This morning, we walked from our apartment to the Plaza del Congreso, in front of the home of the Argentinean legislature. We explored a bit on our own before joining a walking tour of some of the main historic, political, and cultural sights of the city.
The Congress is at one end of the busy and Paris-like Avenida de Mayo, and we walked its length, across the VERY wide Avenida de 9 Julio to the Casa Rosada, which houses the offices of the President of Argentina. It was from a balcony here that Evita electrified her adoring crowds. 
The Casa Rosada faces the Plaza de Mayo, site of frequent political demonstrations and the weekly gathering of the Madres, who, for over thirty years, have demonstrated weekly as a reminder of those “disappeared” when a military junta ruled the country during the 70’s and early 80’s. The Plaza is also bordered by the Cathedral, which looks like a Greek temple, and the Cabildo, seat of Spain’s power here during colonial period. Our tour ended on the Obelisco, in the middle of the busy Avenida de 9 Julio. By the way, our tour was very informal and presented in an amusing style by a member of a small group called Buenos Aires Free Tours. In our small group were people of all ages and from all over the world. Should your travels bring you here, you might want to give them a try; we’re planning to take another of their offerings before we leave the city.
The Congress is at one end of the busy and Paris-like Avenida de Mayo, and we walked its length, across the VERY wide Avenida de 9 Julio to the Casa Rosada, which houses the offices of the President of Argentina. It was from a balcony here that Evita electrified her adoring crowds. 
The Casa Rosada faces the Plaza de Mayo, site of frequent political demonstrations and the weekly gathering of the Madres, who, for over thirty years, have demonstrated weekly as a reminder of those “disappeared” when a military junta ruled the country during the 70’s and early 80’s. The Plaza is also bordered by the Cathedral, which looks like a Greek temple, and the Cabildo, seat of Spain’s power here during colonial period. Our tour ended on the Obelisco, in the middle of the busy Avenida de 9 Julio. By the way, our tour was very informal and presented in an amusing style by a member of a small group called Buenos Aires Free Tours. In our small group were people of all ages and from all over the world. Should your travels bring you here, you might want to give them a try; we’re planning to take another of their offerings before we leave the city.On our own, we walked to Puerto Madero, which is the original port area of Buenos Aires. After years of isolation, the area has come to life, with soaring apartment towers, old warehouses that have been “repurposed” as retail shops, restaurants, offices and condos, and a harbor sheltering boats, old and new, large and small. 
We had a long, large, and lingering meal here that began mid-afternoon and then walked through the port, the pedestrian street market on Calle Florida, the lovely Plaza San Martin, and along the busy commercial Avenida Santa Fe until we arrived “home” in the early evening. Lots of walking, but probably not enough to equalize today’s big meal…
We had a long, large, and lingering meal here that began mid-afternoon and then walked through the port, the pedestrian street market on Calle Florida, the lovely Plaza San Martin, and along the busy commercial Avenida Santa Fe until we arrived “home” in the early evening. Lots of walking, but probably not enough to equalize today’s big meal…
A note about walking here: two pairs of eyes would certainly be helpful. The city is full of beautiful buildings, but looking up can be perilous. The sidewalks are in a dangerous state of disrepair and they’re also an obstacle course of dog waste, another characteristic that BA shares with Paris!
No comments:
Post a Comment