Buenos Aires (Part 1): November 2015

VIP

What a luxurious bus ride! As far as overnight buses go, this one takes the cake…so far. We arrived at the Retiro bus station early in the morning. Javier called our host, Monica, to see if they could receive us a little earlier. We had to find the metro to Monica’s house. Most of the metros cross at some point, and it’s usually not a problem for us to figure it out. This one was a little tricky because we weren’t on the regular metro. Once we found it, all was well and we were on our way to Las Canitas! It was hot on the metro. Apparently Buenos Aires doesn’t believe in air-conditioning nor windows in their metros, so we all bake. We were a little turned around when we exited the metro, but quickly righted ourselves, walked with some military personel, crossed in front of a South American looking Anthropologie, and found ourselves standing in front of a small wooden door amidst a vine-covered wall.

We made it home in Buenos Aires, Argentina

At first it didn’t seem real. We had just walked past several small outdoor restaurants with their tables and chairs outside, a few different clothing stores, and then…a house? Sure enough, Monica and her husband Marcello live in this tiny oasis in the middle of a bustling town. Their home is toward the end of a cul-de-sac, so there isn’t much traffic, but there is an ADORABLE clothing store right next door 🙂

Monica greeted us and led us through their little patio area into the house. They have a unique home. It is very tall, three stories, and everything is made out of wood. It feels old and the stairs and floorboards creek when stepped on. I don’t know what an old Buenos Aires home looks and feels like, but I would assume it is a lot like this. Our room was on the third floor, across from us was an art studio. Both Monica and her husband are biologists and artists. We both loved the house. It is a home, cozy, unique, full of art and culture. On the table was a picture made of fabric. There were mountains, oceans, trees, and many different animals. I have never seen anything like it. Monica said she and her husband had recently visited Brazil, and there was a woman in the town they stayed who made these fabric pictures by hand. It was truly incredible. 

Our first Neighborhood. Las Cañitas, Palermo. Buenos Aires, Argentina

We needed a shower to freshen up. We rested for a short while, but Monica’s family showed up complete with baby grandkids, so no napping for us! We decided to eat and they recommended a few places to have lunch. We were a little early, but found a place just at the other end of the cul-de-sac. We walked buy the SA Anthro and I peeked through the window. This happened every time I walked past. Lunch was less than good, I ordered a salad, and when it came out, the lettuce was waterlogged. I couldn’t eat it. The waiter insisted the lettuce was fresh, and said it was the same as on Javier’s plate. Javier’s was fresh, mine looked like boiled spinach. Did he really think we couldn’t tell the difference?? Either way, not a good first meal, that’s for sure. We returned to Monica’s where we changed shoes and walked around the neighborhood. We had some shopping to do, and had talked about possibly having Thanksgiving dinner with Monica and Marcello. We set off in search of a turkey. Turkey proved to be hard to find. Impossible in fact. We went to several different stores, some of them we researched online…no turkey. We stopped at a really cute English tea place for a pick-me-up, and moved along to our final destination. Again, no turkey. Apparently they have turkey in BA for Christmas, but not before. Well, that settled it! No turkey, no Thanksgiving! We had steak instead. 

Walking tour. Buenos Aires, Argentina

The next two mornings we took a couple of free tours. One covered the fancy districts of Recoleta and Retiro and the other, the congressional districts. We walked across the widest avenue in the world, saw the congressional buildings, learned more history about Argentina than either of us can retain, saw some really neat buildings including one that is shaped like a stupa on top and was created based on Dante’s, ‘Divine Comedy.’ The ground floor has gargoyles and serpents and is supposed to be like hell. You cannot go straight to the top, but have to take several different elevators at different points in the building. The top is supposed to represent heaven, but we weren’t allowed to go there, so, we remained in hell. 

La Casa Rosada. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Their presidential palace is pink, and our guide told us so many stories as to why this is, I cannot remember the real story. We stopped by Cafe Tortoni, and made a mental note to visit when the line wasn’t outside the door and halfway down the block like it was right then. One of our tour guides had a guitar and liked to play and sing. It added some fun to the program. We ended a tour in front of the Recoleta cemetery, and went on a stroll. I really love this cemetery.

Creepy! La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.

I love all cemeteries. I’m creepy like that. But this one is set up like a little city. The mausoleums are right next to each other and face other mausoleums across the street. It’s like a neighborhood in there. Some neighbors are wealthier than others, and like to show it. One of the mausoleums looks like it belongs in an Italian fountain. It’s massive, with statues and angels reclining all over. Some of the “streets” have names, but most don’t so it gets confusing. I overheard a tour guide telling a couple that the families have to keep paying for their plot. No one owns, everyone must rent. We saw some mausoleums that had gone through foreclosure, emptied and dilapidated. She said that Eva Peron’s foundation pays the rent for her, and therefore, the whole Duarte family.

Eva Peron’s. La Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires.

Evan Peron’s mausoleum is small and unassuming. You would never know it was there except for the piles of flowers and throngs of people. 

It was recommended to us to eat at a place called La Cabrera for steak. This is where we had Thanksgiving dinner. Our guide said that when he was there, the table next to him cut their steak with a spoon. I don’t know if that story is true, but we had a delicious steak indeed- and a salad with the largest hearts-of-palm I’ve ever seen!! They actually offer everything at 40% off from 7-8pm. This is perfect for us tourists with normal eating times, but much too early for local people who prefer to eat around 10pm. 

