Before saying goodbye to Argentina, it’s time to return to Buenos Aires after our adventure in La Plata. This is the sixth post in our series about our trip to South America. You can read our previous posts about the trip here >>
Last Day in Argentina
The skies over Buenos Aires are grey as we leave the hotel after yet another delicious breakfast. Delicious = lots of croissants. It’s the seventh day in Argentina, the tenth day in South America. I have been talking about La Boca ever since we got here (what can a girl do, I adore colourful buildings!). As we approach the obelisk we start hearing the sound of drums. We suddenly find ourselves watching a parade where dancers and musicians are wearing what looks like traditional costumes from Bolivia. I’m personally a bit upset about the skimpy outfits and the facts that it is the guys that get to do all the fun stuff (like jumping) while the women are shaking their hips in extremely high heels. Not to mention the blisters – can you imagine how much those shoes hurt? As it turns out, the parade continues well into the evening. We continue our walk to the Congress building. Or as it’s officially called the Palace of the Argentine National Congress. The building itself is impressive but the streets strike me as sad. Empty, grey, sad. There are poor people everywhere. And what’s poor there is not what’s poor here. It’s mind-blowing.
After a while we walk back towards the centre and have lunch at a place called La Goya. Outside it rains, inside it’s quite festive. We share a tasty lasaña, the local wine is… yes, you guess correctly – delicious!
Visiting La Boca
After lunch it’s time to continue to the colourful buildings in La Boca. La Boca is a barrio in south-eastern Buenos Aires, near the old port. Fun fact: in 1882 La Boca claimed independence from Argentina. The independence never became reality. One of the most famous (and most photographed) places in the whole city is the pedestrian street Caminito. The colourful buildings in the area are indeed lovely, the crowds not so much. There were “tango teachers” and tourists everywhere. With all the people around it’s difficult to focus on the architecture and the atmosphere. For the second time in Buenos Aires I feel threatened, unsafe, when walking back towards San Telmo and the centre. San Telmo is livelier this time around. People have found their way outside, to streets.
Last Night in Buenos Aires
After having walked more than 15 kilometres we are (again) exhausted as we return to the hotel. We decide to stay in and grab a bite at the hotel instead of trying to find some restaurant for dinner. And what a dinner! Meat and wine, of course! Sometimes I’m happy that I’m only a wannabe-vegetarian. The service in the hotel is really good and we are very happy with our last night in Argentina. The next morning it’s time to return to Uruguay…
