Patagonia - Buenos Aires 1

We started and ended our Patagonian trip in Buenos Aires.  It was a return to the big city after more than a week in the wild Patagonian landscape - quite a mental adjustment. And while I enjoyed cities and their cultures very much, it didn't offer the same awe-inspiring spectacles of nature that took our breaths away time and again. 

I looked at the buildings in Buenos Aires - from the colourful La Boca to the majestic classical structures of Centro or the old town ambiance of San Telmo to the chic elegance of Recoleta - they are all remarkable manifestations of the human spirit and awe-inspiring in their own way.  But it was hard to compete with the splendours of nature that we just witnessed.  I almost felt the cities were a compromise. I finally understood a dear friend who is no longer with us.  She was a devout lover of mountains and nature and went from one wilderness trip to another, and I had found it difficult to understand at the time why she could not rev up a similar enthusiasm for cities, these glorious centres of culture.  Now I understand and I empathize, a bit late.

Buenos Aires certainly had its charms and I had hoped to have captured some of that in the photos below and in the next post.  We had explored Recoleta on our own on our first day of arrival and upon our return from Patagonia. The tour also took us to the famous cemetery in Recoleta where the rich and famous were buried. We had a quick visit of the Plaza de Mayo in Centro before we went on to the colourful La Boca district. 

We had a very enjoyable lunch "with the locals" by the waterfront and I was pleasantly surprised that we were actually sitting right in front of a nature sanctuary. What a treat to have this so close to the centre of the city. 

Buenos Aires from the plane - I am amazed at the vast green recreational areas just outside of town

One of the first things that hit our eyes near the Museum of FIne Art

We took advantage of the free entry on Sunday - nice collection.  I was struck by the iconic painting of social protest below "Sin pan y sin trabajo" (Without bread or Work) in a special exhibit of works by Argentinian painter Ernesto de la Cárcova. Having seen the slums in Buenos Aires, in stark contrast to the wealthy part of the city, I can better understand the sentiments behind the painting.

The colourful Sunday street market in Recoleta

An unusual clock set over the belfry of a historic church

"El Gran Gomero" a giant rubber tree in Recoleta is over 200 years old

The roots!

Colourful chairs on a sidewalk patio

Historic cafe La Biela, popular meeting place for politicians, writers, artists, actors and media celebrities - and you can just have a coffee and ice cream here

A Rufuos hornero (national bird of Argentina) right in the middle of the city

Floralis Generica by architect Eduardo Catalano in the United Nations Plaza

The famous Recoleta cemetery where the rich and famous were buried (also a standard tourist stop)

Mix of wide and narrow streets inside the cemetery

Tomb of Eva Peron

The National Theatre

Intricate iron work at the Opera House - there were long lineups for the tours

This tower is the only part remaining of the Mirador Massue, an art nouveau building from 1903 by French architect Alfred Massue, replaced by postmodern glass

Casa Rosada - the presidential mansion right downtown in Plaza de Mayo, El Centro

The cathedral at the other end of Plaza de Mayo

Lunch with the locals - street food by the waterfront

Wildlife right across the lagoon

An unusual wattled jacanda foraging in the lagoon

Bar-winged cinclodes near the bridge

A stroke of luck to come across this stunning swing bridge by architect Santiago Calatrava in Puerto Madero - Puente de la Mujer (Woman's bridge); for people in Toronto, Calatrava is also the architect of the Galleria atrium in Brookfield Place, downtown Toronto.

 Next post: Buenos Aires 2 - La Boca and San Telmo

Chile/Argentina - Buenos Aires Revisited

It was a short flight from El Chalten to Buenos Aires and since we thought we only have one morning in the city we had not planned anything.  But then we learned at the last minute that Air Canada had cancelled our flight home and we have an extra day in this city that I had visited for several days in 2017.  My travel companion had not really seen the city so we took a Hop-on Hop-off tour of the city.  Although we only really hopped off at La Boca we did get a quick tour of a good part of the city.  

I wasn't going to write a post on this because I thought I had covered a lot of ground in my first visit and had some leisurely intimate experiences at ground level, including a dance at a tango club.  But this time around, the bus tour gave me a bird's eye view that I didn't get when I walked the city in 2017, so there were not a lot of duplication other than in La Boca.  I was also able to dig up a lot of background on the images I took, thanks to Google  AI.  Technically this should be Buenos Aires 3.  I highly recommend that you check out the other two earlier posts:       https://travelswithrarecat.blogspot.com/search?q=buenos+aires

One thing I noted on the bus tour was the large number of corner buildings in the city.  Many of these are historical buildings.  I practically have a collection of them but only showing a few here - you can see the wide variety of architectural styles.  While I captured images of tango dancers in La Boca the last time I visited, this time we missed that as we visited in late afternoon and most of the tourists were gone - but I got a local kid playing basketball...😀  We were tired and eager to go home after 3 weeks on the road, but the extra day was still a treat in such a vibrant, colourful city.  

Monument of Julio Roca, former president

1926 building Edificio Sud America - Neo-Louis XVI style, austere lines and minimal decoration

Edificio Banco Comafi, formerly Palacio Italia America.  Venetian Neo-gothic by renowned architect Francesco Gianotti

An iconic art deco building - Edificio La Equitativa del Plata 1930s architectural landmark

Art nouveau landmark from 1916 also designed by Francesco Gianotti

SOMISA building - first building in the world constructed entirely of folded steel plate 1966-77

Obelisco de Buenos Aires

Ministry of Public Works with massive iron
mural of Eva Peron

Another historical building neo-classical and art deco blend by French Architect Eduardo Le Monnier 1928

Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral with a distinctive neoclassical face columns that resemble a Greek temple rather than a traditional church, no spire, no dome - rather unusual

Casa Rosada - office of the President

Don Quixote sculpture - a gift from Spain for
Buenos Aires' 400th Anniversary

 We saw these all over the city - they look
like comfy benches but in fact are very hard
metal or concrete

Blue jacaranda tree with violet flowers

National Congress in a Neo-classical building

The stunning swing bridge Puente de la Mujer (Woman's Bridge) by architect Santiago Calatrava

     This is in the Puerto Madero district, with other contemporary buildings like the ones below

The historic ansporter bridge inaugurated in 1914 in the La Boca neighbourhood

La Bombonera stadium - homeground for the Boca Juniors football team

The corner buildings coninued in La Boca - below, the famous Caminitto Street area

Murals abound

This mural is on a public works pump station buildin with esgraffito (scratched relief).  The title etched on it "the neighbourhood I love" by artist Jose Palmiotti, Lalo Sussi.  This mural was referred to in the La Boca Museum

Typical La Boca buildings in vibrant colours

Three key figures depicted here - Eva Peron, in various poses with Charles Gardel, King of Tango  and Diego Maradona, legendary football player

First stop for tourists in La Boca - they all want to pose at the door!

A historical ting on the wall just on the street - Martin's Work day (at the docks)

Neighbourhood art

Lucky to catch this young player practicsing

This dazzling pasth takes you to a mix of shops and tenements

Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup victory memorialized 
in this mural of Lionel Messi kissing the trophy

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Caricature of Juan Carlos Altavista, famous Argentinian actor 

Immigrants at the docks - local history depicted by artist collective in La Boca

From the wilds of La Boca, we returned to downtown Buenos Aires and couldn't resist going into the Galerias Pacifico, just round the corner from our hotel.  The glitzy interior was a nice change after the urban grit of La Boca.

This wraps up our 3 week Patagonian Roadtrip.  It was exhausting but the variety of experiences we encountered was thoroughly worth it!  Thank you for coming along for the ride.