We opted to take the bus to La Boca, which was definitely a more economical option, but took well over an hour. When we arrived, the place was packed. Not only because it was a Saturday in La Boca, but because there was a kayak race. The race had finished, and they were barbecuing chorizo for the participants and their families. It smelled so good.

La Boca, Diego!

We walked around a bit and decided that we would rather eat a choripan (chorizo sandwich) than go to a restaurant with their aggressive people in front trying to get you to sit and eat. We approached the table and asked if we could buy a sandwich and were told it was free. We were honest and said that we weren’t affiliated with the group. The woman looked at Javier and said, “Open the bread” while a little old man shoved a ready-made sandwich into my hands. Well, that was easy. We decided to go with the flow and stopped next at the drink table where we each grabbed a cup of lemonade. 

La Boca

We walked around La Boca and admired the buildings with all their colors, the tango dancers putting on performances, and looked at the little shops. We accidentally stumbled upon a rather interesting museum. I was looking for a bathroom to wash the choripan grease, and wandered into a clean, modern building. After washing up, we started to look around, and it was really interesting. It was a museum of forensic architecture. Sounds boring? Au contraire. It was surprising good, and intriguing. 

Now for the real reason we came to La Boca…Boca Juniors. Javier wanted to buy a jersey, and was so disappointed to find out they didn’t have his size.

La bombonera.

Boca Juniors is changing their jerseys, so they are not restocking the old version. Javier wants the old one. We took the tour, which we were told was offered in English and Spanish. I have come to realize that when this country says the tour is offered in English and Spanish, what they mean is, the tour is in Spanish…and maybe the guide will go over some points with you in English. Our guide was really good. Even I could understand her. She spoke slowly and clearly. Most of it I caught, what I didn’t, Javier filled me in. At one point, she had us jump three times and yell GOAL! We were standing in the area where the supporters stand, jump and chant. Jumping alone sounded like a drum and I have to say, for being a small, old stadium, those acoustics are pretty good.

Museo Boquense. Buenos Aires

We spent a good amount of time in the museum afterward. I think Javier could have easily stayed for much longer, but I was fading fast. We watched a few videos before heading out to find a bus for the long ride home. 

It was raining the next day, so we decided to go to the museum. Before this, we discovered the most AMAZING lunch place. Our hosts had told us about it, but we were usually out and about and this place was literally one block away. We had an early lunch at Las Cholas. It is a parrilla place, has great food, and priced very well. We noticed that there were very few tourists. That was one thing we really liked about this neighborhood.

Corte mariposa at Las Cholas, las cañitas,

It was not touristy in the least, which really made the whole experience much more authentic. After we ordered, Javier asked our waiter if he could pay with a credit card, and was told cash only. No problem. He asked where the nearest ATM was located, and set off at a slow trot in that direction. It was sprinkling a bit, but nothing too serious. About 20 minutes later, our food having just arrived a couple minutes before, Javier returns, soaked. What happened?? The ATM was not working, and the next one was too far away, so his mission was unsuccessful. He told the waiter, who said not to worry, just enjoy the food, and take care of it later. Enjoy the food, we did!!! It was so delicious. The steak was yummy and the sides perfectly matched. Once we were full, we left a cellphone with the manager, and made our way to another ATM. That ATM no longer existed, so we kept walking until we were back at the same ATM Javier tried earlier. I went ahead and tried with my card and voila!! It worked. We sheepishly returned to the restaurant, paid our bill, retrieved the cell phone, and started walking to the museum. 

MALBA, Buenos Aires.

It was no longer raining, and the air was hot and humid. We walked through the park to get there, so it wasn’t unpleasant, but we were very grateful to step into the lovely air-conditioned lobby. There was a group of pushy impatient ladies behind us in line. When it was our turn, Javier was paying with a credit card. I was reading the signs, and since they are all in Spanish, it took me a while. I saw a sign saying that Samsung smartphone users get a buy one get one free deal. I pointed it out to Javier, who pointed it out to the ticket girl, who confirmed, and after I showed her my Samsung, refunded the amount back on to the credit card. Javier decided to pay the single ticket in cash because of the angry mob of old biddies starting to surround us.

Caminando a MALBA

I’m not sure what is normally shown in this museum, but two of the three floors was dedicated to a Mexican artist. This guy takes videos of his artistic ideas. For example, he tried, and ultimately failed to create a floating bridge from Key West to Cuba using boats from both sides. While the Cubans put forth over a hundred boats, the US only supplied 30 or so. He filmed the whole thing, and it was actually pretty cool to see the differences in the two sides. Most of the boats on the Cuban side were small, old, wooden, and required paddles, while the US had a wide variety from very nice to rubber dinghies- all in much better shape than the Cubans. But the Cubans were so lively- happy, collaborative, the US- not so much. He also videoed himself running into the eye of tornadoes.

Waiting for the Burger.

We took a different route home to see more of the city and to try a burger place that Javier’s friend recommended. I believe his words were, “Best burger of your life.” While the burger was good, clearly this man has never been to Hopdoddy. 🙂

We took a flight the next day to Iguazu Falls, but not before having more bife at Las Cholas. 🙂

To see more pictures of Buenos Aires, click HERE.