(Buenos Aires, Argentina)

We had one “must see” sight left in Buenos Aires: the Teatro Colón (see photo above). This is considered one of the world’s best opera houses…possibly even *the* best.   Apparently, Luciano Pavarotti said that the only problem with the Teatro Colón was that the acoustics were *too* good: the audience could clearly hear every single mistake.

There is an interesting pricing system for guided tours of the Teatro Colón: Argentinians pay about 85 pesos…while non-Argentinians pay about 250 pesos. It’s clearly designed to extract more money from tourists…but, then again, there are “tourist traps” the world over who do this unofficially.  Here, the differential pricing is completely out in the open.

We decided to go on the tour anyway – we would not have a chance to see an actual show here, nor would we be passing through again in the near future.  Talk about opulence!   This place was shimmering with luxury.

The Teatro Colón was also designed for the elite of Buenos Aires to “see and be seen”.  The luxury boxes for local dignitaries are right beside the stage: the view of the stage from these boxes is terrible, but that wasn’t really very important.   The most important thing was that everybody in the theatre could see the dignitaries (and vice versa).  Even outside the performance area, the theatre was designed to provide maximum visibility for its wealthiest patrons.    The best seats, acoustically speaking, were actually in the cheap nosebleed section high above the floor.

We had the opportunity to sit in one of the other luxury boxes:  this one had a perfect front-and-centre view of the stage.  Although we were not that close, the on-stage piano was being tested while we were there.  Even without amplification, the sound was crystal-clear.  Given a choice, I’d recommend seeing a concert here rather than taking a tour.

This was not the only opulent place we visited.  We also were stunned by the opulence of….a shopping mall.   There were ceiling murals, just like the Sistine Chapel!  The Galerías Pacífico is so exceptional that it has been named a National Historic Monument.   Alas, for me, its exceptionality did not extend to its stores.  The stores were almost entirely luxury designer shops (Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, etc.) that you could find just as easily in Paris, Milan or any number of cities around the world.   Nonetheless, it was still enjoyable to walk around for a little while and escape the ferocious rain that was pounding Buenos Aires.

We felt much more comfortable in “Los 36 Billares” – a cafe/pool bar not too far from the Teatro Colón.   It is probably the most famous billiard “room” (although it is much more than that; most of the 36 billiard tables are downstairs) in Buenos Aires but it is also a charming cafe with just the right balance between accessibility, quality, atmosphere and elegance.

I took the opportunity to order a classic Argentinian specialty called “el submarino“.  You get a large glass of piping hot milk, along with a submarine-shaped bar of dark chocolate.  You then plunge the submarine into the milk…and it becomes a delicious glass of hot chocolate!  It is very popular with children but, after looking around the cafe, I confirmed that other adults were also drinking it.

Coming up:  Back home!

(Buenos Aires, Argentina)

After being part of a group for most of the past week, it was time for us to do some exploring on our own.

As it was a Sunday, we decided to visit the famous street market in the San Telmo district. I’m not sure exactly how much of Calle Defensa was closed off and filled with vendors, but it must have gone on for at least fifteen blocks.  There were additional vendors on side streets and in adjacent malls and flea markets.  Street performers were there too, primarily around Plaza Dorrego.  The emphasis was on antiques and souvenirs.

We walked the entire length of the market.  Despite being intrigued by many things, the only thing we ended up buying was lunch at an Italian restaurant!  Well, for us it was more about the experience than anything else.  Buenos Aires is a long way from home and we weren’t going to buy anything unless it truly spoke to us.  As much as possible, we try to make travel about experiences rather than things.

After we finished with the market, we found ourselves in the Plaza de Mayo.   This is the location of many important buildings, including the Casa Rosada,  It is the executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina and, as the name suggests, it is indeed pink (see photo at the top of this post).  This was apparently a compromise between groups who were represented by white and red respectively when Argentina was still a very young country.

It was from the balcony of the Casa Rosada that Eva Peron made impassioned speeches to her dedicated followers.   It remains a charged place today, as demonstrations often occur here.  Perhaps as a result, there was a very prominent police presence.  Alas, we were unable to go inside the Casa Rosada, as the very limited tour tickets are only available online a certain number of days beforehand.

As we continued back to our hotel, we stumbled across a festival to commemorate the (relatively) nearby country of Paraguay.  There are a lot of Paraguayans in Buenos Aires and they put on a lengthy programme of performances.

For dinner, we had received a recommendation for the restaurant next door to La Cholita (the one we ate at last night).  La Cumana was run by the same family as La Cholita but it focused on non-BBQ Argentinian cuisine.  I ended up having locro: an Andean stew featuring corn, meat and vegetables that is typically eaten in winter.   I thought I ordered a glass of Argentinian red wine but it turned out to be half a bottle.  At the equivalent of $4 Canadian (US$3) including taxes, it was one of the cheapest wines I’ve ever had in a restaurant.  As you can see from the pictures, La Cumana also had crayons!

