We were both so exited to visit the Iconic city, Buenos Aires, but at first weren’t sure on the logistics with the van. We were hoping the perfect pet sit would pop up just in time, though there were a couple available, they just didn’t quite align with what we needed. It can be difficult at times to know what to do with the van in these circumstances, we need to know for sure that wherever we leave it it’s going to be safe, it is our home after all. We don’t want to be exploring the city with our thoughts on the van hoping it’s safe and we don’t get broken into.
We have been using the app iOverlander to help us find safe places to stay within South America, there are different apps available depending on where you are in the world, for example in Europe we used Park4Night. These apps are great for travellers to find places to stay, water, parking etc, if you want to know more about it just let us know. Anyway, we used the iOverlander app to find a great park up in a small parking lot just outside a police station and a stones throw away from the train station. With the city being an hours train ride away it was perfect, we could leave the van with peace of mind and venture into Buenos Aires.
Our train journey into Buenos Aires
Our first introduction to how lively and vibrant this city really is came straight away on our train journey in. Vendors didn’t miss a beat when entering the train, striding up and the carriages with their large baskets and cool boxes we were offered baked goods, ice-creams, cold drinks, jewellery, sweets and even hand soap. The closer we got to the city the more frequent the vendors. As Will rightly said, you could spend a fortune on this train.
That was not all though, we also had live music serenading us, firstly a man with his acoustic guitar bellowing Argentinian folk songs with his young daughter collecting money, then a duo with electric guitars, microphones and an amp entertaining us with a few rock tracks. To end we were amused by a performer dancing with a life sized, large bottomed doll, that happened to grind up against Will as we sat in the carriage watching in fascination. It was like no other train journey we have had before and were so glad we parked outside the city and didn’t miss this theatrical display.
Getting a Sube card
Arriving in the city centre we disembarked the train into the busy station and went in search of a Sube card, so we could use the busses in the city to get around with speed and ease. It’s a very large city and what we had thought looked like a 20 minute walk on the map from one attraction to another was closer to 45 minutes. Only spending one day here, every second counted and we wanted to fill it with as much as we could. Having successfully acquired one we jumped on the bus and headed straight for La Boca.
La Boca
Roaming the streets lined with brightly coloured shack-like buildings is like nowhere we have been before. What is now a popular tourist destination was once the dwellings of immigrants in the city, the buildings are typical of those built for communal living at the turn of the 19th century. It now has a thriving art culture, with the streets filled with artists and vibrant paintings of local scenes. Wandering through alley ways, nooks and crannies, exploring each corner we found, shops selling hand made goods, souvenirs, paintings and so much more. The aroma of street food filled the air and with many restaurants offering grills and Tango shows. If you ever find yourself in Buenos Aires I couldn’t recommend this place more, if you can I would highly recommend taking in a Tango show here, something that Will and I were unable to do living on a travellers budget.
The Port Market
From there we jumped on the bus to the Port Market, built in 1897 for the surge of European immigrants in the city. Though the indoor market has changed a great deal since then it still boasts a bustling atmosphere with green grocers, antique shops, butchers and food stalls. Leaving modern society outside, we wandered the narrow maze of walkways, taking in the original metal columns and beams whilst surrounded by a throng of stalls, vendors and customers.
Looking for a traditional snack we moseyed passed the grills, pastelerías, and even an authentic pizza place. Yes that’s right, with 40% of Argentinians having Italian heritage they are very proud of their pizza. Though according to our tour guide later that day and the Italian who joined us on the tour, it’s maybe not quite the authentic Italian pizza you have in mind but an Argentinian take, with less passata and heaps of cheese.
Empanadas!
Finding a stall with empanadas coming straight out of the wood fired oven, we took a seat and browsed the menu. With a buzzing atmosphere around us we tried several different fillings, first we had the most traditional, ‘Carne’- ground beef, mixed with onions, egg and seasoning, this one is particular was very juicy and flavourful without making the pastry soggy and is always our favourite. Cheese and chorizo was our second choice, this was bursting with flavour, the soft melted cheese mixed with the powerful chorizo reminded us a little of a pepperoni pizza flavour. Our third choice was the vegan option, aubergine, pumpkin and courgette, though taking our first bite we quickly realised this was not at all vegan and we had been given chicken! The flavours were subtle and it was fully loaded with a salty filling of shredded chicken, very tasty. We did go back for the vegetable empanada as the the combination intrigued us, but sadly it was very bland and lacklustre. Having refuelled we were ready to explore the city further.
