A completely stinking hot Buenos Aires welcomed me! It was 40°C and humid!! Arriving at the bus terminal and valuing safety I decided to take a taxi to my accommodation, which wasn’t far, rather than walking through a really dodgy looking part of the city. I’m glad I did, but not glad that I was ripped off by the driver. I want to learn Spanish just to be able to argue with these type of people!
I walked around the city, to get some exercise as I haven’t been hiking in a while. Many kilometers later and sweating buckets in the heat; I did a revisit of the places that I had been to on my trip 10 years ago.
I stayed in Recoleta, a famous and rather posh neighbourhood. It is close to the Recoleta Cemetery- where Evita Peron and many famous Argentinians are buried. There are goliath tombs/vaults here- unbelievably so! The area is also close to the law faculty and Belles Artes Museum, but unfortunately it was closed until April. There is a park close by which has a modern art piece- a flower, made from metal which opens and closes with the sun.
The following day I did a huge loop around the city and took in many notable sites.
A beautiful old theater (El Ateneo Grand Splendid) now host to a bookshop- such a great idea!!
The Plaza 25 de Mayo terminates on one end with the Casa Rosada (pink house) and is home to the president. About 10 blocks west of the Casa Rosada the National Congress building stands on the other end of a grand Plaza -aptly named Plaza del Congreso.
The Catedral Metropolitana is a huge cathedral located on Plaza 25 de Mayo and its most important feature is that it is the resting place of General Jose San Martin- the most important figure in gaining the independence of Chile, Peru and Argentina. He is thus a hero among all these nations. His mausoleum has its own ‘chapel’ and is guarded; I was there inadvertently when the changing of the guard took place.
The Obelisco, which is located in the center of 9 de Julio Street and commemorates the foundation of the city. It sits on one of the widest streets in the world- I think I counted 16 lanes of traffic! Close by to this monument is the Teatro Colon – a majestic theater that i did not do a tour of due to the long lines of interested people.
Puerto Madero is now a modern, skyscraper filled, business and apartment location. This area has been refurbished from an old port and railway stations. It is lined with trendy and expensive restaurants and bars. Also the place that I have had the yummiest and smoothest passion fruit mousse ice cream ever!
On my second full day I walked to two well-known neighbourhoods- San Telmo and La Boca. San Telmo is the oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires and is home to a great old style market. I had a pear cider to help with the heat.
La Boca is the most colourful suburb of the city- it was originally painted many colours as the people used leftover ship yard paint to paint their houses. There are many couples dancing tango. It is now a must on any person’s travel itinerary. Having said this, it is extremely kitsch and there 100% for tourists.
4 replies on “Buenos Aires”
Fantásticamente
I am glad it wasn’t 40 degrees in Buenos Aires, when we were There! We loved the La Boca area, we went to a dinner and tango show.
Claire
You should be very happy that you had milder weather!! Im glad you enjoyed it! I did a tango show 10 years ago when I was last here.
Very interesting and informative. Really great that you provide all this information. I love the flower that opens with sun.
I also like these old majestic buildings.
Interesting about various colors of buildings in some areas. I would never think of the reason…..