Post by Ella. The Museo Nacional Bellas de Artes in Recoleta (10 minute walk from our AirBnB) claims to have the most extensive collection of fine art in South America so how could we not? A nice collection of Goya’s and Rodin’s, scattered French painters, an Italian or two. My favorites, though, were the Argentine artists…
Street tangos
Post by Grubb When we joined the throng wandering the streets of San Telmo on Easter, it was hard not to catch a glimpse of tango dancing couples entwining themselves with their studied movements. In the doorways of cafés, on the tree shaded flagstones in the corner of a park, the pavement of a driveway,…
Before there was graffiti
Post by Grubb. There were cannon balls studding the tower of the San Pedro cathedral from an Argentine assault against an English regiment holed up inside.
Activist graffiti
Post by Grubb. We’ve been expecting to run into numerous political demonstrations since Javier Milei, a Milton Friedman free market zealot elected in December, personifies the enemy in a heavily unionized country. So far we’ve only come across a small gathering of placard carriers blocking a street today, but when we were touring the San…
Colorful Conventillos
Post by Grubb. Immigrants getting off the boat in La Boca more than a century ago jammed themselves into the cheapest digs they could find. They were offered small rooms that in some cases were former convent cells. They painted their places with whatever paint was on sale, so there was no uniform color scheme…
The queen of markets
Post by Ella. We spent the day on Easter Sunday moseying around San Telmo, one of the oldest barrios in the province of Buenos Aires. Known for its antiques market in Plaza Dorrego, Sunday street fair, young tango dancers jostling for space to perform (and pass the hat afterwards), the place was crammed for blocks…
The furia of Argentina
Post by Ella. Some of you know, April 1st is Grubb’s birthday and our anniversary. So we decided to go all out on the celebration yesterday. Van loads of police in full body armor, the crush of fans in team colors, the heavy continual pounding of drums. All part of the experience we voluntarily signed…
Recoleta
Post by Ella. Argentina consists of 4 regions (Andes, North, Pampas, Patagonia) which contain 23 provinces. The province of Buenos Aires contains the federal district, City of Buenos Aires (CABA) which is quite small in area. In addition to the federal district, there are 48 barrios within the province. Population of the province of Buenos…
Reflections of a former port
Post by Grubb. A little more than a century ago La Boca was the port that saw hundreds of thousands of immigrants arrive. Second only to New York at that time for grand relocation, it differed in that there was no Ellis Island to filter the newcomers. Walking around the streets it certainly seems the…
The wide glide
Post by Grubb Yesterday I learned quickly that if I was to make it through the Boca Junior crowds without losing sight of our tour guide I would be wise to follow the big guy. He was like a locomotive nosing its cattle catcher through the herd; people spilled off on either side to avoid…
Working class Pietá
Post by Grubb. While we were trekking towards the La Boca Junior futbol stadium I had to pause and admire some socialist street art. Okay, it’s not van der Weyden’s “Descent from the Cross”, but the emotion is still there, and it’s not a parody so much as a heartfelt expropriation. There’s a lot of…
A colorful day
Post by Ella. La Boca (“ the mouth”), one of the oldest barrios in Buenos Aires, sits at the mouth of the Matanza River. Ages ago it was a busy port but as ships grew in size, the small port of La Boca grew quiet. Now there is only a cleaning project. Come back in…
Cemetery of the select
Post by Grubb Long blocks of outdoor cafes across from high fortress-like walls, crowds of people lining up at the entrance, street vendors yelling out in Spanish, I could be in Seville outside the Royal Alcázar, but here in Buenos Aires we’re joining a small group walking tour ready to explore the Recoleta Cemetery. No…
A few pics
Today was La Boca, a colorful neighborhood by day, but don’t get caught there after dark. I will write a longer post a little later on La Boca but for now, here are a few pics from atop the Museo Benito Quinquela Martín (the guy who painted La Boca).
Let’s talk cash
Post by Ella Local currency in Argentina is ARS (Argentine pesos, but also uses the $ symbol which is sometimes confusing). In Argentina, there are several currency exchange rates the official (government/bank) rate, the market rate, the blue dollar rate, the rate your credit card will give you (and it’s different for different cards). Example rates…