Buenos Aires, Argentina – February 27 – March 2, 2011

We arrived in Buenos Aires late on the 27th and checked into our hotel, which seems to be down an alley. However, just one block down is the main pedestrian street, which is very busy all day long, and one block further is the Plaza de Mayo, which is the main city square in front of the Government Palace and the Cathedral. In other words, the hotel is very central and it’s easy to walk anywhere, which was good as dinner was urgently needed and quite enjoyable just down on the corner less than a block away.

It was a relaxing slow start on the 28th. Breakfast at the hotel is good – much more complete than the Lima hotel breakfast. The main hop-on, hop-off bus stop is just three blocks away so went there to start touring around the city. There is only one route but it takes over three hours to cover it. We managed to sit for two hours and then decided to get off to do some walking around. Before getting off we had done the circuit around Plaza de Mayo, the Government Palace and Cathedral as well as the National Congress. We also travelled through some interesting neighbourhoods such as San Telmo, Puerto Madero and La Boca (more on that one later). The architecture of the city is interesting. There are certainly lots of huge old stone buildings that look very European in style. There are also many smaller buildings that are much older looking and some wonderful mansions that once belonged to individuals but are now consulates for various countries. And of course there are some much newer highrises that tower above everything else. Some areas are very much limited to one type of building but quite frequently the areas appear to be a mix of everything.

There are lots of parks scattered throughout the city, a plethora of monuments and sculptures, and a lot of beautiful wide boulevards with trees and shade. San Nicolas, Monserrat, San Telmo, La Boca, Puerto Madero, Recoleta, etc. are different areas of the city. They each have their own character but they all blend together well. The city proper has a population of 3 million but the metropolitan area is closer to 13 million. It was founded in the 16th century along the banks of the Plata River. There seems to be a debate about where the first settlement really was but it is clear that the river was a lot larger or higher at that time. The Spanish were in control from the 16th century on but the British attacked several times and were in control for a short while. The influences of these two cultures is evident in the city. In the 19th century many people immigrated to Buenos Aires specifically from Italy and Spain. There is definitely a strong Italian influence in the food eaten here so I guess the immigrants brought that with them.

The hop-on, hop-off bus goes south as far as La Boca and north as far as Palmero, and covers a lot of area along the waterfront on both sides. The central portion is very walkable from the hotel but the extreme edges are further away. The Palmero area we drove through is a very green area with attractions such as the Botanical Garden, the Japanese Garden and the zoo. We gave these a miss but after riding for two hours we got off the bus in the Recoleta area and walked to the statue dedicated to Eva Peron. I’m sure there were many great Argentines in history but she is the only one that I actually remember hearing about. From there we walked a few more blocks and stopped for some refreshments at a small outdoor café. At that stage we were just outside the wall of the Recoleta Cemetery so that was our next stop.

The Recoleta Cemetery is six hectares in size and from street level there is a huge wall all around it with high decorated monuments standing out above the top of the wall. There are 4,800 tombs in the complex and each one includes a number of burial spots so the number of people buried there could be ten times that amount. Only the rich and/or famous were buried here so it is a select group. Former presidents, diplomats, distinguished military personnel, etc. were well represented. There also seemed to be lots of doctors. Other than those it was hard to distinguish who the other people were. Most of the monuments were for family plots. Eva Peron is buried in the Duarte family tomb and there are several plaques on the plain dark tomb in her honour. As usual hers was the only name that I recognized out of the thousands that were on the list.

Actually it was probably a good thing there weren’t any other names I recognized because it took a long time to find just this one tomb. The place is a labyrinth of small alleys and it is very easy to lose track of exactly where you are at any given time. Following the tour groups always helped as they generally only went to the more “popular” spots. Or as the tour books say, you can follow the stray cats that wander around the cemetery and just go where they go. Some of the tombs are quite ornate and fancy both inside and out while others are plainer on the outside and you can’t even see on the inside. Some are well sealed and some are not quite so well sealed so the cats can get into some of the tombs if they want to rest for a while. It’s kind of eerie when you’re standing by a tomb and suddenly the door creaks open and a cat wanders out. Spooky! This would be a great place on Halloween but they probably aren’t open then. Some of the tombs do have for sale signs on them so obviously there is still room for more.

