Blogs from Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America - page 13

My last full day was spent having a neighbourhood wander, a shopping expedition to the main city area and then going out for a lovely meal in the evening. La Plata is the capital city of the Buenos Aires province, around 1million people, and was a well planned city from the start. Street are arranged in a grid and numbered off, and there are diagonals intersecting these with a plaza at each intersection. Each plaza has exercise equipment, cafes, fountains, childrens play equipment, some community gardens, and provide a meeting space and play area for many apartment and multi-housing dwellers. Streets are one way and the next street across is going the opposite way, so an odds and evens system which is very effective for moving traffic safely and efficiently. Interspersed in each little set of ... read more

Groundhog day Buenos Aires style Buenos Aires :Tango, Parrilas, Empanadas, a city that easily levels with Madrid and Paris. It reminded me of México city in it's golden years, elegant and proud with a beautiful mix of colonial and cosmopolitan. Time has passed in both cities, but there's something that Buenos Aires kept, "sus Aires" , it's flair of grandeur. Latin American's perceive Argentineans as arrogant and "presumidos" ( feel free to ask any Latin American friend about it) they think too much of themselves. They, at the same time, feel the same about the " Porteños" , the people of Buenos Aires. We now understand the pride they feel ( or felt ) about their city ( and country). Buenos Aires stole our heart and let us after Rio, amazed of its mix. The Spanish, ... read more

Today my friend Isa gave me a tour of Buenos Aires from a local's prespective, and what a day it was. We walked and walked and walked and walked. We started with coffee and a cheese scone in Olivios, I walked 8 blocks from the hostel to meet him, much to the concern of my daughter who is convinced I would get lost, mugged, or who knows what else. This place roast their own beans above the premises, serious coffee makers, excellent coffee. Jumping on the subway was the next adventure to take us to Once, a Jewish suburb to see Isa's partner's artists studio. The subway was very crowded, not quite Japanese or Chinese standards but close to this, almost cheek to cheek with people both ends! So 2 train lines, up and down stairs, ... read more

Today my daughter was teaching all day so I had a day of shopping, cooking, loads of walking and some shopping, all alone. After 4 days of meeting so many people, trying to speak some Spanish and understanding the torrent of words around me, not committing major faux pas culturally, and speaking English but a variant to accommodate various understandings, it was nice to just do my own thing. This morning I was sent off with a note to go to the butcher to get some mince. Well basically I chickened out and bought it at the nearby supermarket. So much easier than having to mime the eventual questions I am sure the butcher would have asked such as beef? regular? premium? Grabbing a packet off the shelf is much more certain. The lady in the ... read more

Nearly everyone I've met who has traveled to Buenos Aires comments about how it feels more like a European capital than like a South American one. In the regional context, this seems like a cultural disappointment, but as Latin American capitals go, the only ones that I've been to that compare (or that even are tolerable) are La Paz and La Habana. The city is enormous (the population of LA), and each section is visually (and apparently culturally) unique. The guide on the mediocre historical walking tour pointed out how the predominantly Italian and French architecture are fused with other styles, and this extends to the atmosphere in the traditional bars and cafes, which I thought to be the best experiences in the city: Wandering the streets near the docks to tentatively enter a cafe that ... read more