24 Hours Of Passion In Buenos Aires
Tango is one of the most famous and influential dances in the world. It originated in Buenos Aires in the 18th century.
Buenos Aires, Capital Federal District, Argentina Saturday, February 11, 2017
Buenos Aires is often referred to as the "Paris of South America." It is the 9th largest city in the world located in the western bank of Rio de Plata. It is the political, economic and cultural capital of Argentina. It is a blend of old world charm and modern conveniences. It is divided into 47 distinct neighborhoods with their own unique characteristics.
La Recoleta District with its fashionable avenues, sidewalk cafes and flower vendors is reminiscent of Paris. La Boca which is working class are feels like "Little Italy".
Venture into Traverse Avenida Corrientes, known as the "street that never sleeps" into El Centro and you will think you are in New York City.
There is much to see and do in Buenos Aires and we fell in love with this city during our first visit. This time, we decided to re-experienced it again.
To avoid the afternoon heat our first stop in the morning was at the La Recoleta cemetery. Once again we marveled at the ornate mausoleums of the rich and famous that lined the labyrinth of walkways. It provided us a historical glimpse into the wealth and opulence that was once Argentina. Eva Peron was also buried here.
Next was Plaza de Mayo, the square where grieving mothers of the desaparecidos (the disappeared) kept vigil during the country's "Dirty Wars." From the eastern end, you can glimpse into Casa Rosada or the Presidential Pink Palace and Museum at the eastern end is where Eva Peron would greet the masses. From there, Diagonal Norte is the pedestrian walkway to the Obelisco, which marks the intersection of Avenida 9 de Julio (the world's largest boulevard with seven lanes in each direction and flanked on either side by parallel streets of two lanes each).
Casa Rosada.
To the left of Casa Rosada is the Cathedral that houses the tomb of Gen. San Martin. We were in luck to have witnessed the changing of the guards as we came in. A new batch of sentries formally relieved the sentries providing ceremonial guard duties.
Cafe Tortoni, the oldest Cafe in Buenos Aires was also in our list of must do. Cafes are an integral part of Portenos and it would be remiss not to try it. Since 1858, it had been the favorites of artists, writers, dignitaries and intellectuals. The place looks like you are suddenly transported to Paris. Here, one can marvel at original artworks, decorated ceilings, and photos of great poets that line the walls. They have professional waiters all dressed in tuxedos and the submarine was a delight. It was definitely worth a stop!
Colorful La Boca is worth spending our casual afternoon shopping and people watching. There are so many clubs and restaurants, gift shops and street fair. El Caminito, the historical pedestrian zone in La Boca has a festive and pleasant atmosphere. For five dollars, tourist can pose with tango dancers. You can also watch them perform their passionate and very seductive dance for a tip.
We don't think anyone should leave Argentina without trying their parillas. Argentina is the world's beef capital and there are plenty of excellent parillas and restaurants. Our guide took us to with steak and barbecue and calamari as its specialty.
The food and wine was excellent! Although we didn't have the tango show during our meal, a cultural dance group performed on board our cruise ship that night. What a way to end our first day in Buenos Aires!
Comments :
Happy valentines to u and the gang. We love the tango shows. Love your blogs. Keep them coming. From chuck ARELLA, on Feb 14, 2017 at 09:23PM