an apartment. What a fabulous city that is! We saw a lot of it and loved it all.

The city itself is vibrant and multi-faceted, and the people are amazingly friendly. The architecture is grand on a scale you don’t seen in Australia (or America). It really lives up to the tag, “The Paris of South America”. We lived as much like locals and we could, going to the markets, largest swimming pool complex in South America (Parque Norte), and eating enormous amounts of amazing steak. We learned a lot of the language, which was very helpful. We went to the Carlos Pellegrini Stakes – the most important horse race in Argentina – and in a hilarious development, our five year old daughter now knows how to put on a place bet in Spanish!

We took a five-day side trip to Rio De Janeiro, which was one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen (second only to Sydney!). Copacabana Beach was so beautiful, we had to tear ourselves away for some sightseeing. We did get to see Cristo Redentor and the Maracana Soccer Stadium, where we put our feet into the footprints of Pele and Ronaldo. And the caipirinhas? Don’t get me started!

We’ve decided we’re going to do more of these longer holidays. Our daughter and I are lobbying for Iceland for the next one, but my husband isn’t so sure!

If you have a suggestion for our next crazy family adventure, or if you want some recommendations for Buenos Aires or Rio, just drop me a line!