i feel like i walked all over the city today. i started the day by walking through the San Telmo flea market.

the market started around 10 AM, so i headed out around 9:15 not knowing how long it would take me to get there. i managed to get there a little before 10, so i was in good shape, i got there ahead of the swarm. it was more a combination of a flea market and arts & craft fair. it felt like a mile of Telegraph Ave. with all it’s street artists, ending in a plaza with a flea market. there were lots of antique shops and art galleries along the way as well. the paper mâché fish caught my eye along with the brightly colored seltzer bottles.

 after wandering through a ton of antique stalls and being overwhelmed by too much incense, i figured it was time for lunch. i headed to El Americana, a place known for……you guessed it, empanadas!

i was a little directionally challenged after leaving the market and ended up going completely out of the way before i finally found the place. at one point while walking the wrong direction, i turned around to look for a street sign and surprise, there was the National Congress building.

the empanadas were mighty tasty, i tried a choclo (corn) one today in addition to the verdura (greens/spinach) which seems to be my go-to empanda.

i got home without any trouble and took a short rest before heading out once again. this time i was off to find the El Alamo sports bar.

on the way to the bar i happened across what seemed to be a human statue contest. you know, like the guys who paint themselves silver and when you put money in the hat they move. there were a bunch of them and you could vote on your favorite. random, but fun to see.

i enjoyed watching the Raiders beat the Jets with two other Oakland fans. after three weeks of being the lone English speaker, it was odd being in a place that was completely full of people speaking English watching a US sport. odd, but felt like home.