A free walking tour
As we are never in a city for very long we always like to do a Free Walking Tour, now when I say free, I mean its free to join the tour and you tip your guide at the end. Meeting our guide Simon at Plaza Congresso, the group embarked on a two hour informative tour of several sites in the city. Firstly learning of the National Congress Building overlooking the plaza that took nearly 50 years to build. With 90% of materials coming from Europe and being built by Europeans the flow of materials was largely disrupted by both WW1 and WW2, delaying it completion. The same could be said for much of the European style architecture within the city, giving to its name “ The Paris of the South”. Heading through the plaza stopping at a signed cast of Auguste Rodins “The Thinker” before joining a road leading away from the square.
Finding ourselves in front of Palacio Barolo we learned how the architecture was designed in accordance with Dante’s Divine Comedy with many references to the work. To name just a few details; the 100 metre building mirrors the 100 pages of the Divine Comedy, with 22 floors divided into sections representing hell, purgatory and heaven. The light from the light house right at the top representing the nine choirs of angels can be seen all the way in Montevideo, Uruguay.
If you are new to the city, Simon will you give plenty of hints and tips on where to go and what to eat around the city, including but not limited to medialunas, a croissant style pastry, chori-pan, a grilled butterflied sausage in a roll and Argentinian pizza. He can tell you all the best places to go to try these delicious delicacies.
La Casa Rosada – The Pink House
Ending our tour in Plaza De Mayo we were there at just the right time to see the lowering of the flag outside La Casa Rosada – the pink house where the president works. A ceremony that draws in a crowd to watch on as several military personnel and official guards gather to lower their national flag whilst being serenaded by an official horn player (official yes but professional not quite!). There are a few theories as to why the building is pink, one; the president at the time mixed together the two opposing political party colours, red and white as a sign of peace. 2; cows blood was often mixed in with white paint to make it last longer in humid conditions. And finally 3; pink was very much in fashion in France at the time and if it was good enough for the French then is was good enough for the Argentinians. Still today no-one really knows for sure.
If you have ever seen the musical movie starring Madonna then you will know the powerful sentimental ballad “Don’t Cry for me Argentina”, it’s pretty iconic right? Well that song was filmed in the window of Casa Rosada but the people of the city weren’t to happy about this and came to the square in protest. However, when Argentina won the world cup in 1986 (I know, I know, let it go) and again in 2022 both Maradona and Messi came to the balcony of Casa Rosada and the city joined them in Plaza del Mayo to celebrate, no protest in sight!
The Neoclassical Metropolitan Cathedral
Our penultimate stop was the Neoclassical Metropolitan Cathedral dating back to the early 17th century, although from the outside it didn’t resemble much of a Cathedral. At closer inspection signs of it being a Cathedral could be seen, such as the twelve columns representing the twelve apostles, and above these a sculpture carved into the building of Joseph and Jacob in Egypt. Not only that but planted opposite, on the other side of the road was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires for 15 years, Pope Francis’, very own Olive tree! Seemed a bit random in the centre of a city, but there we go.
The Obelisk Traditions
Snow has only ever been recorded in the city of Buenos Aires three times, the Obelisk is where the people went to rejoice, building their tiny little snowmen. This tall white monument was erected in 1936 to commemorate 400 years since the first settlement of the now prominent city and marks the spot where the Argentinian flag was raised for the first time. The Obelisk monument is revered by patriotic locals and is now a hub for celebrations and demonstrations. Back in 2022 when Argentina won the world cup for the third time, there was a three day celebration where 5 million Argentinians surrounded the monument.
Viewing the monument from the corner of Plaza del Mayo, looking down the tree lined road is where we ended our tour and gave our thanks to our tour guide. When you visit the city we would highly recommend doing a walking tour, there are many to choose from around the city encompassing various topics. Our guide Simon was knowledgeable and a fountain of recommendations on where to go in the city depending on what you’re looking to do. Feel free to book a tour direct with him using his WhatsApp number: +549 11 6852 6656.
Finishing off with a drink and the sunset
To finish our evening we walked down to the port to enjoy a nice drink before leaving the city. Wondering along the canal adorned with high end restaurants and bars we went in search of wine as our tired feet pulled us along. We aren’t entirely sure why but we actually found it quite difficult to find a bar offering wine. It wasn’t until our fourth attempt when we were almost ready to give up did we enter an establishment that could provide a glass of wine, after a long day roaming the city it was like finding the holy grail!
Lounging outside, overlooking the canal we watched as people passed us by and the sun set, the pink sky slowly giving into the embrace of indigo as the stars appeared one by one. We would have liked to have stayed in the city a little longer but sadly we were a little rushed by time constraints with the last train leaving at 9:15pm it was a bit of a rush towards the end. But alas we finished our drinks and made the last train home which was a great deal quieter than the one arrived on. Making it back to the van safe and sound still buzzing from the energy of the city we relished another glass of wine to unwind and reminisced over our day in Buenos Aires.
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