After a pleasant flight from Frankfurt we arrived safely in Buenos Aires having made friends with a German couple and their two young children. It always amazes me how verbal language rarely seems to be a barrier for children. Although our two can’t speak German and Luna and Annalina couldn’t speak English they played together for hours, sometimes as a four but mainly in pairs; swopping partners on occassion. I was pleased that although both sets of children had Nintendo’s they didn’t rely on them and taught each other card games and played paper, scissors, stone for long periods of time. At times I watched as they jabbered on to each other in either German or English with no chance of a literal interpretation but the intonation and occasional hand gesture was sufficient to get their point over. Rarely was a parent called on to translate. Amazing to watch.
Our guide book, the ‘Footprint South American Handbook 2007’, now referred to as ‘The Bible’ (no insult intended) advises caution about jumping into any old taxi out at the front of the airport so we elected for a Remise which is a pre-booked one through an office inside the terminal. It duly dropped us off at our hotel where we were informed our room hadn’t been kept because of the 24hour delay at Frankfurt. Nice one. After a bit of negotiation we secured a room for one night and settled down for the night.
First thing in the morning I went off to find somewhere for us to stay while the girls set about exploring. Having secured a roof over our heads we headed out into the city with the temperature and our expectations rising.
Buenos Aires like many cities is laid out in a grid system which always makes me nervous as I’ve got lost in Milton Keynes on many occasions. However we quickly got our bearings and went for a wander. One of the first things that struck me was how many contrasts there were even taking into account that it’s the capital city. A multitude of faces and races combine to give a true cosmopolitan feel to its inhabitants. The architecture is just as varied with chic boulevards and plazas contrasted against enormous structures that wouldn’t look out of place next to the Palace of Versailles, or others that could sit well on Wall St.
A few streets away from our hotel was the Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest avenues in the world with 7 lanes of traffic on the main carriageway and additional lanes running parallel. Our eyes were naturally drawn to the Plaza de la Republica and it’s 67m obelisk commemorating the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding.
Off this is the Plaza de Mayo, often referred to as the heart of the city with many of the city’s most important buildings including the Cathedral. Mass was being held as we entered but we were still able to wander down the sides and explore the various alcoves dedicated to a number of religious and historic figures including General Jose de San Martin, known as The Liberator, whose tomb is guarded by soldiers in impressive uniforms. We continued beyond the Plaza de Mayo to Puerto Madero, the dock area where the former warehouses have now been turned into bars and restaurants complimented by elegant walkways which attract many visitors particularly at night.
Buenos Aires was originally called ‘Santa Maria del Buen Ayre’ in recognition of the good winds that brought sailors across the ocean. First built in 1580 the city of
Buenos Aires was always linked to the port although 300 years would go by before a safe and modern harbour would be built. After having been left fallow for 50 years, it was decided in1989 that the 170 hectare space should be recovered for public use by bringing the city closer to the river.Having explored a number of areas we eventually made our way back to the hotel and settled down for a couple of beers and a well earned rest, knowing that tomorrow would bring more of the same.
Hannah looking respectfully sombre.
Another brilliant blue sky greeted us on our final day in B.A. and we made one final excursion into the city, this time to Caminito, a street of brightly coloured wooden and tin houses in the district of La Boca.
Lined with cafes and bars we took in the vibrant atmosphere of musicians, artists and the inevitable tango dancers before heading back into town to ready ourselves for our journey by coach overnight to Iguazu Falls.
