We have now spent 3 full days in Buenos Aires, said to be the Paris of South America. It is an elegant, sophisticated city brimming over with energy, culture, and passion. The Argentinian people are more elegant and stylish than the Brazilians, and also more cultured. BA is alive - people are always out and about in the streets, either walking purposely to their next engagement, lazing at street cafes either deep in conversation or just watching the world go by, running in the parks, or strolling along enjoying the beauty of their surroundings and the company they are with. The streets abound with sidewalk cafes, flower kiosks, and newspaper stands. It is a book lovers haven as there are so many eclecticly stocked book stores. In fact it is a cultural haven. There are many theatres, an opera house (probably more than one), tango and folk music shows. The inhabitants are slim, good looking, and fashionably dressed. The city had its heyday in the 1880s onwards into the 1900s when all of the hispanic buildings were pulled down and a beautifully architectured city, influenced by Paris, was built in its place. Today, many of these buildings look quite dilapidated due mainly to economic hard times Argentina has experienced, but now that the economy is starting to pick up, there is much renovation and new construction taking place.
Another character of the city is the dog walkers and the dog sitting parks. You will see young men and women walking around the city with 8 to 16 dogs on leads trotting along behind them in a most orderly fashion. These are the city´s dog walkers who exercise the dogs of the rich. In many of the parks and green areas, dog sitters watch over noisy barking dogs while their owners work. We must have seen hundreds and hundreds of dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds, either being walked by the walkers or cared for by the sitters. I have heard this is done in New York but have never seen it done on such a large scale. It is definitely a characteristic of this city.
Argentinians are also passionate about expressing their views and consequently there are many demonstrations. We have seen about 5 in our 3 days here. The demonstrations are about everything from political issues, to labour issues to social issues. Usually they are controlled, but the riot police are always present in force, and the parks, squares, and streets barricaded. The cost of all this policing must be enormous.
Two days ago we experienced a major thunderstorm here and the streets flooded up and over the wheels of the cars in minutes. Vehicles were driving on the pavements and any higher ground to get away from the water. Later we saw news of the flooding on the TV.
Last night I went with some of the group for a Tango lesson. It is so difficult. The beat is really hard to get as it is so subtle. The basic tango movement requires very agile hips and ankles and wearing flat sandals is not really conducive to attaining the swivel that is required. But truth to say, it would take me much longer than an hour to learn the most simple of movements. But it was so much fun. Later we went to see a Tango show and marvelled at the speed that the dancers are able to reach. It is marvelous to watch.
This morning we did a 3 1-2 hour bike ride around Recoleta and Palermo. These are two of the areas in BA where the "rich" live. They are beautiful. Palermo was originally an estancia and is therefore mainly green area with large beautful parks, a race course, and a polo field. Recoleta is where the famous cemetery is and the grave of Evita Perron. The cemetery is stunning. It is like a city of little houses with beautifully sculptured figures and miniturized buildings. Eva´s tomb is quite unassuming, but that is where everyone visiting the cemetery headed.
So, we are sad to leave BA, we have enjoyed our second visit here as much as the first, and still we have only scraped the surface of the wonders the city has to offer.
Tomorrow, we leave at 7 a.m. for our long drive south to Ushuaia, stopping in Puerto Montt with a trip to the Valdes Peninsula to see the penguins. I do not know what communications facilities will be like along the way as we have rough camps on a couple of nights - i.e. that means we stop and camp wherever when Tony is tired of driving! We arrive in Ushuaia on March 22. Until then, keep well and happy.
Another character of the city is the dog walkers and the dog sitting parks. You will see young men and women walking around the city with 8 to 16 dogs on leads trotting along behind them in a most orderly fashion. These are the city´s dog walkers who exercise the dogs of the rich. In many of the parks and green areas, dog sitters watch over noisy barking dogs while their owners work. We must have seen hundreds and hundreds of dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds, either being walked by the walkers or cared for by the sitters. I have heard this is done in New York but have never seen it done on such a large scale. It is definitely a characteristic of this city.
Argentinians are also passionate about expressing their views and consequently there are many demonstrations. We have seen about 5 in our 3 days here. The demonstrations are about everything from political issues, to labour issues to social issues. Usually they are controlled, but the riot police are always present in force, and the parks, squares, and streets barricaded. The cost of all this policing must be enormous.
Two days ago we experienced a major thunderstorm here and the streets flooded up and over the wheels of the cars in minutes. Vehicles were driving on the pavements and any higher ground to get away from the water. Later we saw news of the flooding on the TV.
Last night I went with some of the group for a Tango lesson. It is so difficult. The beat is really hard to get as it is so subtle. The basic tango movement requires very agile hips and ankles and wearing flat sandals is not really conducive to attaining the swivel that is required. But truth to say, it would take me much longer than an hour to learn the most simple of movements. But it was so much fun. Later we went to see a Tango show and marvelled at the speed that the dancers are able to reach. It is marvelous to watch.
This morning we did a 3 1-2 hour bike ride around Recoleta and Palermo. These are two of the areas in BA where the "rich" live. They are beautiful. Palermo was originally an estancia and is therefore mainly green area with large beautful parks, a race course, and a polo field. Recoleta is where the famous cemetery is and the grave of Evita Perron. The cemetery is stunning. It is like a city of little houses with beautifully sculptured figures and miniturized buildings. Eva´s tomb is quite unassuming, but that is where everyone visiting the cemetery headed.
So, we are sad to leave BA, we have enjoyed our second visit here as much as the first, and still we have only scraped the surface of the wonders the city has to offer.
Tomorrow, we leave at 7 a.m. for our long drive south to Ushuaia, stopping in Puerto Montt with a trip to the Valdes Peninsula to see the penguins. I do not know what communications facilities will be like along the way as we have rough camps on a couple of nights - i.e. that means we stop and camp wherever when Tony is tired of driving! We arrive in Ushuaia on March 22. Until then, keep well and happy.
Pictures of Buenos Aires shown in order are:
- Buenos Aires
- Caminito
- Casa Rosada - and the balcony from where Eva Perron addressed the people of Argentina
- Cafe and flower seller
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