I am a member of a couple of Facebook groups dedicated to Brompton bicycles. That’s where I connected with Martin, a local guy and fellow Bromptoneer. I had seen some of his posts before arriving in Buenos Aires, so I asked him for suggestions on bike routes. Right away, he invited me to join him for a family lunch in the countryside, and since it was on Sunday, my day off, I happily accepted.
That’s how Harry a.k.a. Greengo, my Brompton, met Sally a.k.a. Bianca, Martin’s Brompton, and I met Martin. We started off at 9 in the morning. It was a sunny, windy, and cold day, only +4°C. It was the coldest day since my arrival, and my fingerless gloves didn’t provide much warmth.
When I mentioned “countryside,” it was a bit of an exaggeration. Despite being roughly 40 km from the city center, it is still part of the Buenos Aires agglomeration. Our destination was Merlo, not to be confused with Merlot. On the way there, Martin took me through various neighborhoods in the western part of Buenos Aires and its surroundings. When we arrived, Martin’s mom greeted us, and we joined Martin’s cousin and her kids for a family lunch. It was quite indulgent, starting with choripan with plenty of chimichurri, followed by perfectly cooked bondiola, and topped off with handmade flan with a couple of scoops of dulce de leche. Despite my practically non-existent Spanish, Martin’s translation and his cousin’s understanding of some English helped keep the conversation flowing. Soon, it was time to bid farewell to Martin’s family and head back to Buenos Aires. All the food we had eaten fueled our pedaling journey back.
By the end of the day, my legs were slightly shaking, but I thoroughly enjoyed the longer ride in Martin’s company and the lunch with his family.
Today in numbers:
90 km — distance cycled
1989 — “When Harry Met Sally” was released
$16 million USD — the film’s budget; these days, each leading actor’s salary would be at least that much