22 - 25 Dec – Explored Buenos
Aires
Buenos
Aires
is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in
South America
.
But due to the economic crisis the famed shopping districts were somewhat
rundown, and even though it was the last shopping days before Christmas, they
were quite deserted, as were the restaurants.
Mostly we explored
the city on our own, but on the Sunday we did have a half-day “city
tour”. Our guide assured us that
all was safe because “Argentineans
don’t riot on Sundays”. And
indeed all was quiet. Though our guide book said dress in BA is generally more
formal, this was not the case for the Sunday sunbathers we saw in the Rose
Garden. Due to the extra security,
our tour skirted the heart of
the city: with the historic presidential palace, the Casa Rosada, the Cathedral,
the presidential square and other government buildings.
They were still heavily ringed with riot police who did not look like
they wanted their photos taken, as we’re used to with the Beefeaters in
London. But on Christmas Day it was
very quiet and we walked the length of Ave. de Mayo from the Plaza de Mayo.
In La Boca, the old immigrant
district, we saw the multi-colored houses and had a coffee in a bar boasting a
photo of Clintonfrom a recent visit. We also have
lots of photos from the bohemian area, San Telmo, where old houses are
interspersed with antique shops and stalls and tango is danced for the crowds on
the streets.
See
our photos of Buenos Aries:
The
rose garden
The
Cemetery (where Evita is buried)
Plaza
de Mayo and wall art along the Ave. de Mayo
La
Boca
Market
in San Telmo
Tango
in San Telmo
Coffee
and Kathy
Click
here to continue to Iguazu
