March 20, 2008

Well, if you are looking for things to do in BA, look much, much further. Honestly, following our short trip here, I am not sure of the appeal of this “Paris of South America.” To sum up: dog droppings as far as the eye can see, a manufactured tourist tango experience, huge ornate buildings with indistinct history.

We started our (jet-lagged) trip with a walk (and walk and walk and walk) around the pedestrian shopping areas. Bo-ring. Clint tried to take me on a self-guided walking tour around the city, but as I have very little interest in the history of South America, the historic buildings blended together.

At least we had a tango show that night to look forward to. Lightening our wallets quite a bit, we drank as much gratis champagne as possible during the show. Dance, dance, dance, violin, violin, applause, applause, applause. I found it hard to get into. BUT, after the show, we were finally allowed to eat (the standard dinner time of 11 o’clock felt like a prison sentence to us). Clint enjoyed some hearty Argentinean meat, while I enjoyed some hearty Argentinean red (and possibly some food as well).

The next day held some redeeming activities for me. Strolling to the upper-class neighborhood of Recoleta, we sipped some coffee at a café and then explored the fascinating cemetery of the same name. This resting ground for the rich and famous is all about status, even in death. The miniature houses/tombs have statues, marble floors, staircases, and stained glass windows. They also collect quite a bit of dust, giving the place an air of faded elegance. Eva Peron is buried here, along with her family, and we just beat the rush in seeing her tomb.

The other enjoyable part of this neighborhood was lunch at a microbrewery. The balmy and breezy day was just right for snacking on pizza and sampling beers. It’s nice that the great things in life translate well. Browsing at a street fair rounded out the pleasant and somewhat uneventful day. It balanced out the rest of the trip well, leaving a balance of slightly boring and somewhat entertaining for my impression of Buenos Aires.