Buenos Aires

We’ve now spent exactly a week in Buenos Aires! It’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve been up to since our last entry and share some of the cool stuff we’ve done that’s made us decide to spend seven more days here. Logistics are pretty straightforward (apart from a few South American quirks…of which a bit more in future posts!) so it’s a nice base from which to continue decompressing post our London lives while doing some of the things we enjoy but never had time for back in the UK. Such as…going to the gym – we joined up for a week at a pretty basic but does-the-job neighbourhood place – reading, learning about Argentine culture and having enough time to absorb what’s going on around us in the city. The weather’s been pretty much perfect. Strong sunlight, no rain, a welcome lack of wind and just becoming autumnal. Porteños – Spanish word for someone who hails from a port with this term most usually applied to people from Buenos Aires – are gregarious as you’d expect and as the city is best at night we’ve seen a few live music acts including a really great trio at El Universal, La Bomba de Tiempo and some funk at a club called La Grande and a night at La Catedral (apparently a ‘bohemian tango temple’) are on the cards before we leave. And yes, that will involve me and D actually having to tango…! 1

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Learning more about Argentina’s politics and the legacy of dictatorship have been valuable and a separate blog post on those thought-provoking aspects of our trip will follow. But as you can see from these pics, we’ve complemented this relatively heavy-going fare with lots of culture. Snagging £3 standing tickets to see contemporary ballet in Teatro Colon and hearing a full orchestra in that amazing cavernous space was an evening well spent and a little surreal after having watched England go down 3-1 to the Netherlands in an English-themed boozer called The Gibraltar immediately beforehand (not sure if that counts as ‘culture’). We also checked out a Dali exhibit and the amazing recycled space of the city’s old post office now turned into the ultra-modern Centro Cultural Kirchner with its auditorium-inside-a-huge-metal-animal that could fill a football stadium easily. Has to be seen to be believed. As does the phenomenon below.

• 

Professional dog walkers are a common sight in the central barrios but the number of hounds under this guy’s command surpasses anything else we’ve seen. Surely this is a bit terrifying if you’re one of the smaller pups? How their toilet trips are coordinated doesn’t bear thinking about…

D will share some reflections on the Casa Rosada – presidential palace – and the local drink of choice (mate) and the rituals surrounding it in his next post. Our next stops after Buenos Aires are now nailed down as Iguazu falls on the Brazilian border followed by Salta in the north west and its surroundings where a bit of a desert vibe is in order. The 18hr night bus to the falls promises camas (beds) but let’s see how that turns out in reality 🙂