Our new home was the Hostel de los Granados just near the corner of Chile and Defensa, which couldn't be much more central to activity in San Telmo. We often choose hostels over hotels because of the homey feel we get from a shared kitchen and lounge as well as lots of fellow travellers to talk with. The children like to meet travellers in the hostels because they are usually in their 20's and more fun and interesting than their own parents, of course.
This particular hostel was better for its location than amenities, but did have a cool brick wall and steel rafters urban style. The receptionist was not as keen on the boys as most, especially once they'd irritated her to bits by making her open and close the front door about 15 times in a 5 minute span while we were sitting just outside at a side walk table near the door having a coffee.
Justin feels he has landed well as he can now get his favourite beer, Stella Artois in 768 ml size - which is bigger than Sam's head! Heaven.
The next day we were eager to wander to neighbouring La Boca for a look at the ultra colourful streets that are famous in postcards and books. We decided to walk between San Telmo and La Boca - a distance of almost 20 blocks. This was a regrettable decision as there are at at least 12-15 blocks of litter lined side walks and shifty looking characters along the way, not the safest or cleanest of areas - we held our bags and the boys hands tightly the whole way. Silly us, there are some easily available buses that go straight there!!
In La Boca, we arrived at the La Boca football stadium which we would have loved to have toured - but was closed for public access right then. We'd just watched replays on tv of La Boca playing San Lorenzo the day before. The locals are huge football fans, but Buenos Aires football hooligans seem to be in good competition with those in the UK, getting excited and ripping seats off their bases right in front of the cameras! I decided that perhaps it was good we didn't go to see the game, which we'd been actively considering as we'd arrived on Sunday noon.
Large graffitti artworks line the walls between colourful blocks of paint in blues, yellows and other primary crayon-box shades. In front of these walls are stalls of artwork for sale and restaurant after restaurant featuring tango shows with slightly overpriced meals. The shows are pretty good - but lack the passion and quality of dance that we saw in the downstairs theatre at Cafe Tortoni.
Sam perked up during the tango displays and then asked to go onstage and dance with the lady tango partner. He enjoyed that so much that he asked to go back several times. When bought a little metal tango figurine, he immediately begged to be allowed to go back and give it to her as a present - so sweet! Sam has taken to samba and tango dancing with a huge appetite and is loving the girls as well .. what a life for a 6 year old.
La Boca is definitely a must-see for any visitor to Buenos Aires, but only if you bear in mind that it is the ultimate in touristy sights. We did really appreciate the street art for all its beauty and refreshing colors. But we equally felt quite harrassed by the usual tourist-driven street hagglers. It was good (and I'd say mandatory) for a days' visit, but just the once.
We had planned a trip to the central Zoological Gardens and Zoo on the Monday - but been stopped short by both the theft of my iphone 4S on the Subte train and the fact that the zoo, like many attractions, closes on Mondays. But we finally made our way around to the Zoo for an afternoon on Wednesday. It was an old-fashioned zoo, with lots of animals, but in relatively small enclosures. It was odd seeing all those confined animals after all the time in Galapagos and the rain forests where our animals came al fresco and were treated with great respect. The Zoo was magnificent, however, for its stunning historical buildings and I can imagine that once upon a time it was a major highlight of any visit to Buenos Aires. Also good to visit nearby is the famous El Ateneo book store - which is really a grand old theatre, converted into a huge book store and now listed by the UK newspaper, The Guardian, as the 2nd best book store in the world.
With a 'resident-list' that reads like a Whos Who of Argentina, the famous Recoleta cemetery was my favourite visit of the city. Inside is a walled city of vaults, organised along little 'streets' and interspersed with memorial statues. I can't recall any visit to a cemetery having been so interesting or surprisingly beautiful. There are numerous great ghost stories about the residents such as Rufina who was accidentally buried alive and David Alleno a night watchman at the cemetery who saved all his money so he could own a space and memorial there.
Using a sparsely marked map that highlights 100 or so of the thousands of graves, we played a treasure hunt to search for various vaults. Not all vaults are well marked and they are all of different shapes, sizes, construction. On the top of our list was the vault of Evita Peron, who it turns out is actually buried in a family vault under her family name of Duarte.
the cemetery is home to a huge assortment of wild cats. Not jaguars or pumas, but the domestic variety. They live in and amongst all of the splendidly marked vaults. The boys picked up a few and Sam managed to confine one until it eventually yeowled loudlyy and scratched him. This may have put many boys off picking up another, but did not deter Sam at all - this could be a good indication of his future dealings with womenfolk, a sort of gypsy style Hmmm, Thats the One grab her and she's yours..
Heading downtown to the Plaza Maya, we were keen to see the old and new government houses. The current presidents palace is called the Casa Rosada or Pink House as opposed the the US' White House. The current occupant is a woman president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, whose ideologies seem quite contentious and sparked a lot of shaking of heads and frustrated expressions whenever mentioned. The Argentinian people are said to be very vocal and politically active with frequent demonstrations in Plaza ever week. Most common are marches about the mssing youth from the terrible period in the 70's and 80's when being politically outspoken was not such a good idea. Many families are still trying to find resolutions or some sort of outlet for the grief oveer their missing loved ones. Another big topic is the war in the Falklands - though many locals reassure us that there are no ill feelings towards the British people themselves.
Although we cannot visit inside the Casa Rosaada, we were able to walk thorugh the museum celebrating the 2000 Biecentennial of the Independence of Argentina, housed directly behind the museum.
On the same plaza, we were able to visit the grand cathedral of Buenos Aires. It's grandness and intricate ornamental detail are befitting the location and structure. Inside there is a memorial to the great military generals, which seems a bit odd for a church, but is well done nonetheless.
We met up with 3 of the 4 girls we met in the Galapagos: Barbara, Kitty and Sophie. First for an ice-cream outside the cemetery and then for a dinner at Barbara's on our final night in Buenos Aires. Their friend Luis was there for both occasions and Sam took a shine to him, grabbing his hand and dragging him here and there - he forced Luis to give him his phone number and email address. Sophie said she was heartbroken at Sams fickle loyalties as he traded his affections so instantaneously upon meeting Luis.
Our dinner the last night was very fun and it was lovely to see Barbara's home and meet her parents and family. They live in the fashionable Recoleta neighbourhood in an apartment that takes the 5th floor of a modern building. We started dinner around 9, before playing cards and chatting. Around 1 AM we took the boys home, heading down just as the girls were heading out for the night to a party. Going out for the evening in Buenos Aires is usually something that happens after midnight - phew, how do they stay up so late? I hope there is a very good morning lie-in!!
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