Imported items are expensive in Argentina but locally produced goods are generally quite affordable for visitors.  The above price estimate is based on the official exchange rate.  However, if you were to change money at the “blue market” rate, it would be even cheaper.   We never tried to deal with any of the money changers on the street but it was not for a lack of opportunity.  They were everywhere, muttering “cambio” at every person who looked like they might have U.S. dollars.

Stay tuned for our final day in BA!

(Buenos Aires, Argentina)

I had heard about the Recoleta Cemetery before visiting Buenos Aires; it was on my list of must-see sights.  Even though I had done a little bit of research on it, however, it was still astonishing to visit.  It’s definitely something you have to see for yourself.  Imagine an immaculately groomed neighbourhood in the heart of the city, with tidy houses lining the narrow streets…except that the “houses” are actually tombs!  I have seen elaborate cemeteries before but nothing like this (the “main street” is shown at the top of this post).

It is described as the most expensive real estate in Buenos Aires.  If you want to know the names of the city’s “old money” families, simply take a stroll here.  However, some of the tombs have fallen on hard times:  perhaps those families have lost their fortunes, or maybe there are just no more descendants to take care of the tombs.  In any case, there is now an active resale market for “property” in Recoleta.

As the cemetery cannot expand, the tombs have multiple levels.  The ground level is reserved for the most recently deceased.  Those who died previously are generally moved downstairs.  Yes, there are stairs in these tombs!   It was utterly fascinating, even though we really did not know any of the famous names (other than Eva Peron – see my previous post) who are buried here.

That evening, we had one final meal with our tour group.  Although our portion of the tour had officially ended earlier that day, most of the group was continuing on for another week in Argentina and Brazil.  While we still had a few days on our own in Buenos Aires, it was great to have one more meal with all of the new friends we had met only one week before.  It was very nice of them to invite us along.

We ate at La Cholita, an Argentinian BBQ restaurant on Avenida Rodriguez Pena in the Recoleta district, just north of Avenida Santa Fe.  The neighbourhood is rather upscale but the prices and pretensions at this restaurant were low.  As for the food quantity (and quality, it must be said), it was excellent and there would be no excuse for going away hungry.   Interestingly, each table is covered with a paper “tablecloth” and jars of crayons to entertain yourself while you wait for your meal!

Not being a big eater of red meat, I opted for the brochettes.   Even with the photo above of my brochette plate, it’s hard to show just how much food I was served, as even the lemon wedges and the fries were huge.   I was convinced to take a photo at the end of my meal too, just to prove that I finished it.  But I think our friend’s “about to dig in” photo gives a pretty good idea of the amount of food on offer.

We enjoyed a long (by necessity) and leisurely meal with our group.  Once I’ve finished with my “on the road” posts from South America, I’ll be providing my (updated) thoughts on group tours.  I’ve now been on three since mid-2014 and, even though I still believe in and focus on independent travel, there are definitely situations where group tours can play a valuable role.  For now, however, stay tuned to find out what else we managed to do on our own in Buenos Aires!

(Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Like many North Americans, I was really only familiar with Eva Peron through the musical (and movie) Evita.  I knew the song “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” but that was about it.  Visiting Buenos Aires helped provide some context for these pop culture tributes:  I will provide a very simplified account here.

Our first encounter with Evita was her family tomb in Recoleta Cemetery.  This cemetery is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before and actually warrants its own post – that will appear in a few days!  As you can see from the above photo, Evita has not been forgotten:  people still regularly visit and leave flowers and gifts at her family tomb.

After visiting the cemetery, we walked for about 45 minutes to the Palermo district and the “Museo Evita” (see photo at the top of this post).   It is located in a mansion purchased by her foundation in 1948 (the intention was to house women in need) and provides a wealth of information about Evita and Argentinian life during the late 1940s and early 1950s.  It also contains video recordings that allow visitors to see and hear the real Evita, rather than the movie or musical versions.

Evita was a controversial figure:  she and her husband enjoyed a remarkably high level of support from the poor but many of the Peronist policies created conflict with other groups in Argentina.   Alas, Evita died at the very young age of 33 and her husband’s regime was toppled not long afterwards.

This was also the day that we wandered into the astonishing El Ateneo bookstore on Avenida Santa Fe, just around the corner from our hotel.  El Ateneo is actually a chain of bookstores but this is the flagship location.  It is not difficult to see why:  this building used to be a theatre and the bookstore has maintained the original design.  It made us feel very cultured:  it was such a nice store that I ended up buying a couple of CDs here just to experience it as a customer.

While this was the nicest bookstore we saw in Buenos Aires, it was far from the only one.  Even though Argentina is a highly “wired” society (almost everybody seemed to be carrying a smartphone), there were far more bookstores in downtown Buenos Aires than you would find in a large North American city.   Hopefully, Argentina can maintain this admirable distinction, even as demand for more expensive goods increases.  You’ll see some evidence of this trend in an upcoming post!