Over a decade ago….before smart phones and Facebook messenger, when Skype at an internet cafe was the means of connecting to home. I graduated from University and took my savings to live and travel South America for a year instead of jumping straight into the job market. I started my journey in Buenos Aires, what many call the Paris of South America. Which isn’t hard to see why, with all of the beautiful old buildings and streets lined with restaurants and cafes.
Renting a studio apartment in Recoleta – a nice, centrally located neighborhood; close enough to, but not as expensive as Palermo Soho/Hollywood. It was a short walk from BA’s famous cemetery, La Recoleta Cemetery. It is considered one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world with stunning marble mausoleums, some with decorated statues and family catacombs visible below. The resting place of many famous Argentinians such as Eva Perón (Evita). It is well worth a visit and a day of getting lost exploring among centuries of architecture and history. The cemetery is laid out like city blocks with tree-lined main walkways branching into smaller sidewalks. There are mausoleums still being used by wealthy families and there are some that have fallen into disrepair with broken glass and rubbish in them.
While I was living there I was also able to experience a piece of Argentinian history. In the Plaza de Mayo, in the front of the Casa Rosada or Red House (the presidential house), the mother’s of the disappeared have been marching counter-clockwise every Thursday since the 70’s. They marched with pictures of their lost children on their chests. Their children where taken by the military; who after over throwing the government made thousands of people they presumed were contributing to anything ‘contra’ or against the government disappear. Most of these people were never “found” or accounted for. Many of the children born of the desaparecidos, who were given to the rich childless families, also marched. I am not sure if they still march, however, the sad history of their loss is worth learning about; I recommend the movie: La Historia Official.
Beyond the Casa Rosada, there are so many sites to see and foods to eat in one city! We sat and watched the sunset over the Oblisco in the Plaza de la República. Enjoyed people watching along the Puerto Madero waterfront, checked out the Botanical Garden which has oddly become home to a large cat population, and saw the Floralis Genérica which closes at night and is reborn (or opens again) every morning.
A trip to La Boca, a very colorful barrio in the Southeast of the city, is worth it! And they are very serious about their fútbol so if you get the chance to catch a game I would highly recommend it.
Drink wine, eat delicious beef you cook at your table, and definitely have the traditional Argentinian empanada of beef, egg, and green olive — it’s so good! Catch or learn the tango in a non-toursity way and definitely take a ride in an old wooden train car and a day trip to Tigre (but I don’t recommend swimming in the brown waters).