SA Cruise: Day 7

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It's Christmas Eve! And we are in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where it is 36° C. I actually though it would be cooler, as we are significantly further south than Rio, but it is actually if anything more humid and harder to take.

We dock about 8:00 am and by 9:00 we are on our first pre-booked tour, a bus tour of Buenos Aires highlights. We instantly like our guide, Martin, a personable and attractive young man. He explains that having our tour on Christmas Eve is a mixed blessing: we will not have to face the usual BA traffic, which he claims is among the worst in the world, but most of the shops and some tourist areas will be closed. Buenos Aires has a completely different vibe from Rio. The dominant factor in Rio is its unique geography, but BA exudes a distinctly European flavour in terms of both its architecture and culture. Argentina achieved its independence from Spain in 1810, more than 200 years ago, and the pride of Argentinians in this accomplishment is salient, with impressive monuments and statues to the various central figures in the country's history everywhere on display. The most important of these heroes is San Martin, who helped liberate not only Argentina but also several other SA countries. The other two historical events that dominate BA are the Juan/Evita Perón years, and the subsequent era of military rule known as the Dirty Wars that saw some 30,000 people "disappear."

BA has a population of 3.5 million in the city proper and some 11 million in the urban area as a whole. Our bus takes us through two major areas of downtown BA: Palermo and Recoleta. The first is more historical, boasting a succession of beautifully preserved buildings that I naively would call "colonial" in style. Weirdly, it minds me a bit of downtown Boston. Recoleta, named for the monks that originally settled here, is more residential, with beautiful old homes and many museums. Noteworthy is the Teatro Colón, according to Martin one of the most acoustically perfect concert halls in the world. There are numerous beautiful parks, featuring magnificent statues and fountains, many of them donated by other countries in recognition of Argentina's centennial in 1910. There are numerous "plazas" or squares, each commemorating some facet of the country's past, as well as extremely broad boulevards, again reflecting a distinctly European character. Interspersed with the beautiful heritage buildings are modern towers that seem to have been designed to complement the former. In short, BA is an exquisite city.

We stop at the famous Plaza de Mayo. A white pyramid symbolizing peace and liberty stands at the centre. Around it is evidence that Argentina's politics remain turbulent: placards demanding justice for various individuals and a moving display commemorating "los dispardos" from the dirty war. At one end of the Plaza is the Cabildo, the city hall, with Roman columns and portico. Just across the street nearby is the Metropolitan Cathedral, a stunning church where the remains of San Martin lie. At the far end of the Plaza is Casa Rosada, from the balconies of which Argentine leaders including Juan and Evita Perón once addressed the crowds assembled in the square.

From the Plaza we descend into the oldest subway in the southern hemisphere, built in the early years of the 20th century. We wait in stifling heat and then the subway arrives, consisting of old wooden wagons covered with posters and graffiti. Our guide tells us that some of these have been sold off to international museums but public outcry prevented the remaining ones from being sold as well. We pile into the cars and ride two stations to Piedras, where we ascend and find the Café Tortoni just across the street. One of the most famous establishments in BA, a number of major political and artistic movements were born and developed within its walls. We marvel at the ornament interior with photographs of the many famous people who have stopped there. As a snack, we are offered ham and cheese sandwiches, croissants and excellent steamed coffee The bus picks us up outside the café.

We head south, passing through some depressing shanty town slums, eventually reaching the area known as La Boca because it lies at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. This is an area that not too many years ago consisted of derelict warehouses but that recently has been transformed into an area of high-end shops and condos, a bit reminiscent of Toronto's Distillery District. That brings our tour of BA to a close. All in all, a truly beautiful city that I would revisit in a heartbeat.

Back on board, we have some exciting news. This cruise was supposed to bypass the Falkland Islands in favor of Puerto Madryn, Argentina, because the weather is too stormy and unpredictable in the South Atlantic at this time of year. But the captain has decided that the weather looks good and we are in fact headed for the Falklands! This means that we will have the opportunity to enjoy the Falklands' wealth of animal life, including four species of penguins, depending on which tour we select. We confer with our friends and decide on the Bluff Cove tour, which from the description offers the richest opportunities for viewing wildlife The ship sails at 8 pm. We are actually retracing our steps eastward and by morning will be in Montevideo, Uruguay.

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