Saying goodbye to Buenos Aires

During our last few days in Buenos Aires, there were a few things we had to check off of our BA bucket list. This included seeing a show that everyone in town was talking about called Fuerza Bruta. It is a very creative, almost Cirque du Soleil style show which includes drums, dramatic acting scenes, high flying aerial shows and even a full size, shallow pool of water suspended over the audience to watch the performers swim and dance overhead. The audience stays standing the whole time and literally becomes part of the show – it was happening all around us. Our jaws hit the floor and stayed there the whole time. We even got soaked with water at several points during the night.


  

And don’t think we’d leave Buenos Aires without immersing ourselves in some tango culture! We found an awesome “milonga” – an Argentine tango dance hall, which offered tango lessons before the actual milonga started. We were among a group of about 12 beginners also learning tango for the first time. We learned some basic moves, just enough to be able to show our stuff on the dance floor during the milonga afterwards with the pros who knew what they were doing. We had a great time and the atmosphere was very welcoming. Check out these pics from inside the milonga. It’s called La Catedral and is inside of a giant old warehouse with really rustic, funky decor.



Here are a few pics during the milonga – there was even a performer at one point who sang and played the guitar.


A city we’d definitely visit again, Buenos Aires has something for everyone. There’s so much more to see and do that we didn’t have time for, but it’s time to move along on our journey. Next, we head inland towards the Andes mountains to Mendoza, a region known for its fabulous wines…

Biking Buenos Aires

Because Buenos Aires is so big, we thought that doing a bike tour around the city would be fun and informative at the same time. We covered many points of interest and learned a lot about Argentina’s oftentimes tumultuous history.

Our guide, Taylor, who happens to be from Colorado, took us through different parts of the city that we would have not otherwise gone to or learned about on our own. He is very passionate about history and helped us all to understand some of Argentina’s past and present.

We travelled from the oldest – and now bohemian – barrio of San Telmo to the newest and most expensive area called Puerto Madero where the likes of Lionel Messi stays when in town.

Throughout our ride, we took photos of some of the most famous sights in BA including Teatro Colón, El Obelisco, Floralis Genérica (the giant aluminum and steel hydraulic flower), El Caminito (in La Boca), and of course the famous Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Perón lies.

We cruised by the world famous La Bombonera Stadium (the chocolate box) where the Boca Juniors football team plays. The Boca Junior fans are known for being very aggressive – so much so that last year they pepper sprayed the local rivalry, River Plate, and the game had to be suspended! We wanted to go see a game but maybe it’s better that it is off season right now.

We took a nice break midway through the ride where we stopped for a delicious lunch at a food truck in Puerto Madero called Parilla mi Sueño. On the menu was a huge pork sandwich called a Bondiola and a sandwich with chorizo that we shared. There were lots of toppings we could choose from including chimichurri sauce which is an Argentina original.

Later that night we met up with our new Aussie friends from the bike tour and went to an awesome show called La Bomba de Tiempo (the time bomb). It includes a whole team of percussionists that follow up to 70 different signs given by a director. It’s all improvised and every show is different!

And what better way to finish off the long day than to have a fine piece of Argentinian steak for dinner. They’re not shy about the serving sizes either! Our group ordered several different cuts of meat and they were all top notch. Argentina knows how to cook a steak!

The bike tour (a first for both of us) proved to be enlightening, fun and we were able to get a workout all at the same time! A day well spent…

Getting to know Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the 2nd largest metropolitan area in South America and we are constantly discovering how unique it is every time we turn a corner. Every barrio (neighborhood) has something different to offer whether it be art, museums, music, cafes, and let’s not forget – the Argentine tango! It’s known for its European style architecture and has a lot of Italian influence as well, which means pasta and pizza are the main staples here. Oh yeah, there’s the steak too.

We are lucky enough to be staying in the Recoleta neighborhood, which is centrally located to some of the city’s most famous points of interest. We’ve hardly scratched the surface since we’ve been here, but we still have a few days left for more discoveries!

Relaxing and hanging out at our apartment (we got a great deal at $23/night!) has been a nice break from our hectic travels. We’ve been cooking lots of pasta! Here are some shots of our humble abode

fullsizerender-1.jpeg

img_6792.jpeg

fullsizerender.jpeg

Temperatures have been hovering around 85-90 degrees here! It’s great for strolling around the city and passing through some of the many local parks.

fullsizerender-2.jpeg

fullsizerender-3.jpeg

We went to see the famous Casa Rosada (the pink house), which you can think of as their version of the White House. It is rich with hundreds of years of history, and is the location where important political events take place in the city. This is where many Argentine leaders, including Eva Perón have given speeches to crowds of thousands of people. We walked around the Plaza de Mayo and imagined what it might look like during times of political turmoil, and also what it might have been like to see Eva Perón inspire so many people.

img_3245.jpeg

img_3248.jpeg

The Bicentennial Museum located under the Casa Rosada detailed the history of the architecture and politics of Argentina. It also houses many artifacts from the the late 18th century until around 2010. Talk about a time warp!

img_6801.jpeg

img_6800.jpeg

One of the many cultural staples here are the multitude of artisan street markets. The San Telmo Féria was one of the best ones we have ever been to! The beautiful cobble stone street called Calle Defensa was lined with bohemian style arts and crafts including leather goods, gourds used for making Yerba mate, paintings, jewelry, accessories and anything else you can think of! We were even lucky enough to catch a tango show in the Plaza!

img_3250.jpeg

img_3249.jpeg

img_3244.jpeg

So far BA has been so culturally enriching and we’re excited to see what else it has to offer!