Argentina 1 – Buenos Aires

Yes, I’m behind by a long way! I have problems with the storage on my phone so it’s all getting a bit stretched out.

I organised the Argentinian part of our trip and factored in a lot more uncertainty than Jayne would have liked but my travelling has evolved and for me it’s good to allow for spontaneity and rest days as long as the bones are there. So the bones for the next bit are Buenos Aires, Peninsula Valdez and Los Glacieres National Park.

Neither of us had any idea what Buenos Aires would be like, we only came here because we had to, due to the flights and for Argentine Tango which we both love to watch. I’d already changed the hotel a couple of times and I’m pleased I did because it was right in the center and had quiet rooms.

On our first afternoon, we wandered to the Plaza De Mayo and the Casa Rosada a huge pink palace where the president of Argentina has his offices. There were huge metal barricades at the park, all pushed to one side. Later we were to find out that there had been angry demonstrations about the austerity policies and dwindling pensions a few days before. In the Plaza De Mayo we noticed several signs and a memorial to Isla Malvenas or to us in the UK the ‘Falkland Islands’. I did wonder if we would encounter hostility being English as both the UK and Argentina assert that they have sovereignty over those islands and it is a self governing British Territory but, appears to be very much in Argentinas consciousness even now. Sometimes we would see road signs stating how many kilometres the Islands are away.
To my mind Buenos Aires seemed to have so many grand buildings, it was as if during the late 1800’s and early 1900s  the government had decided it was going to impress the world and be more European than Europe.

That first evening we walked up the road near our hotel and got our first taste of Argentine Tango in the street and it was brilliant! During the show the female dancer chatted to us, she turned out to be from the Netherlands!

Not far from our hotel we had a GnT in a ‘German Bar’ with a DJ outside the door (yes a DJ!) playing 80’s songs. Jayne was having a blast asking for various tracks.


The next evening we had booked a Tango and Dinner. It was of course very touristy but it gave a flavour of what we could expect. The dancing was not any more brilliant than that of the street dancers but it illustrated the historical evolution of the dance.

While we were in Bolivia I contacted a couple of Servas members in Buenos Aires to see if anyone could be a day host for us and was delighted that Silvana and her partner were happy to meet us. This was Jaynes first taste of Servas and it was a really good experience. Silvana explained that Sevas was about getting to know people and spreading peace, and when asked what our professions had been Jayne felt she could be open about being a Peace Keeper, which is no small thing after what I’ve just said about the Falkland Islands.
Silvana served us homemade Empanadas (a very Argentine pasty) which were delicious. After lunch we walked in their neighbourhood to an old Tango club ‘Cafe De Los Angelitos’ and then caught a bus to La Boca (The Mouth) which is where many Italian immigrants first arrived in Argentina and it’s also historically the home of Tango. Now it’s a colourful tourist destination but not a place to go at night as it’s dangerous. We visited an art museum there and a rather strange photographic exhibition that none of us liked. Silvana’s partner didn’t speak too much English and I enjoyed trying out my Spanish with him. I think between us we made the conversation work.

On another day we decide to walk to an Opera House, Teatro Colon (named after Christopher Columbus and not your intestines, in case you wondered). While we were walking through a park we happened across a group of people holding a memorial service for some young ballet dancers that had died in an air crash in 1971. We stopped and asked one of the bystanders who explained what had happened. It was quite moving to see everyone coming to remember them. The woman we asked about it went on to say the the Teatro Colon was worth a visit, for its beauty and clarity of sound. We actually came back for a couple of events but that’s for later!

Later we walk to the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is interred. The Cemetery was fascinating in itself, like a city for the dead with lanes and streets. The ossuaries are like buildings and houses, grand and simplistic,in good condition or unkempt. Eva’s family ossuary was relatively plain by comparison to some. If you want to read about Eva Perons body after her death please cut and paste the link, it’s worth a read. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18616380

Now Jayne has stopped singing ” don’t cry for me Argentina” we’ll move on. We are coming back to Buenos Aires before we leave. We negotiated with the hotel to hold some of our luggage because one of our internal flights has a 15kg weight limit. My bag is under but Jaynes isn’t. Anyway who wants to lug stuff you don’t need!