Buenos Aires & Rio de Janeiro

PART I: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Our first stop was in Buenos Aires, a city I’ve always dreamed of going to. It reminded me of New York City, Tel Aviv, and Lisbon, all mashed together! We explored all the different neighborhoods, each with their own vibe, but San Telmo market was our favorite (we went there every day - Derek was obsessed with a place that made oven baked empanadas). We visited the famous cemetary, walked the streets of Palermo (so adorable), and of course visited the famous opera house turned bookstore. Derek was in heaven visiting La Bombanera, and we had the best time walking around La Boca and seeing all the colorful painted houses. We went there on the first day but were too tired from the overnight travel to really embrace it, so I am glad we returned to soak it up!

RecoletA, la Bombanera, San telmo, palermo, and La boca

PART II: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

We were beyond excited to fly to Rio - a place that has been on our bucket lists forever. We finally saw the famous Christ Redeemer statue. The experience (and the views) did not disappoint! We took the famous Corcovado train at 7am to the top of the hill, where we saw the statue up close and the breathtaking views for about 20 min before a ton of clouds rolled in and covered EVERYTHING! Talk about great timing. From there, we ventured down and went over to the Sugarloaf Mountain cable cars to see the views from that angle. It was epic and probably the coolest view I’ve ever seen in my life. Rio has such a vibrant, high-energy vibe, and I was shocked by how huge the city was. The views of the various beaches were stunning. The other highlight of the trip was eating the best acai of my life ($6 for acai the size of my head!) and walking along the famous Copacabana Beach (although my loyalty lies with Ipanema Beach, which was my actual favorite). On the last day, we ventured to Escadaria Selaron (the famous steps) in the pouring rain, and it was so worth it! We strolled around downtown and checked out a famous, gorgeous bakery as well. It was the perfect trip, and loved exploring new cities with the love of my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better Thanksgiving holiday.