Buenos Aires

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After a final meeting in the morning it was time for me to check out of the hotel and head towards the ferry to Buenos Aires for a few days holiday before heading back to Australia. Whilst checking out I asked the hotel to book me a taxi to the port...and discovered that all taxis in Montevideo were on strike as a taxi driver had been shot in the poor area to the west of the city.


The hotel told me the number of a bus which would drop me near the terminal so I headed off to the main street to wait.. After a decent wait the bus still hadn't arrived, but lots of others which had 'Ciudad Viaje' on the front had driven past. I walked to the next bus stop where there was a staff member I could speak to; I eventually managed to establish that most of the buses would get me very close (within 100m), but the hotel had only told me the option which stopped pretty much out the front. Fortunately I didn't have to wait long, the bus turned up and the helpful staff member told the driver which stop I wanted.

By the time I got to the Burquebus terminal it was about 10:40, and the ferry was scheduled to leave at 11am. There was a bit of a queue to buy tickets; once I had purchased them I headed to immigration (to exit Uruguay and enter Argentina) which was very quick. Just before boarding the ferry I stopped to put on my shoe covers (was I heading into surgery or to Argentina) and finally reached my seat at 10:55...phew. There wasn't much of a view as the windows were all pretty grubby so I settled into my seat with my book.

Upon arrival at Buenos Aires 2 hours and 15 minutes later I collected my bag (almost the last one on the carousel, typical!) and headed out of the terminal through the hoards of teenagers waiting for me (or Noel Gallagher...probably me). I found the taxi driver from my hotel straight away and we headed off towards Villa Crespo.

After dropping off my bags at the hotel I headed out for a late lunch at the empanada restaurant the hotel recommended. I ordered a cheese, tomato and basil empanada and a chicken empanada which arrived about 5 minutes later. They were so delicious; an excellent recommendation.

After lunch I checked into my room, had a shower and then set out to explore Villa Crespo and Palermo. Both Palermo and Villa Crespo used to be fairly run down areas of Buenos Aires but have recently been gentrified and are now teaming with restaurants, bars, shops and hipsters. I checked out some shops and people watched as I made my towards the botanical gardens. As it was a very warm day I stopped for some gelato which was delicious.

That evening I planned to try the Armenian restaurant which came highly recommended by the hotel, Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor. I headed to the restaurant at about 8:40pm, but when I arrived discovered it would be an hour long wait for a table! Apparently you need to arrive before it opens at 8pm or after about 11pm if you want to get a table straight away.. The hotel recommended an Italian restaurant nearby which turned out to be an excellent option. I ordered some chicken cannelloni which were delicious, though very creamy.

The following morning I caught the subte (subway) into the central area of Buenos Aires. After checking out the obelisk I made my way to the Teatro Colon which is the main opera house in Buenos Aires. I signed up for a tour which started not long after I arrived.

The tour of the theater was fantastic, the guide was really passionate and knowledgeable about the architecture of the building, the history of Buenos Aires and the history of Teatro Colon. We started the tour in the main entrance (which you only get to see if you buy the really expensive tickets or take a tour), then ascended the grand staircase to the golden hall, then entered the grand auditorium which we viewed from the Officials box and the Presidential box.

Throughout the tour the guide pointed out the patches which had been left to show the condition of the theater prior to the extensive restoration undertaken from 2005 to 2010. It was interesting to see how much damage had been done to the furnishings and paintwork from the years of Buenos Aires high society smoking before attending the opera. The auditorium was absolutely spectacular, apparently Pavarotti complained that the acoustics were too perfect meaning the audience would be able to pick up any tiny mistakes he made.

After the Teatro Colon tour I made my way towards Plaza de Mayo which is the main square in Monserrat in central Buenos Aires. I grabbed a quick bite to eat near the square and then headed to the Plaza. Plaza de Mayo was the scene of The May Revolution after which Argentina gained its independence from Spain. Since then, Plaza de Mayo has been the scene of many protests and political events.

Plaza de Mayo is surrounded by a number of important buildings including Casa Rosada (the official residence of the President), the Metropolitan Cathedral and the headquarters of the Banco de la Nacional (which is built on the site of the original Theatro Colon). As it was really warm and there wasn't much shade I didn't spend too long at Plaza de Mayo before I set off towards San Telmo. San Telmo is the oldest barrio (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires.

Historically It was very much a working class area as it was adjacent to the original port and where a lot of the kilns and tanneries were located. Over time it became slightly more diverse and the middle and upper classes moved in and built their houses and mansions, however when they moved away during the yellow fever epidemic the area became almost like a slum. It is thought that the tango was born in and around San Telmo (and the poorer areas of Montevideo) as a result of the mix of cultures all living together in close quarters.

Nowadays San Telmo it is full of restaurants, hotels, shops and tourists and is a pretty attractive part of Buenos Aires due to all the colonial buildings. After wandering around for a while I joined the 3pm tour of El Zanjon de Granados.

