On completion of our 14 night Antarctica cruise on board the Celebrity Infinity…

…my wife and I disembarked in Buenos Aires for a 3 day extension to our South American holiday.

Keen to make the most of this visit we had done considerable research on the internet as well as a trusted Guide Book…

 

Our hotel, the NH City and Tower, was ideally placed on the edge of the lively Bohemian district of San Telmo,  and within five minutes walking distance of the Plaza de Mayo.

 

One of the great Buenos Aires Plazas it is surrounded by many famous  buildings:  Dominating the Plaza, the most prominent building being  the Presidential Palace where,  from one of its balconies,  Eva Peron famously addressed her supporters. It is also known as ‘Casa Rosada’…

Also in this Plaza is a striking monument dedicated to the revolutionaries of 1810 who orchestrated Argentina’s independence, ‘Piraide de Mayo’, ….

 

 

A short walking distance from the Plaza de Mayo is the  Barrio (District)  of Puerto Madero, a redeveloped old port area.   The old warehouses now converted to Restaurants, shops and offices, this is a lively tourist area both during the day and at night…

 

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It was in the Barrio District that we got our first glimpse of the many street performances that we would witness many times during our stay,  the Argentinian Tango…

 

Buenos Aires is renowned for these street performances and, as lovers of the Tango ourselves, we appreciated  every performance we saw.

It was to one of these waterfront  restaurants  that we were to return for our first taste of Argentinian steak with the atmosphere to match.

Continuing along the waterfront towards the district of Retiro, our next point of interest was also our landmark guide, the tower of ‘The Torre de los Ingleses’…

A gift from the local British community to the city in commemoration of the Centennial of the 1810 Revolution, it was renamed, after the Falklands War, as the ‘Torre Monumental’.

It has a central position in the Plaza San Martín, on whose periphery  is the Estación Retiro…

A French style railway station, designed incidentally by the British architects Eustace L. Conder, Roger Conder and Sydney G. Follet together with the engineer Reginald Reynolds.

Building began in June 1909 and the station was opened on 1 August 1915. The steel structure for the building was made in Liverpool  and re-assembled in Argentina….

Though fully operational the Estación Retiro is also a National Monument.

 

There are a further two other monuments in the  Plaza San Martín.

One, celebrates the memory of the  Argentine general and the prime leader of South America’s successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire,  José de San Martín…

 

 

……while the second Monument fit to  the Argentinian fallen during the Falklands War…

 

Leaving the Retiro District and crossing into that of Recoleta, we were now heading for one of our prime target visits.

At this point I would add that Buenos Aires is a city of many attributes none more so than its rich architecture. It is certainly very negotiable on foot and only crossing between San Telmo and La Boca, on our second day, could beat our walk through the streets of Recoleta.  

We arrived at La Recoleta Cemetery…

…a 14 acre site containing 4691 above ground vaults of which 94 have been declared National Historical Monuments: including those of past  Presidents of Argentina, the founder of the Argentine Navy and a granddaughter of Napoleon…

However, the most famous has to be that of Eva Peron…

 

I attach the Wikipedia link for those wishing to see examples of the tombs, an amazing variety of ostentatious remembrance…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Recoleta_Cemetery

Heading back to our hotel we took a route through the Barrio (District) of Monserrat that gave us the opportunity to take in the Plaza des los Dos Congresos, home of the Argentine Congress…

…and in front of it, the The Monumento de los dos Congresos…

On the same Avenue is another landmark building, the Palacio Barolo…

When it was built it was the tallest building in the city and South America. Its twin brother, Palacio Salvo,  is a building designed and erected in the ‘electric style, but of greater height, by the same architect in Montevideo. Indeed, the lighthouse at the top of the building can be seen all the way from Montevideo, Uruguay.

No visit to Buenos Aires would be complete without a walk along Avenida 9 de Julio with its landmark  Obelisco de Buenos Aires…

… a national monument and icon of Buenos Aires. It was built to commemorate the fourth centenary of the city’s foundation.

Still on the Avenida 9 de Julio and a stone’s throw away from the obelisk, is The Teatro  Colón…

 

…the main opera house in Buenos Aires, considered to be amongst the five best acoustic concert venues in the world.

That completes the first day in Buenos Aires and  I hope it shows just what can be achieved in one day. This was our chosen route because we had planned the monuments and  architecture that Buenos Aires is famous for as one package.

I hopefully intend to write a second Buenos Aires blog, one that will cover the colourful and atmospheric tango dance areas of San Telmo and La Boca and illustrate the evening transformations that take place in this vibrant city.

So can Solent Richard tango?…

You’ll have to wait and see, but I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

 

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