The cultural centre is right next door so a wander through was called for. There was an exhibit on an early tango dancer so that was quite interesting, especially the fabulously coloured costumes at the end. From there it was back to the bus stop to catch the rest of the journey through the city. There was one sculpture on the boulevard that was quite unique. It was a large flower in silver and it opened in the day and closed up at night. I only saw it open but it was very nice. The Opera House was quite spectacular but it is going through renovations so it’s closed at the moment. There is an obelisk in a plaza nearby but I don’t remember hearing where it came from or what its significance was.

Following the drop off at the bus stop I took a stroll down the pedestrian shopping street and tried to buy a pair of running shoes. There were lots of choices but I just didn’t find any that I liked at a price that I liked. I should have bought them in Peru as they were about one third the price there!!! An ice cream was called for before heading back to the hotel and going out for a steak dinner at a local establishment.

On March 1st (I can’t believe it is March already!!!) it was another relaxing start to the day. The hop-on, hop-off ticket was still valid so we walked to a nearby stop but not the very first stop as the short five minute walk saved about forty minutes of travel time. We rode out to the farthest point to the left and got off in La Boca. This is a really interesting area known for its colourful buildings, bright wall murals and windows with characters staring out of windows. And everything was indeed colourful. One building alone might be blue, orange, purple and green and its neighbor might be an even stranger combination of colours but it all seems to work and it looks great. It also brings the tourists in so that’s definitely good for business. There are lots of restaurants and souvenir shops in the area and tourism appears to be the main economic driver. The restaurants get you in to see tango dances and make money while you eat and drink. The souvenir shops try all kinds of things to get you into their stores. And of course there are lots of people out on the street selling their products or posing for pictures or trying to get you in costume to pose for pictures. It really is quite over the top but it’s also a good place to spend a bit of time – probably an hour allows you to see it all, two hours at the most.

Back on the hop-on, hop-off bus and around to the other side of the river mainly to sample some grilled food that smelled so good on the trip by yesterday. It was nothing fancy but it was good. Grilled sausages were definitely the most popular item. The seats were just plastic but in the shade. The birds loved the left-over buns that were thrown at them. Most were just pigeons or sparrows but there were some doves and some parrots that were totally green. The pigeons were definitely the slow ones or perhaps they were just less greedy. They took only a nibble at a time while the sparrows and parrots would steal the whole chunk and fly off with it. It’s amazing what small things amuse you when it’s a hot day and you just want to sit in the shade for a while.

From there I walked back to the river and over the Women’s Bridge, which is a very stylish pedestrian bridge that actually swings open to let ships down the river. The river at this point is actually divided into four parts by dykes that can control the water level if needed. All were at the same level as far as I could see. After crossing the bridge I wandered back to Plaza de Mayo and took some pictures. I also wandered into the Metropolitan Cathedral which is right on the square. You almost miss it as a church and in fact I had missed it the first two times I went by. It just looks like a white columned building but not a church from the street level. The inside is white and the columns throughout have very ornate tops. The ceiling is painted with frescoes and there is a high dome in the centre aisle just before the main altar. There are six or eight side altars along each side of the church, and the floors throughout are a mosaic of colourful tiles. It’s quite impressive looking but was very empty feeling when I was there.

From there I went back to the hotel, did some laundry and started some blogging. Dinner was down the pedestrian street at a local restaurant that was definitely meant for younger people than me. The music was loud and heavy on the bass part, and the videos were nonstop. Luckily the mirror balls weren’t being used so I didn’t feel too out of place.

Tomorrow is a travel day from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile but the flight from here isn’t until 5 p.m. so departure for the airport won’t be until about 2 p.m. Since I haven’t even thought about packing yet, that will probably tomorrow’s chore. I do end up back in Buenos Aires for one night before I start the next tour and then for another night before the following tour. However, I don’t think there will be much time to do anything in Buenos Aires on those occasions so I guess this is basically it for Buenos Aires. I should have a lot more to say about the city but right now I can’t think of anything. The city is nice. The people are nice but don’t speak much English. The prices are more expensive than Peru. But overall it was very enjoyable.