Good Winds - Buenos Aires

We arrived in Buenos Aires in the midst of a storm on the first day of the Argentinian Summer. As we approached the sprawling metropolis across the Rio Plata from Uruguay forks of lightning were visible above the city, striking the high rise skyscrapers lining the waterfront!

The apartment we'd earlier booked wasn't available until the next day so we stayed at a friends apartment in the barrio (neighbourhood) of Palermo (Thanks again guys!). After dinner we took a stroll to one of the many Heladerias (Ice Cream Parlours) that dot the streets of Palermo, and as we left in the stifling city heat the storms whipped up a treat of their own with winds blowing tables and chairs over and torrential rain that was enough to soak us to the skin as we ran the short two blocks back to their apartment!

The next day however the sun was shining and we were all set to start our two and half weeks in Buenos Aires living like Porteños (people from Buenos Aires, literally 'people from the port'). We checked in to our apartment in Recoleta which over the fortnight allowed for the luxury of a private bathroom, private kitchen, private living room, and well, some privacy! A nice change after three months of hostels of varying standards! Suddenly the little things become nice luxuries; putting socks and pants in a draw, clothes on hangers, leaving shower gel in the bathroom, having enough pans to cook with, and powerpoints to charge from!

Our apartment was in the barrio of Recoleta. Recoleta is one of the more exclusive neighbourhoods in the city, famous for it's fortified cemetery which houses thousands of mausoleums, the most renowned of which is for Eva 'Evita' Peron. The cemetery itself is walled in by 12 foot walls on each side and contains row after row of sizeable monumental graves. Whilst we were strolling around there was a funeral in progress, and to our surprise people were still posing in Japanese fashion in front of the graves! Recoleta is quite a leafy neighbourhood with cafe restaurants open until late, trees lining the streets, and some sprawling parks along the main Av Libertador. As we meandered through the greenery here we saw lots of professional dog walkers, some humongous trees, and a massive bench! Its also home to the modern art museum, the Malba, although it's not that big there's plenty of exhibts to interact with, and well worth the £2 entry. Not far from the Malba is an outdoor installation of an 80 foot silver flower which blooms and closes each day with the rising and setting of the sun.

Recoleta Cemetery

One of many professional dog walkers

At the Malba

Slightly oversized novelty colour bench

Giant flower

To the west of Recoleta lies the barrio of Palermo, split into three; Viejo, Soho & Hollywood. Each comprises slightly different characteristics but Palermo itself can be defined as a trendy residential neighbourhood with lots of cafés, bars, restaurants and boutique shops scattered along the streets, with plenty of green parks and gardens to enjoy. We took our time here to visit the parks and enjoy the Argentinian Summer. We visited the stunning Japanese Gardens, the not quite so stunning Botanical Gardens, and the immaculately kept Rose Garden. Any trip to Palermo isn't complete without a visit to the Plaza Serrano, a small square surrounded by bars on all side stocking the local Quilmes Crystal beer. Here we met up with one of G's friends from France (and we hope to see you guys in Bariloche in Feb!) and enjoyed a nice evening perched on a terrace drinking beers and eating pizza before wandering lost around Palermo in the early hours of the morning! Palermo is also home to some great restaurants and after glowing reviews and recommendations (thanks Mikey) on a mystical 800g steak at La Cabrera we thought we better check it out! On our penultimate night in BA we dined out heavily there with a couple of friends and tucked into 800g Steak, Kobe Wagyu Beef and an assortment of sides all washed down with a couple of bottles of Malbec (the local Argentinian Red).

Japanese Gardens

The Rose Garden

Steak Night at La Cabrera

East of Recoleta and Palermo are several very interesting neighbourhoods. Centro is the old founding of Buenos Aires and centred around the original Plaza de Mayo. It's home to some classical architecture which is very Parisien in it's design, including the government building in which we were lucky enough to see Christina Fernandez (the newly re-elected president) departing in her helicopter. She's loved by the masses in Argentina due to her reforms, but they don't overly agree with the more affluent residents of Buenos Aires. We learnt quite quickly that it's best to just not mention her (or the Falkland Islands) when talking to Porteños. The story of her rise to power however makes for an interesting read). Anyway... the Centro district is dominated by the extraordinary Ave 9 de Julio which is a 22 lane wide 'road' running alongside the centre. At the heart of this (and in the middle of the road) is a giant obelisk commemorating Argentinas independence. Whilst in the area we took a ride along the Subte (Metro/Tube) Line A which is the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere and made of wood! It creaks a little as it pulls out of the station, and smells faintly of wood polish but otherwise still runs like normal, transporting thousands of commuters to work every day. Whilst downtown on Ave Santa Fe there is the worlds second greatest library in the world (apparently, according to the Guardian), which was a former grand theatre now converted into it's current bibliotheque form.

Buenos Aires is home to some big roads!

The Obelisx

Old Theatre = New Library

South of Centro is the district of San Telmo, the original residential heart of BA. Now it's home to a famous Sunday Antiques Market which we visited on New Years Day. It holds a certain Brick Lane / Shoreditch quality to it which is very different to the rest of the city. The bars also host impromptu tango shows where we got to experience our first viewing of this infectious South American dance. San Telmo is also full of quirky bars, restaurants and a fantastic Steak House called 1880 where we ate till way past full. Meat sweats galore! Continuing south is the district of La Boca, 'The Mouth'. This area is home to the Boca Juniors football team, as well as the famous Caminito Market street, which is lined by brightly coloured houses. Although we found this area to be a bit too much of a tourist trap. As you walk the street here you get pizza menus, and flyers for tango shows shoved at you, and an assortment of novelty fridge magnets to admire from the market!

San Telmo Antiques Market on New Years Day

Streetside Tango Show

Parilla at 1880

Colourful La Boca

Whilst in BA we did plenty of walking but also took advantage of the cheap public transport to get around, buses and the subway cost less than 20p. We visited the Puerto Madero, the upmarket transformed old dock yards for the New Years celebrations. We travelled to Nuñez for an authentic Argentinian Asado (BBQ) with a friend we met in Brazil (great steak Federico!), and visited G's friend in Villa Crespo for dinner (thank you Ann-Soph & Sergio - great view of the city from the 23rd floor). We also headed over to Abasto to a club called Bomba De Tiempo, where the music is driven by an 18 strong orchestra of drums!

Puerto Madero by day

Bomba De Tiempo

We had an awesome time in Buenos Aires, and it provided the perfect location for us to enjoy Christmas and New Year. However the Argentinian Summer raises the city to the high 30s, so we like many Porteños are escaping the city in Summer in search of somewhere cooler.... for us a lot cooler, as we take the 2000km flight down to Patagonia....