charian in buenos aires

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the longest flight of our around the world trip was dubai –> buenos aires. we were sure glad when we landed back on western hemisphere soil! we really enjoyed our time in the argentine capital, but to be honest by this point (about day 65 of our 80), we were getting a bit travel-weary. cravings for routine and familiarity started to kick in! one thing we appreciate most about our travels is the way they have helped us to appreciate normal day-to-day life.

we hit the streets of buenos aires our first morning on our bike tour, which turned out to be quite an adventure in the rain. it was a great overview of the city, and we spent the next few days exploring and enjoying this unique place that is such a neat combination of european and latin american influences. buenos aires has an alluring energy and lots of fun quirks.

here’s a bunch of pictures from our time in ba!

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^^ at the boca juniors futbol stadium. the waiting list to be in the club that gets you into the matches has a sixteen year backup. sixteen years! people get their babies on the waiting list in their first months on earth so that by the time they are teenagers they will be able to experience a boca juniors game. our tour guide tried to describe the atmosphere in the stadium when futbol is being played on the field, and it sounds incredible. ^^
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^^ meat is such a huge part of argentine culture. all these pictures of super colorful buildings are from a neighborhood called la boca, which was very touristy but super fun. ^^
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^^ tango is everywhere. it is intertwined in the buenos aires way of life. ^^
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^^ our bike tour guide, angie (she was really great, and isn’t she beautiful?) taught us about mate, a traditional herbal tea, which is another huge part of argentine culture and an integral part of socializing in buenos aires. i quite liked it! ^^
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^^ at the end of our bike tour, looking awesome in our ponchos. i love meeting new people doing things like this, and we had a pretty rad little biking group that i wish i’d taken a picture of! ^^
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^^ i mean, that is a serious dog walker. ^^
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^^ on our second morning in ba, we went to recoleta cemetary. it is such an amazing place that we could have wandered in for much longer than we did. the tombs and mausoleums were each unique and many were stunningly beautiful. ^^
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^^ the most famous tomb of them all – eva peron’s. her memory is another thing that is just permeated in the air in buenos aires (along with meat and tango…and mate!). it was interesting to learn a bit about her life. ^^
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^^ we could even see inside some of the mausoleums, many of which were ornate and gorgeous. ^^
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^^ the palaces in buenos aires are so pretty! you have to remember to look up when walking the city streets, because there is usually a delightful treat of architecture. ^^
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^^ the widest avenue in the world! avenida 9 de julio. we tried several times (unsuccessfully) to get across in one light cycle without sprinting, before the red walking man replaced the green one. it’s just too wide – 18 lanes! ^^
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^^ at the teatro colon – would love to see an opera there someday! ^^
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^^ the obelisk in the middle of 9 de julio. big buenos aires landmark. ^^
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^^ ^^ the casa rosada, aka the pink house, is the executive mansion and office of the president of argentina. unfortunately it was covered in scaffolding when we were there, but don’t you love that it is totally pink? ^^
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^^ we were in mayo plaza several times during our stay in buenos aires, and there was always a protest going on. fascinating to learn about different issues causing unrest. ^^
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^^ mate accessories! i love that there are special cups and straws for mate drinking. ^^
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^^ churros con chocolate at cafe tortoni, a historic and lovely cafe. ^^
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^^ the argentine steak house that we chose to have our obligatory steak meal. lots of bonding over food going on here. ^^
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^^ the view out our window at the steak house (i love the street art and the architecture and the grittiness of buenos aires!) and our steak lunch. the portions were huge and although it was delicious we kind of barely made a dent! ^^
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^^ i went to a tango show one night on my own. we decided on our trip that a few things we could do separately, and this was one thing i was really interested in but ian would rather pass on. it was mesmerizing. i couldn’t believe how precise and emotive and acrobatic even the dancers were! ^^
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^^ we went back to the la boca neighborhood on our last morning because we just loved it! ^^
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^^ magnet searching. a staple activity of any charian travels. ^^
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^^ and sometimes you gotta kiss for the selfie. ^^

congratulations on getting through this really long post with so many pictures! :) buenos aires is a pretty cool place.

Comments

  1. Another question for another Q&A-what other activities did you decide to each do separately? Thanks!

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  2. WOW! You saw so much of BI that we didn't see! Lots did look familiar though. It's a fabulous city! Evita still reigns for many!

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  3. That would have been so cool to see a Tango show in Argentina.

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  4. I'm a frequent reader of your sister shawni's blog, and I come here from time to time... It has been a while since I come, and what a surprise to see that you came to Buenos Aires (I'm from BA)! I even live one block away from the Pop hotel, that I see you visited in another post (and half from the mormon church that's near it, don't know if you visited).

    So glad you enjoyed your stay!

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