Discovering Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, what a beautiful city! It is unsurprisingly unlike any other city in Latin America and appropriately called the Paris of South America. It is defined by wide open boulevards, amazing architecture and lovely people.

Feeling much better after getting some sleep, today we set out to explore three districts of the city, each quite unique and with its own aura. We caught a cab to the furthest destination, the fabled La Boca, which was established by Genoese sailors and, consequently, of special interest to me. Possibly the best soccer team in Argentina, and one of the best in the world, Boca Juniors, hails from here and plays at the renown “Bombonera”. The team’s nickname is “Xeneizes”, which in my native dialect means “Genoese”, and is thus a point of pride. We even visited the “Bombonera”, and I took a picture hoisting an accurate replica of the much coveted Copa Libertadores, the most prized cup of the entire continent.

La Boca is also where one goes to check out tango dancing, and we saw plenty. It’s a wildly different place from the rest of the city. We really enjoyed it, and Diane found and bought a new Nativity scene for her Christmas displays.

Oh, Yes, that's me!

Colorful old houses of La Boca

Oh, Yes, that's Diane, and the dogs are real :)

The famous "Bombonera"

Mafalda, the most famous Argentine cartoon character. She's everywhere.

Maradona, the most beloved Argentine player of all time.

Lunchtime at La Boca

After lunch we hailed another cab and asked the driver to take us to Plaza de Mayo, in the heart of the city. This is where the “Casa Rosada”, the Argentine equivalent of the “White House” is located, as well as the city’s cathedral, and a myriad other amazing buildings, museums, and theaters. Luckily, we struck up a conversation with a lady who is a local tour guide, and she advised us to check out the changing of the guard, which takes place every two hours inside the cathedral, at the tomb of San Marti’, the country’s liberator and a figure of equal reverence as the founding fathers in the States. Once again, we logged nearly 20,000 steps.

San Marti's tomb in Buenos Aires' cathedral

The central altar in the cathedral

Changing of the guard

The Nativity scene at the Cathedral

The beautiful Argentinian flag

In the Plaza de Mayo

Plaza de Mayo

The Casa Rosada

The presidential balcony. Here Eva Peron was hailed by the people.

Our third district, and we walked to it, was that of San Telmo, the city’s Bohemian Neighborhood; think the Village in New York. It’s a cool area, with antique shops, markets, and an artsy vibe. We intended to have dinner there, but we are still feeling the remnants of the long trip here, and the heat and long walks did not help either, so we opted for a cab ride back to Palermo, where we delighted in some fresh, tasty fruit for dinner (the cherries and the peaches were delicious). We got our test results back, which were negative, and paved the way for our boat trip to Uruguay early tomorrow morning.

The centuries-old San Telmo indoor market

A San Telmo mural

Gonna try to get a good night sleep. Thanks for your time and Hasta Mañana!