Back to Buenos Aires


Advertisement
Published: June 3rd 2012
Edit Blog Post

Our friend’s apartment had been leased and we could not contact someone we had met who offered us alternative accommodation so we had a late night looking at hostel and apartment options. Eileen wanted to relax by ourselves after a lengthy time of hostel hustle and bustle so we chose an apartment on Corrientes which was the same cost but a better location than the hostels that were available. It was comfortable with good views and natural light but a little noisy.

Our first full day was spent visiting Recoleta to collect my new glasses and San Telmo to collect my tango shoes. Raquel’s third attempt at fitting my feet was a success but my Ar-Sil’s were too tight and so Leo insisted they make another pair. At the end of the day we went to Centro where I purchased a laptop bag (‘man bag’ says Eileen) which I had seen on our previous trip.

I decided I would enjoy another Tango lesson at Aires Tangueros. It turned out I was the only person so effectively I had a private lesson with Edith. Eileen met me after the lesson and we headed off to a milonga at Club Gricel where I danced with a nice New Zealand lady (Eileen).

A visit to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes revealed a good collection of pre-20th century European art and the world's largest collection of Argentine art. The building was once the city's waterworks until famed local architect Alejandro Bustillo oversaw its conversion into a museum in the early 1930s. We enjoyed the large variety of art and we were surprised by the number of pieces by world renowned artists.

We passed the large Floralis Generica in Plaza de las Naciones Unidas (United NationsSquare). It was built in 2002 by Eduardo Catalano with steel and aluminum and was donated to Buenos Aires city. The sculpture which is mounted in a large raised pool stands 23 metres high, weighs 18 tons and the petals open and close each day. It was impressive particularly on the sunny day we visited.

A refreshing but overpriced drink at the Malba gave us the energy for more art. It was an eclectic mix which included an American installation during our visit. There was mix of erotica, drug culture photography and some modern art sculptures. I would recommend both galleries for a visit but not with younger family members.

We both attended a lesson with Pablo and Eva. Those in the Wellington Tango community might remember them from a few years ago when they taught in New Zealand. Pablo was excellent and did a good job of showing me some new steps, a giro with axis between us and an “Americano”.

Tigre is a picturesque town located an hour out of BA. We took the subway to Retiro then the train line out to the delta. The train is a bargain at 1.35 pesos each way, less than NZ$2 return for both of us. At Tigre we took a boat ride on the delta. This was not the boat ride into nature that I expected. The delta has been developed into a series of holiday resorts and holiday homes. The boat parking was interesting; they are hauled up steep ramps to well above the river.

A couple of youngish “yobs” sat opposite us on the train back. I decided they were designer “yobs”; black jeans, black leather jackets, black shirts. The larger one had black fingerless leather gloves, long flowing clean hair, a trimmed beard and he was surreptitiously supping from a hip flask sized bottle of Tequila. His bad boy image was spoiled when he smiled – braces!! Obviously he still lives with Mum.

The Feria Matadero happens every Sunday. After much analysis we decided to catch a local bus for the first time in BA. We caught the 180 from Lavelle and we tracked our one hour journey on the map all the way but we didn’t need to because it was so obvious we could not have missed it. Once again the public transport was a bargain only 5 pesos for a return journey for the both of us.

The fair is substantial about Martinborough fair size. There were lots of local crafts, food and produce. We enjoyed an interesting lunch. Eileen spied a stew she liked and I encouraged her to ask the lady what it was (locro) while I ordered a milanesa con papas fritas (weiner snitzel and chips). Both meals looked good but were a little bland.

Using the toilet in the restaurant was an interesting experience. I was standing there minding my own “business” when I noticed a guy in a cowboy hat standing to attention in the corner. I could not work out why he was there until I left my “spot” and then he used a bucket of water to flush the drains. Ahh ... an old building!

Eileen fancied window shopping trips to Abasto and Palermo but as we were now running out of time we settled for a trip to Palermo. We intended to “do the mall” and wander about this interesting barrio. Unfortunately it started to rain when we emerged from the subte so we limited our visit to cruising the mall and the main shopping street. We headed back to Centro to purchase Eileen’s carpinchio gloves before preparing for our last night in BA.

Our finale for BA was a slap up feed at Los Remolinos where we were greeted like old friends. As we ordered our waiter smiled, guided and made lots of encouraging sounds as we chose our favourite dishes and I practised my Spanish. We started with the grilled cheese, provolone with oregano and olive oil – yum. Our main was the best steak on the menu with veges and papas fritas (chips). We enjoyed a ‘San Telmo’ Malbec. Our desert was a crepe filled with apples and flambéed in rum. There is nothing quite like a man standing at your table caramelising your desert with fire and saying “muy bueno”. A good coffee and a Limoncello to finish off the meal was “perfecto”!


Additional photos below
Photos: 18, Displayed: 18


Advertisement



Tot: 0.254s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 10; qc: 53; dbt: 0.1538s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb