Welcome to Buenos Aires! As we drove from the airport into the city, I was surprised to see an image of Eva Perón depicted on the side of this building. Our cab driver told us that it lights up at night. Apparently after all these years she is still revered today by many Argentinian’s.
We have been here for nearly two weeks...and have enjoyed every minute of it. Almost everyone you talk to who has visited Buenos Aires agrees...this is a wonderful city. First, after a disappointing apartment in Chile...I am happy to report that we love everything about our new place. As you can see from the photos below...it has a decidedly 60’s vibe...with a working record player! The two bedroom apartment is spacious, sparkling clean, and nicely outfitted with almost everything we need for our month long stay.
Lance and I are living in the San Telmo neighborhood,which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. A well known historic restaurant, Bar Sur, that offers tango in the evening is only a few steps away...and a beautiful restaurant, Cafe Rivas, is right across the street. We’ve been to Cafe Rivas, several times and it’s just as charming as it looks.
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| Bar Sur |
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| Above and below...Cafe Rivas |
A five minute walk down the street will bring you to a busy boulevard where you will find the government buildings pictured below.
If you walk ten more minutes up the street, you will be in one of the newest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires.
Five more minutes will bring you to a big park, Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, where parts of it border the Atlantic Ocean.
Before you get to the park, you cross a river called Rio Dársena Sur. Here you will find dozens of restaurants, cafe’s, and a few shops, along with many luxury high rise apartment buildings.
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| Bridge, Púente de la Mujer...was designed by Santiago Calatrava. |
Early in our stay we booked a tour with AirBnB to learn more about the history of our neighborhood. We met our guide at Parqué Lezama...which is pictured below. Here are a few of the sights we saw on our tour...
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| Above and below...pictures of Parqué Lezama |
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Museo Histórico National English World War I veterans |
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| Pasaje de la Defensa was originally a home built in 1880 for a wealthy family. Today it offers shops and restaurants |
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| Galería Solar de French...a pretty passage way that offers a variety of specialty shops |
Below are two pictures of Los Patios de San Telmo...an interesting cafe with a lovely courtyard. It was initially built to be a convent in 1734.
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| Above and below...Mercado de San Telmo... a large market with fresh fruits and vegetables, and restaurants |
We arrived close to closing time...so the building looks a bit dark and empty.
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| Above and below...Basílica Nuestra Señora del Rosario |
And...two more photos of churches found near the same area.
As we walked along I enjoyed seeing all the different styles of architecture in the city. Some of these pictures were taken during the tour...others were shot on separate occasions.
Our tour eventually wound up at Plaza de Mayo, one of the more famous plazas in the city. The pictures below show all the different buildings that can be found surrounding the plaza.
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| Pirámide de Mayo...is the oldest national monument in the city. Built in 1811 |
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| Above...the Cathedral Metropolitana Below...the inside of the cathedral |
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| Musee Histórico National del Cabildo y las Revolución de Mayo |
Below is Casa Rosada...the pink house where the president lives while he is in office.
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| This is a view from the other side of the building. |
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| Banco de la Nación Argentina |
Every Sunday a huge street fair takes place in our neighborhood. The Féria de San Telmo stretches for 13 blocks on Defensa Street and it has become one of Buenos Aires’s biggest attractions. More than 12,000 people attend this weekly event.
Carnival in Buenos Aires begins about a month before the actual event. Many neighborhoods will block off their street and hold their own celebrations during this time. The stage below was set up right in front of our building on Sunday...the night before the big celebration which took place on Monday on Avenida de Mayo. Some of these pictures were taken from our balcony and others were taken from the street below. I’m happy to report that all activities shut down by midnight.
A drag show was part of the entertainment, and it did not disappoint. The performers did a wonderful job and were the highlight of the festivities.
The following day we hiked down to Avenida de Mayo to see the city sponsored celebrations. A huge stage was set up for performers and activities were expected to last until 4:00 in the morning. Part of the celebration involved Murga Parades. This is a form of musical theater that is performed during carnival. In Argentina it is centered more on dancing and less on singing. The participants dress in elaborate, colorful costumes and perform with percussionists. It appears to be a family affair with many children included as part of the act. Different Murga groups will compete against each other in competitions. We saw a different group performing earlier in the week at a park nearby.
After watching the performers we stopped at Cafe Tortoni for a delicious meal. Cafe Tortoni is a famous French styled cafe that opened in 1858. They offer live Tango shows for those interested in purchasing tickets.
The following week Lance and I took the metro to Barbershop La Época, where he got a haircut, beard trim and shave. This shop is located in the Italian neighborhood on the other side of the city. It is filled with barbershop antiques and has the look of a museum. Customers get a straight razor shave and on some afternoons people gather to sing tango favorites. There is also a very small cafe set up inside the shop.
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| A view of the shop from the outside |
The following day we hiked to Galerías Pacifico Mall. Along the way we passed several government buildings, including a statue of Juan Perón.
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| Juan Perón |
The inside of the mall is beautiful and the atrium is filled with beautiful frescos. On the second floor is an area where art is exhibited for the shoppers to see.
Across the street was this stunning building called Centró Naval, which is a Social Club.
As you can see...so much to do...and so little time left to get it done. We are half way through our visit and have several more trips planned around the city before we depart in mid March. Please stay tuned for Part 2...coming soon online for you.