El Zanjon de Granados is an impressive mansion which was constructed during the 1830s and home to a very rich family. After the family moved away to escape the yellow fever epidemic the mansion became a tenement with approximately 100 people living there, sharing only two bathrooms. By 1985 it was abandoned, but was eventually purchased by a wealthy local who was planning to turn it into a restaurant. When the workers started removing the rubbish which had built up over the years they discovered an extensive network of tunnels which they later discovered were built over the original river which formed the western border of Buenos Aires. Following this discovery an extensive archaeological exploration was undertaken at the site. The mansion has now been beautifully restored (restoration of the tunnels is still ongoing); the restoration has won praise from historians, architects and UNESCO. The mansion is still privately owned and apparently the owner, who is now in his 80s, is writing a book about he project.

The tour was very interesting, the guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the building, history of Buenos Aires and the details of the archaeological and restoration efforts. I particularly enjoyed the stories which they had been told by some of the old residents who had lived in the mansion during its tenement days.

After the tour I headed over to Puerto Madero which is the newest part of Buenos Aires and is now home to some of the most expensive real estate in the city. It was nice to see how they had incorporated the old docks into the urban renewal project rather than removing them. The area wasn't my favourite part of Buenos Aires; it was a little new and a little soulless.. Nevertheless it was nice to walk through the park (in the shade of the trees which provided a bit of relief from the very hot sun!) After walking through Puerto Madero I made my way back past Plaza de Mayo and caught the subway back to my hotel to cool off.

That night for dinner I decided I'd try my luck at the Armenian restaurant again. I got there super early (740pm), before it had even opened and joined the crowd of people lined up outside. I put my name on the list and when the doors opened at 8pm I was the first one seated. I ordered some babaganoush, tabbouleh and falafels and read my book while I waited. The only bad thing about living in Melbourne is that we get exposed to some pretty amazing food from all cultures which means often the food overseas just doesn't stack up. Unfortunately, despite the hype, this was the case for my Armenian food! My tabbouleh was made with spring onion instead of parsley and I think the 'tahini' on the falafels may have been made with peanuts.. Disappointing, but at least I won't wonder whether I missed out on the most amazing Armenian food in the world outside of Armenia...

The following morning I had a sleep in before heading off towards Recoleta. I caught the subte to Callao, and then walked to Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes (The Water Company Palace) which is probably the most beautiful pumping station in the world.

From Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes I made my way towards El Ateneo which is considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. El Ateneo is in a beautifully restored old theater (Teatro Grand Splendid); apparently over a million people visit every year. I spent an hour or so wandering around admiring the architecture and looking at books before finally deciding on a couple for my friends children.

From El Ateneo I made my way over to Recoleta. During the yellow fever epidemic of the 1870s the wealthiest people n Buenos Aires moved to Recoleta. As a result the streets are lined with gorgeous French style buildings which gives the area a very different feel to the rest of the city. I got slightly lost as I was distracted by the lovely buildings but found my bearings again with the help of a school girl. When googling 'what to do in Buenos Aires' a visit to Recoleta cemetery was often near the top of the list; it was the top recommendation of my hotel too so I put my doubts aside (cemetery visits are not normally top of my list when I travel!) and headed to the cemetery.

Recoleta cemetery has the most expensive real estate in Buenos Aires per square meter. It is the last opportunity for a family to show off their wealth...and they definitely seem to be playing a game of my family tomb is bigger / fancier / more expensive than yours. It is the final resting place of past presidents, generals, writers, artists, actors and doctors. The most famous tomb belongs to the Duarte family, and contains the body of the much loved / hated former first lady of Argentina Eva (Evita) Peron.

The cemetery was reasonably busy with tourists, so rather than joining a tour I followed a group and shortly after ended up at the Duarte family tomb. I tagged along behind another group listening to the guides stories about the various people interred in the cemetery and taking photographs (it is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world). I stopped off for some more empanadas before heading back to the hotel to pack. That night I had arranged to see one of the many tango shows that are offered to tourists.

Usually they are sold as a show + dinner and drinks package, but I opted just to see the show. The taxi was due to arrive at about 9pm, so I headed out for an early dinner at about 730 to one of the only restaurants which was open at that time. Fortunately it turned out to be a good option; a cute bar which also served delicious food and would definitely have been at home in Fitzroy, Melbourne.

At about 9pm I was picked up by a taxi and taken off to a tango bar in San Telmo. I had wanted to visit a milonga (tango house) during my time in BA but they don't get good until quite late at night (midnight or later!) and I wasn't keen on going out by myself at that time so though this show would be a nice compromise.

The show went through the history of tango from it's birth around San Telmo and other poorer areas of Buenos Aires (and Montevideo), it's golden years in the early 1900's through to the present day choreographed dances all performed to live music. The show was really enjoyable, though quite touristy but the dancers were fantastic. A great way to finish my time in Buenos Aires.

I was dropped back at my hotel at around 1am and managed to get a few hours sleep before hopping into the taxi to the airport at 6am. Check in at the airport was an ordeal...the lines seemed incredibly disorganised and moved really slowly. I finally checked in my baggage about 1.5hours after first joining the line... I arrived home to Melbourne about 27 hours after I left my hotel in Buenos Aires due delays with the final leg.. I enjoyed my time in BA, it's a really cool city. I feel like I only scratched the surface in 2.5 days so will have to go back someday!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Buenos Aires
Nice