16: Walk and talk, sip and savour in Buenos Aires

  

Absorbing history on morning stroll in Buenos Aires

  LOCATION:  Buenos Aires

Rest easy, the safe dilemma is solved. Had help, there's a trick - you have to apply pressure to the door while entering the code. And, the bidet is our friend. So, after a hearty breakfast in the busy dining room of the Carles Hotel we were all set for a day of touring.

Must say that @DeLoy were very quick to fill the gap left by our departing Sydneysiders @LoRi - they had already picked up two Sydneysiders by breakfast. Talk about moving on!

Breakfast at the Carles

On a serious note, there is a domestic and international air strike on here - starting today! Apparently strikes and protests are common here because of the disparity between wages and inflation. A constant tension. Fingers crossed it is all done before the 20th!

The Adventure

@Paulyta perfectly on time for our first adventure. This was a combo walking and driving tour of some iconic sites of Buenos Aires interwoven with a commentary of the history and politics of the city. Walk a little, drive a little. Perfect combination. 

Even wove in a bank stop. @DeLoy are cashed up but we failed on the Wise Card and two Suncorp accounts - so looks like "conveniently" @DeLoy have us covered. 

A Buenos Aires City Tour 

This was 5 hours of touring and concentration tuning into the different and new inflections in Paulyta's voice. 

This tour portrayed the many faces of Buenos Aires and the influence of the Spanish, Italians, French, British and Germans on the recent history of Argentina. The recurring hero was San Martin in the Liberation of Argentina and there was a pervasive undercurrent of oppression, poverty and corruption in the politics of this cultural melting pot. It's recent history, encompassing the 70s has dark and sad stories.

The "Dirty War" (approx. 1976–1983) was a brutal period of state sanctioned terrorism centered here in Buenos Aires, where a military junta kidnapped, tortured, and murdered an estimated 30,000 people—mostly students, workers, and activists—to eliminate political opposition. We saw the white scarves painted on the pavement outside the  seat of power "The Pink House."

I only highlight this dark story because it really hit home how "recently" these atrocities have been endured . And truly- that was not the tone of the day's adventure- just one story.

The lasting memories:
Statues, parks, memorials everywhere
Distinctive glass architecture marks modern precincts - heavy contrast with "castles" of the French and the bodega neighbourhoods of the Spanish
Pervasiveness of restaurants, art galleries and book stores
Graffiti and street art prolific
Streets and avenues ranged from narrow cobblestoned alleys to 140 metre wide thoroughfares with 10 lanes of traffic each way
Proliferation of dogs and dog walkers
Roman catholic churches and bell ringing - we visited 3 churches across the day - there was a mass with pews full at each one
Soccer/football crazy - kids and adults alike in jerseys and the number 10 of Maradona and Messi everywhere!
There must be a 'donation' in a park from every country in the world - including sculpted kangaroos from Australia.
Everything here is "bigger" - you show your wealth and your power ostentatiously in both life and death - bigger houses/castles, bigger mausoleums

History lesson - architecture, parks and monument

Some of the icons we ticked off on this tour:

• Obelisco & Avenida 9 de Julio: The iconic 1936 monument situated on one of the world's widest avenues.
• Plaza de Mayo & Casa Rosada: The political heart of Argentina, featuring the iconic pink presidential palace and THE balcony.

Scored the changing of the guard in the cathedral 

Politics, religion, taxation, demonstrations, suffering
• Caminito (La Boca): A colorful street museum and historic neighborhood known for tango and Italian roots.

So much colour in La Boca

• Recoleta Cemetery: A breathtaking, elite cemetery featuring intricate mausoleums, including that of Eva Perón.

@Mac thought he had found the resting place of the HORSE Biscay - the stallion of his horse Talina Bay

• Floralis Generica: A large, metallic flower sculpture that opens and closes in Plaza de las Naciones Unida (well it doesn't any more... broken 7 years ago ... remains open)

Park sculpture ... broken for 7 years
• San Telmo: Known for its bohemian atmosphere, cobblestone streets, and Sunday antique market
• Plaza San Martin and Plaza Alvea and Palmero

Quirky restaurant

Definitely appreciated the 90 minute break back at the hotel before we had to scoot out for the afternoon evening tour. @Lloyd made a dash to the Disco to pick up a tallie - while we used the online query in Wise to locate an ATM 140 metres down the road.

That's a happy beer drinker back from the Disco!

 Successfully completed our transaction and were glad to see the offer for "English" pop up for instructions. No so happy to see the Argentinian bank charge for a withdrawal. Wow! Wise had warned to plan on withdrawing just once because the fee per transaction was the equivalent of $15 AUD.  Wow again.

