Argentina – Tango Dancers, Red Wine, and Beef …

 

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We arrived, seven thousand miles away from our home, in Buenos Aires. After breezing through customs, we were on our way.  The sunshine and mid-30 temperature descended upon us as we headed into the city to check into our hotel.  We headed to South America for the warm temperatures and the weather was terrific!

 

 

 

IMG_0316We stayed in Recoleta, which is one of the more exclusive neighbourhoods in the city. Centrally located near many of the  areas we wanted to visit, it allowed us to do all of our touring on foot.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_0765One afternoon we walked to the botanical gardens. The English styled gardens were opened in the late 1800s, filled with a variety of different plants and home to many orphaned cats who are now taken care of by the gardeners. While taking breaks from touring around, we enjoyed finding a shady spot on one of the benches to soak in some of the elaborate sculptures and water fountains which were sprinkled throughout these green spaces.

 

IMG_0816Strongly influenced by European culture, Buenos Aires is sometimes referred to as the Paris of South America.  The city is full of high density apartments and residents make use of the public parks that are sprinkled throughout the city.

 

 

 

 

IMG_0964Buenos Aires is the site of the Teatro Colón. The opera house which was built in the early 1900s is quite a grand architectural building. Although we had the option, we didn’t take in a tour of the inside of the opera house, nor did we attend a show.  Unfortunately, the picture  doesn’t really do it justice although you can make out all the wrought iron work that greets patrons.

 

IMG_0414 We toured the Plaza de Mayo, the political hub of Buenos Aires and home to the official office of the Argentine president.  These buildings were surrounded by other well maintained government buildings and several banks. The irony is that this is also a popular shopping area and there were lots of tourists milling around along with locals trying to trade American money for local pesos on the street corner.

IMG_0376San Telmo, one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods, is known for its well preserved colonial architecture. We saw spontaneous tango performances in the streets as this area is known as the center of tango in Buenos Aires. We also toured through the antiques markets although we didn’t find any treasures we had to come home with. Along the route, however, we did see sculptors of popular people. Since our understanding of the history of Argentina is fleeting at best, we simply took pictures and read a bit of history along the way.

IMG_1011One of our favourite destinations during our visit was the La Boca neighbourhood.  This is the most colourful neighbourhood of any that we visited in Buenos Aires.  We learned that the European influence has remained strong since the neighbourhood was mainly settled by Italian immigrants.

IMG_1036The neighbourhood is a major attraction and well known for the brightly painted buildings on the Caminito, one of the busiest strolls in the area.  There were local artists selling artwork, handmade scarves and tango dancers everywhere.

 

IMG_0558We took a tour of the popular Recoleta Cemetery. The cemetery is popular as this is where the remains of Eva Peron are, as well as several popular presidents and other legendary public figures who helped the public programs and services enjoyed by the residents of Argentina.   Eva Peron is buried in this cemetery although her monument is more classic than this more ornamental and decorative one that we captured here.

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Near where we stayed was a theatre that had been turned into a spectacular bookstore. North American bookstores have a long way to go if they want to catch up to the beauty of this popular destination.

 

IMG_0708Argentina is known for its wine and its beef. We ate at Cafe Tartoni’s. Open since 1858, it has been rated one of the nicest cafes in the city.  It was one of the most charming places we ate at in Buenos Aires. We met a friend of ours who works in Buenos Aires. She knew about this popular cafe and we are glad we were able to experience it.  Our visit, the wine and the food was great, and the prices were reasonable. We ordered beef, which Argentina is well known for. 

 

IMG_0706Our brief visit to Buenos Aires was all that we had hoped it would be. While not as prosperous as Europe, it does have many similarities. Its architecture, the people, the food and the wine, and the tourist attractions were all lively and colourful!

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