My name is Willow and  this is my tango travelers’ blog.  I travel with my companion & dance partner Ben.  Dedicated to all of our friends & loved ones who insisted we keep you up to date on our adventures!

Our last night in SF:

Sending us off are my son Ode eating a celebratory Mud Pie:

And my daughter Autumn (on right: a master blogger herself and my inspiration) and  Ode’s girlfriend Dana (on left):

Yes, they will make him share!

But I have to go back in time, because before we left for Buenos Aires we had a blissfully hot, humid & salty 10-day family vacation in South Carolina.  This is the Hall gang at the grave of Ben’s illustrious grandpa William Outz who was sheriff of Edgefield County for 30+ years:

We splashed, swam, played, cooked, played cards & lounged on the beach for a whole glorious week.

It was so hot & humid that stepping outside instantly fogged up your sunglasses.  I loved it!  Much fresh seafood was consumed, and many variations on pico de gallo were prepared only to disappear immediately.  A group of 14 can really put the hurt on the food!

After our week at the beach we spent two days & nights in beautiful, historic Charleston.  What an amazing city!  We did the horse carriage tour of the historic quarter:

took the ferry to Fort Sumter (first shots fired in the Civil War):

browsed the French Market, took a bike-taxi ride to a seafood place right on the waterfront where the food was to die for!  and the setting!  a balmy, tropical, night:

Before heading back to the West Coast we went to a milonga (a tango dance party) out on Folly Island, on the edge of the wetlands that border Charleston.  Where else can you find such a unique blend of art, history, tango (and great jazz and blues), cultural mixing, ocean & wetlands?  I would go back to that town in a hot second!  Even though you can’t buy a drink in the historic district on Sundays.

We finally left SF after spending half the night in the airport, trying to catch a few winks with other random fellow travelers in the check-in area which of didn’t open up till 4:00 am (of course the airline told us to be there at 3).  Arriving in Miami mid-day, we left our carry-ons at the airport and took the bus to South Beach.  We ate yummy Cuban food (plátanos fritos!) while a thirst-quenching thunderstorm moved in, passersby crowded into the little café, and the sound of the rain beat a habanera on the roof…   I sucked down a mango mojito and Ben had a beer.  Yet another Paradise found!

Later, about 4 hours after our flight was due to depart at 9 pm (Ben calls it a clue when there’s no plane at the gate), LAN flew us to Buenos Aires.  (Travel Tip: LAN is definitely the best way to go to BsAs.  Roomier seats, more leg room and they feed you!)

I will leave you till the next post with a photo of the Plaza Italia, a few blocks from our apartment in the Palermo Botántico neighborhood of Buenos Aires:

Ciao! y hasta la próxima.  Next post will be all about Buenos Aires!