B. Sip and Savour Palermo Tour

The itinerary said this was "a culinary adventure through Palermo's bustling streets, discovering the history of the oldest and now trendiest neighbourhood in the city. Enjoy its street art, architecture, boutiques, and vibrant atmosphere, while tasting its finest food."

We were early, so already a drink ahead. Oops.

It was a real hoot. We joined tour leader @Johnny (more formally @Johnathon, from Venezuela, who owns a hot sauce food line) and Jo guests@ Piper (a travel agent checking out service levels of their providers from Georgia), @Mae and @Brian (laundromat chain owners from Texas) and @Kath amd @Steve (mad golfers, keen travellers from Sydney.)

Plenty of food across a range of venues

What a great way to sample a variety of traditional dishes that epitomize Argentine flavours and learn about life and living in this ciry which seemed to light up and sparkle at night. 

Stops and lessons along the way

Our stops included Palermo's top culinary spots, including a Michelin Guide restaurant and a Top 50 Latin America Award Winner. Each venue was unique and @Johnny somehow magically wove the group together with good wine and fun conversation. 

Definitely said YES to the dessert offerings

Pizza, empanada, steak, salad, tapas and dessert were spread across five venues. Thank goodness we had a chance to walk because we were consuming way too much food and wine. Each course was explained - the ingredients, methods of preparation, the uniqueness of the selection and even how to "eat it" and then it was paired with a signature Argentinian Malbec. 

@Mac was in absolute carnivore heaven and I am not sure that anything fruit or vegetable based found its way into his stomach. But surprise of all surprises he was nodding and rating the red as "drinkable." For a NON red specialist ... that was high praise. 

Have to say that somehow you are often surprised by the six degrees of separation that join us all. Believe it or not, in yesterday's flight, the fellow row 1 travellers for @DeLoy were @Kath and @Steve! @Deb had made a point yesterday of recounting her story of "beating the bald guy opposite in being the first to step off the plane." That was the aforementioned @Steve. He must have been stewing on that little tussle of power for 24 hours because he raised it at dinner, reminding @Deb ... "Yes, we have met, I let you off the plane first." And he was not smiling in this intro to the group. Even @Johnny noted and  whispered that the introduction was carrying some "undertone."

Made me very determined to "win him over" so at our second venue @Mac and I made sure we were their dining partners. It was a sullen, slow and reserved start, but with a bit of sirloin in the stomach, some exchanged travel adventures and a couple of glasses of red, I think they were prepared to donate their kidneys if we needed them. 

At stop three, swapped up places again, and @DeLoy built new bridges with them based on golfing stories and there was no hint of any need to jostle for position on exiting any of the venues.

By rounds four and five, @Johnny was loudly declaring "I love Australians, they are so much fun," @Mae and @Brian were ready to renew their wedding vows because @Mac and I constantly held hands and put love in the air according to them (little did they know it was so i didn't fall over on the cobblestones in the dark) and @Piper wanted to give us her business card to organise us a trip to the Northern Lights. Do think our charm offensive worked! And I maintain, if @ Johnny had taken us to a tango bar to round out the night, we would have been dancing on the tables. It was just that sort of night.

We travelled thirty minutes in peak hour to the meet up for the equivalent of $8 and 20 minutes home in the late of the night for $6 ... cheapest taxi rides ever. Certainly puts that wretched ATM charge to shame.

Extremely grateful 🙏 to see the inside of the Carles Hotel. A massive day under the belt. And noting here, absolutely nobody had energy or inclination to hit the Disco for a night time bevvie.

PS the strike has been declared OVER ... according to @Piper ..we will be good to move on.

Survival Barometer

Steps 14 647

Weather - perfect blue skies 28 degrees

Health - uneven surfaces negotiated with care - still upright

Can you believe this?

🍷 Amazing Facts About Malbec (with a Buenos Aires twist) from Co=Pilot anf Johnny on our walking tour

🌍 1. Malbec wasn’t born in Argentina — but it found its destiny there

Malbec originated in France, where it was known as the “black wine” of Cahors because of its deep, inky color.
It only became world‑famous after thriving in Argentina’s climate and soils.

📈 2. Argentina rescued Malbec from near extinction

In France, Malbec plantings collapsed — today it makes up less than 1% of Bordeaux vineyards.
Argentina revived it dramatically: from 9,750 hectares in 1995 to over 44,000 hectares today, now producing 75% of the world’s Malbec.

Buenos Aires became the cultural hub that helped popularize it globally through restaurants, bars, and export influence

For Jesse ... rooftop views in Buenos Aires - don't think we will be using the outdoor shower!

"I had Vegemite on my food walk! Yummy."