Buenos Aires

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Move aside New York, there is a new girl in town, her name is Buenos Aires. To say this is one of the coolest cities I have ever visited would be an understatement. Just like the dance it's famed for, the city encapsulates you in its gaze where you spend endless days wandering its streets and relaxing in its many cafes. In over all the city is lacking in a large number of attractions but that doesn't seem to matter, it charms you nonetheless.
One of the key attractions is the neighbourhood of La Boca. which was originally settled by Spanish and Italian immigrants during the booming 1880s where most people worked in the processing and shipping of Argentina's beef. After sprucing up the shipping barges the locals would splash the left over paint on the side of their corrugated houses giving the neighbourhood a multi coloured appearance. Unfortunately today the only remaining painted buildings are solely to lure tourists. The neighbourhood has also got a bad rap from crime and there are police on every corner to insure that tourists don't wondering too far from the main attractions for their own safety. While here we got a sample of tango dance that many of the local cafe shops put on to lure tourists into their premises.
It said happiness is short lived and so it was to be, having suffered two ship museums, Karen countered with the Museo de Bellas Artes. It has many international and homegrown artists, she argued, listing her favourites; Sisley, Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir and Monet.....the list went on ...and on... and so off we went. After an hour or two she was happy and as a wise Dubliner once said “A happy wife is a happy life.”
On our way back to the hotel we came across a strange graduation custom where the family cover the graduate with eggs and flour. The men have the ultimate humiliation of their pony tail being cut off, a final reminder that they need to get their hair cut if their to get a job. Over all we whiled away 5 days in BA and would have happily stayed for twice that length if we had the time.

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