Buenos Aires

Valentine’s Day and we were up and out of our hotel by 7:30 am to fly from Iguazu to Buenos Aires, where we hoped our ship would be at port.  Argentina can make things very unpleasant for cruise ships that choose to have the Falkland Islands on the itinerary due to the political issues with Great Britain.  There had been no problems during the last few weeks so we hoped for the best. 

We left Iguazu with rain still coming down and arrived in sunshine in Buenos Aires where our guide, Luis, was waiting for us.

 Buenos Aires (which roughly translated means “fresh air”) was founded originally in 1536, but the Spaniards sent to colonize the mouth of the Rio de la Plata River were forced away by the native population.  A second more successful attempt was made in 1580.  It wasn’t until the early 1800’s that the city and then the country emancipated itself from the Spanish crown and became the Republic of Argentina.

 

Argentina sits at the mouth of the river and has a population of over 12 million.  It is a beautiful city, full of parks, beautiful architecture, and is very clean. The population is a melting pot of European and South American cultures, with over half of the citizens being of Italian descent.

 

Our plan was to get a little siteseeing tour in before heading over to the ship, which would be leaving early evening.  So off we went under the guidance of Luis to check out this beautiful city in about 4 hours.

 

Our first stop was in the Palmero district, with lakes, botanical gardens, and walkways.  The streets are lined with huge trees offering much appreciated shade.

 

Next was the Recoleta district.  This is the city’s high class neighborhood.  It grew up around the Recoleta Cemetary, where the ancestors of the city’s aristocracy are buried.  Begun in 1822, this amazing cemetery is a virtual crypt city of tall and elaborate tombs and mausoleums covering about 4 square blocks.  The most visited mausoleum is the tomb of Eva Peron, the wife of former President Juan Peron. She was the rags-to-riches legend who was responsible for bringing women out of the dark ages, and given a voice to better themselves. She died at the young age of 33, even though some of Argentina's elite resented her, she was loved by many. Surprisingly, her family crypt was very conservative in this revered cemetary.

Leaving Recoleta we drove to the Plaza de Mayo, which is the historic center that includes the Metropolitan Cathedral, dating back to the 18^th century, and the Casa Rosada, the pink palace where Eva Peron addressed adoring crowds from the balcony. (Think of the song, “I Cry for You, Argentina!)

 

Next up was the La Boca district where many of the city’s first Italian immigrants settled building corrugated iron houses on cobblestone streets. The tango is said to have been born here.  Now it is home to many artists, who have painted the metal houses in bright reds, yellows, blues and greens.

 

Caminito, a multi-hued pedestrian walkway, was filled with artists and craftsmen and outdoor restaurants.  There were couples on the corners dressed and ready to tango or have their picture taken for a few pesos.

 

We finished our day with a drive through Puerto Madera.  A neighborhood that was totally redesigned in the 1990’s.  It’s a residential area very close to the river and adjoins the downtown area with its beautiful modern office buildings.

 

Then it was back to the ship to reboard.  The port area is huge and was very, very busy with many cruise ships in port that day.   It is a working container port so we had to board a shuttle bus to the ship, which was 2 or 3 miles away from the entrance to the port.  It was good to get back on the ship after some very busy days of siteseeing. 

 

Next port is just down the river, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean—Montevideo Uruguay.  A 30-minute ferry ride from Buenos Aires or…( well, stay tuned).