The love story between Patagonia and me is quite strange. I had never planned to go there. I didn't even know where it is until I dreamed of it one night. I dreamed I was there. And it was nice. Reeeally nice. The next day I woke up confused and asked google where Patagonia was (all I had seen of it before was the logo of an American outdoor clothing brand with the same name). Checked the pictures. Fell in love. That was it. The start of a long-held dream that finally came true this November.
Because this trip was so varied, I will write about it in several posts. Time-hopping is exhausting, so let's start at the beginning.
I'm Swiss. And I like it organized. That's why my preparations started early. My bag was packed weeks before (itchy feet, itchy feet!) and the whole range of Argentinian Malbec-wine was drunk (acclimatisation, you know - but don't worry. the range in Switzerland isn't that big...) when I finally took the plane to Buenos Aires via Madrid the 9th of November.
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| 25 °C in Buenos Aires, 0°C in Patagonia - prepared for everything! |
The flight was long (13h) but comfy - the only thing I still don't understand is why the airline companies still think that vegetarians only eat fruit salads for dessert. Detail.
Buenos Aires welcomed me with warm weather (25 °C), a blue sky and a very chatty taxi driver. So my Spanish skills were useful from the first hour I was there. The Argentinian Spanish is quite special and not so easy to understand at first, but - spoiler alarm! - I also fell in love with this...
I arrived in the evening, so I had time to sleep long to be ready for my firt day in "BA". With more than 2 million inhabitants, BA is a biig city and I was happy to meet up with a friend from Switzerland who was in town as well and who already knew it. We did a wonderful walk through the town and along the river.
Whereas in Switzerland it was cold and dark, in Buenos Aires was spring time. All over town, the purple blossoms of the Jacaranda-Trees were blooming.
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| Jacaranda Tree in downtown BA |
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| Plaza de Mayo |
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| Casa Rosada |
... and along the river at Puerto Madero. With the old houses on one side and the skyscrapers on the other side of the river, this view amazed me.
We then strolled around in my favourite neighborhood - San Telmo. With it's cobblestoned streets, the colorful houses, little handicraft markets and sometimes tango on the street, I really liked it. But off course we were hungry, so we sat down in a fantastic restaurant called "Banco Rojo". The food tasted the way it looked like: delicious!
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| Lunchtime at El Banco Rojo |
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| Tango dancing in San Telmo |
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| Colorful house in San Telmo |
Later, I said goodbye to my friend and did a free walking tour along the Recoleta & Retiro Area. I learned a lot about this town!
The next day, I had the whole day to explore Buenos Aires before I met my new group in the evening. So I did what every other tourist avoids to admit - I did a hop on, hop off tour by bus. Yeees, it sounds nothing like "adventure" and "explorer", but I really liked it. Within 3,5 h I saw a lot of new things, learned a lot about the town and it's culture - all while sitting comfortably on the roof of the bus, enjoying the sun, the sights, the noises.
My first "hop off" was at La Boca, a neighborhood famous for its "El Caminito", a very colorful street. As it is said that the streets around "el Caminito" aren't very safe, I was quite happy to do this part by bus.
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| On the way to La Boca barrio - the houses are getting colorful |
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| Bombonera stadium |
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| Houses in La Boca |
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| Time for a cold drink in El Caminito, La Boca, BA |
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| La Boca - Colors, colors and more colors! Or: If all the houses are painted already, where can we put more color? |
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| Strong winds or selling strategy? |
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| La Recoleta cementary |
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| The grave of Evita - still a controversial figur in Argentina |
Next stop was the El Ateneo bookstore, located in an old theatre. Isn't that spectacular? Imagine you're sitting on the king's balcony with a book you may want to buy. After this visit, I'll think twice to buy an e-reader! :-)
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| El Ateneo Gran Splendid bookstore - who needs e-readers?? :-) |
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| Tango is still everywhere! Just in case you forgot the steps... |
And now I can't avoid some time-hopping because after the Patagonia tour, I came back to Buenos Aires again and spent another 2 days in this amazing city.
Buenos Aires is a city full of contrasts. It's controversial, it's eclectic. Evita lovers on one hand. Evita haters on the other. French architecture houses on one hand (BA is also called "Paris of the south"). Old, colorful houses on the other. Gourmet restaurants versus Empananda stands on the street. Tango versus Reggaeton. Green parks versus Italian street chaos. My lonely planet guide wasn't wrong: "Buenos Aires is cosmopolitical, temptive, emotional, frustrating, complex - and unique in this world". This won't be the last time I was here!
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| Yeees, next time I will wear a dress and tango shoes, I promise!! |
My tips for Buenos Aires:
Where to eat:
- El Banco Rojo (Bolívar 866, San Telmo district): A little restaurant with a nice garden where you can sit and enjoy Burgers,Tacos etc. My favourite spot to eat!
Where to drink:
- Garage Bar (Chile 631, San Telmo district): A very funny bar inside an old garage. With the old chesterfield sofas, TVs and pool table, you will feel at home immediately. Plus: The mojito is good! :-)
- La Poesia (Chile 502): My favourite café in town. Old, (almost) no tourists, cozy and good coffee. What do you need more?
What to do:
- Do a Free Tour! I'm a big fan of free tours because you learn a lot about the city and you normally get quite a lot of insider information. "BA Free Tour" offers 2 different kind of tours (one in the city center and one for Recoleta & Retiro). Check out their webpage to know when they start!
- Visit La Recoleta cementary. This huge cementary is impressive and it's nice to walk there. You won't have problems to find Evitas grave if you just follow the tourists. But be aware: It's maybe not as impressive as you imagine!
- Visit La Boca and "El Caminito": This colorful street is just amazing. Sit outside, have a drink and enjoy the creative atmosphere.
- Visit "El Ateneo" library (Av. Santa Fe 1860): Probably the most beautiful library you'll ever see.
- Take a stroll along Puerto Madero. Old brick buildings on one side, modern skyscrapers on the other. A lot of shops, cafés and restaurants. Perfect for an afternoon walk!
- Enjoy San Telmo: In this district, it's possible that you see Tango dancers on the streets but ou also have a lot of cute little shops and old cafés. The market hall is also worth a visit and every sunday they have a big market on the streets of San Telmo.
- Take some Tango lessons - Tango and Buenos Aires are just a perfect couple!