Chile was great fun, and after our final week in Viña del Mar we both felt rested and ready to head back into a city again.
The flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires was only a couple of hours. Tim, our new host, had arranged a car to collect us and take us to our new abode, which, given that we arrived during a four day holiday, was a stroke of luck.
The apartment is about half an hour from the international airport in the Villa Crespo area of Palermo. It sits on the top floor and has an incredible 180 degree double terrace overlooking the city. It even has a jacuzzi on the bedroom terrace.
The urban landscape is intertwined with swathes of green space, often described as the lung of the city, which ensures that the air quality is surprisingly good. The city itself operates on a grid system, which Rachel assures me makes finding your way around straightforward. Having no real sense of direction, I can’t comment.
We like to walk, so exploring the back streets, discovering new coffee bars and watching life unfold has been great. The people feel more laid back here than in Santiago and just as friendly, perhaps even more open.
Rachel is a big fan of dance, so we arranged a tango lesson in the La Boca area, which is famous for it. Anahi, our hard working teacher, explained the dance and its variations in detail, stressing the importance of balance and keeping the upper body almost motionless. She then taught us the basics.
The three of us later headed to a Milonga, one of the pop up tango clubs where people of all ages gather to dance. It is all about the tango, with everyone dancing with one another and moving slowly around the floor in an anticlockwise direction. They were very good. We even got to watch our teacher dance with another dancer visiting from New York. It was less a dance and more a glide across the floor.
Needless to say, we sat that part out, but we are practising.
We decided that the best way to see the city was by taking one of the open top hop on hop off buses. Armed with forty eight hour tickets, off we went. As I mentioned, it is a very green city, with a mix of European architectural styles. Large boulevards run through the heart of the city alongside expansive parks. It comes as no surprise to learn that this was once the main South American outpost, reflected in the scale and opulence of its buildings.
Our first stop was the National Art Museum. I had come to see a fine collection of French Renaissance artwork and was not disappointed.
From there we wandered through the parks and up to the Recoleta Cemetery, established in the early nineteenth century. It was originally intended for the aristocracy and contains the most incredible collection of family mausoleums I have ever seen. Anybody who is anybody seems to have a piece of real estate here. Even Eva and Juan Perón rest here.
One of our favourite spots was an area where several of the beautiful boulevards seem to converge, giving the city a grand, almost European feel.
We had also been recommended a steak restaurant. I don’t eat much meat, but I couldn’t come to Argentina without trying their famed beef. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. In truth, one portion would probably have been enough for both of us, especially as we had both ordered starters.
Dream Chasers 