Buenos Aires

Our first week in Buenos Aries flew by.  We took the time to get accustomed to our new environment and to learn about life in a huge, bustling city.
 

At the outset, we arrived at the apartment we had rented.  It was located in San Telmo, a neighbourhood in BA which dates back to the very beginnings of the city.  The apartment building was therefore also an older building,  constructed in a European  or Parisian style.  A metal cage elevator is used to get to the third floor where our apartment was situated.  We had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small kitchen and a large living/dining room.  Three  balconies looking out on the street below were accessed through grand doors off of the living/dining room and master bedroom.  The railings were fancy ornate iron work, as were the front doors to the building.  It was very charming with a lot of wood details and with large french doors throughout and ceilings 15 feet high.  It was apparently used recently in the filming of a Spanish film called "Thesis" and I can see why as it really has an old Parisian feel to it.

 



 

 

 



 

 

 

 

We are located near a famous city park.  It is filled with old trees and celebratory statuary marking the foundation of the country, which is said to have happened on this very spot.

 

 

As we settled in we decided to explore a few places and to take in a few sights.  The first thing we did was to take the subway to the Plaza de Mayo.  This is the location where the white-bonnet women known as the Madres de Plaza de Mayo have held silent protests respecting the disappearance of their relatives, who were "disappeared" during a dictatorship which ended in the 80's.  These women continue to march in silence around the square, in support of various causes and also in continued remembrance of their disappeared loved-ones. (We learned a lot about the period of the disappeared throughout our stay in BA, a period of their history which was horrific and about which we previously knew very little.)
 

 

 

 

It was moving to see them and many others involved in this activity.  It was all the more poignant as Chavez ( a revered President of Venezuela) had just passed away and so the Madres de Plaza de Mayo marked this occasion by carrying the Venezuelan flag and making impassioned comments about his important contributions in Latin America.

 

On another day we decided to go back to the Plaza de Mayo as it is also the location of the Casa Rosada, the main government building and the famous location from which notables made speaches to the people of Argentina.  Even today this building is a government building where the President and Cabinet work.  As it is only open to the public on the weekends, we chose to go there on a Saturday.  We also decided to visit a famous cafe (The oldest in BA) called Café  Tortoni before taking the tour at the Casa Rosada.  We were served by gloved waiters in black tie formality.  We were surrounded by memorabilia of the history of BA and of famous people who had visited and enjoyed this location through the years.   This was also our first exposure to a Café Notable.  This is an official designation given to Café's which have historical significance.

 

 

We followed a lunch experience  with a visit to the Casa Rosada which was a fabulous experience.  The tour took us through many splendid rooms and included a visit to one of the balconies where speeches were and are made even today. 



 

 

 

 

There were even some items from the time of Evita Perron, including one of her dresses.

  

 

 

After the tour we waited until sunset to see this famous building as the last rays of the sun were upon it.  The pink colour of the edifice makes it look like it is aglow.

 



Another very interesting excursion we made was to La Boca...the location of the original port town in BA.  It is very old and was originally founded by dock workers who built their homes from corrugated metal which was then painted with leftover paint from the shipyards.

 

The mouth of the river which gives La Boca its name

The old port of La Boca

While a lot of this neighbourhood is in need of repair and maintenance, a small area has been restored to its former glory and we walked to this area from our apartment, a 20 minute walk. This took us past the famous stadium where the Boca soccer team plays to much fanfare and fireworks, especially when they play their rivals La Plata.  

The area is covered with murals, many celebrating soccer.

The area is known as Caminito and is famous for a type of tango which is danced here.  The music is playing everywhere and we found that once the music was in our minds, it was hard to get it out.  We walked back to the apartment therefore at a lively 2/4 rhythm!!!

The main square in Caminito...La Boca

Some of the homes are still made from corrugated metal.  This one is not in the tourist district.

Homes that are occupied to this day in the area of La Boca

In the tourist district the buildings have been restored and are colourfully decorated as they would have been in days of yore. 

Paul was asked to pose for a picture with this tango specialist which he did not do as the young lady was looking for $10.00.  Tango is everywhere and has been turned into a tourist trap.

I was finding life in BA to be very different from that in our somewhat smaller city of Ottawa. We took the subway at rush hour, and regretfully my pocket was resoundingly picked in that very busy place.  This somewhat soured my view of this city and made me very suspicious of passers-by, but I tried to make lemonade from the lemons I have been handed nevertheless!!!  

Janice arrived with her friend Katie and they added a new dimension to our living experience.  In their first day and they quickly found a music concert to go to and started to make friends. They were already planning a side trip to Iguazu falls which would make their trip that much more rich.   It made the time special to be with both our children together with Manuel and Janice's friend Katie.  It gave us time to catch up and to share experiences with them both.