Falling in love with Buenos Aires
This next addition will try to capture why Argentina has become my favourite country in the world. Let’s start at the beginning…
After jumping back on the overnight buses, this thankfully uneventful journey from Iguazu falls to Buenos Aires made us feel warm and fuzzy upon our arrival into the capital. I’m sure it was the after dinner champagne that sent us into a lovely slumber for 10hrs.
Argentina is such a mixed bag of people and culture. To give a very brief description, Argentina actively encouraged immigration onto their shores after their independence in the 19th century, so the country is filled with gorgeous architecture and even more beautiful people. Think the grandeur of Rome smashed in with the grunge of Naples or Athens. This place feels like a European metropolis but with the spirit of South America.
The weather was cold here, a chilly 5–12 degrees most days with a icy wind that cut into any jacket, so it was time to rug up. Our first few days in BA were devoted to checking out the sites, including Florida Avenue, famous for its currency exchange services (Google the blue dollar), it’s leather shops and upscale boutiques. The shopping here was fabulous and I think Jens was grateful that I have almost no room nor money to spare on such things.
One thing we were up for was heading out to explore the night life.
Argentina is famous for its after dark shenanigans, and we decided to do as the locals do. We had a nap after an early dinner before heading out to hit the town. We got on a bus at 10.30pm to the old town of San Telmo and found ourselves in a funny bar called Gibraltar. It looked like an English pub with ciders and a pool table, but played 90’s rap and other gangster style music. Jens fitted right in and proceeded to get white girl wasted. We met a few other travelers and local there and moved onto our next bar. Hidden behind a red door with no signage out front, our porteña friend (BA local) apparently knew the bouncer so we were able to jump the queue with no entry fee. In a loft that could be found in New York, we drank more beers, ordered food and rolled out at about 4.30am. And we were not nearly the last people left. I think our drinking endurance is unseasoned compared to the locals.
Going to the San Telmo markets
After a hungover Saturday where we lazed around our Airbnb, Sunday was our do-it day. Up early, we headed back to the scene of the crime at San Telmo markets. These weekly markets are based around a central indoor area, yet they sprawl in an 8 block radius. The entire streets are closed off to traffic and you can find vendors selling everything from 1kg tubs of Dulce de leche to rows upon rows of vintage sunglasses.
We didn’t buy much, but simply walking around absorbing it all in was worth the trip. There is such a sense of belonging here, these vendors have been selling the same crafts, foods and services for decades. They all know each other and bring their own charms to their stalls.
We also went to the modern area of called Puerto Madero which this reminded me of a mix between Darling harbour and Canary Wharf in London. It’s super modern structures are home to the big brands like IBM, Sheraton and probably a PWC (but I don’t remember). There were some more markets down here, but mostly it’s a place to walk along the water.
Heading to the Italian part of town
On Monday we ventured into La Boca. The original working class area of BA, we were given some interesting looks when walking around. Here we had a delicious multi course lunch at an institution called Don Carlos, including soup, cheeses, breads, dips, meats, pasta, two desserts and a bottle of wine, all for about $90AUD. The chef literally doesn’t understand the meaning of full and we had to get his daughter to translate for us. We were more full than Christmas lunch. But so so happy.
Afterwards we did a tour of Boca Juniors stadium, which is the biggest football club in Argentina. Their support crew is comprised of 40% of the entire country’s population. The tiny stadium of 55,000 had such a great presence in the suburb, the colours of blue and yellow were painted everywhere. For someone who doesn’t love football, I found this tour really fascinating and it made me understand my boyfriends love of the game a little bit more.
My favourite fact was the section for the away fans. It’s fits 5000 people, has no seats, no food or drink stands and only ONE bathroom for all of them. Also, it’s in the furthest section away from the pitch and faces the sun constantly. Tough times for the away supporters.
We did so much more, walking tours, seeing live drumming bands, dancing in the street to music when the mood stuck….simply could not talk about it all.
By far my favourite thing about BA was discovering the food and wine. I literally thought, fuck the extra kilos, they can be dealt with later. It was like walking into meat heaven. Argentina has a style of meat called Parrilla, which is basically a means a BBQ. Similar to a churrasco in Brazil. The best we tried was in Mendoza, but more about that later. The meat here in so juicy and tender, and to order meat well done is practically a crime punishable by social exile. We did on one occasion receive meat that was overcooked, but I think that’s called being Gringo’d. A lot of the food had Italian spin added to it, due to the large Italian population here. We managed to find some fantastic thin crust pizza one evening and even washed it all down with an Aperol Spritz.
If you haven’t figured it out already, I absolutely loved Buenos Aires and I truly believe it’s a city everyone should get the pleasure to enjoy. It’s filled with so much fun and energy, the people so kind and warm, the food plentiful and the wine flowing, it would be such a loss to not experience it.
Already planning the next trip back. If anyone wants to go, let me know and I’ll meet you there!
