After the seriousness of the Cementario, it’s time to remember that were actually on holiday.
A nice cold beer and a snack in glorious sunshine.
Nearby, the famous Jacaranda tree.
A bit difficult to see in this picture, but this thing is enormous.
A strategically positioned statue appears to carry the tree.
We wander down this street. Looks perfectly normal to me.
Turns out, it has more plastic surgery’s than any other street anywhere in the world. Buenos Aires is the world capital of plastic surgery.
In many countries, it’s not uncommon for some company’s to offer private healthcare, inclusive in your employment contract.
In Buenos Aires its highly common to have a plastic surgery allowance in your contract of employment !.
Buenos Aires is an enormous city so travelling around is easier on the underground.
With upto 7 lanes in each direction, the Avenida 9 de Julie is probably the largest single road of any big city in the world.
An entire city block wide, pedestrians need to cross 3 sets of lights to get from one side to the other.
The main spectacular sights of the city are either on or next to the Avenida (including theatre Colon, which we’ve seen already).
The Obelisk. Constructed in 1936, by German company Siemens in just 31 days.
On the site there had previously been a church where the Argentine flag had been raised for the first time.
It has Inscriptions on all 4 of its sides,and you can actually go inside (there are windows at the top).
The famous French Embassy.
Said to be one of the most beautiful buildings in Buenos Aires, construction of the Avenida required it to be demolished and rebuilt elsewhere.
The French government refused. So the Avenida was move to facilitate this.
Ministry of Public Works is the only major building positioned directly on the Avenida.
It’s famous for this picture of Eva Peron.
Museo de la Dueda Extema, museum of foreign debt. My guidebook described it as:
“Tucked in the basement of the city university’s economics building, this sober yet absolutely vital mini-museum tracks Argentina’s roller-coaster 20th century economy through 2001 loan default with sensational montages”.
It did indeed explained the financial crisis but was all in Spanish so we left after 3 minutes.
Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes – The Palace of running water.
It’s literally a water pumping station, but it’s elaborate beauty, marks it out, even in a city of amazing buildings.
Plaza San Martin.
A popular square where local people go to relax and have lunch.
The Kavanagh building built in 1936.
Considered a pinnacle of modernist architecture, and my favourite building in the whole city.
Wandering further around Lavelle square and the green space around it.
General Juan Lavelle who the road is named after.
Palace of justice, where the supreme court sits.
In 1992 a suicide bomb ripped through the Israeli embassy, killing 27 people.
One wall of the building still remains as a backdrop. The rest of the site has been converted into a memorial park.
The Evita museum.
Although not very large it had many artefacts and possession and told the story from the young girl in the countryside to the wife of the President of Argentina.
Unfortunately, you weren’t allowed to take pictures in the museum, but I found these on the internet.
The show her evolving dress style throughout her life and career.
Other parts of the museum carry on her legacy, and help women in trouble, across the world. There was a room with harowing anonymous essays written by people who’d been helped by the initiative.
I like to buy small souvenirs when I travel. I put them in my house to remind me of the places I’ve been.
I purchased this small music device (you turn the wheel and it plays the music to Evita).
As we sat in the cafe for coffee I started to play it, Nikki thought it was a bit naf but I really liked it.
Time to get outside.
The 860-acre Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, hidden behind Puerto Madero’s glitzy skyscrapers, is an abandoned development that’s been left to “rewild”.
It stretches for miles with these rough tracks and paths with tree’s everywhere. After wandering around a big city for days, just what I needed.
Thousands of different types of tree’s and plants.
Considering the size of the area, this map wasn’t the most detailed I’ve every used, but we managed to see everything we wanted to.
Next to the park, the River plate, famous from the battle.
Great to be out in the open air, but really warm and I was exhausted.
We stopped briefly for a sit down. I fell asleep and had to be woken up by Nikki.
The wetlands and swamps within the park.
I don’t speak any Spanish, but this sign in the window of a small museum was pretty clearly saying watch out for snakes.
Daft thing is, it tells you how to identify the snake by it’s pattern.
Surely a better strategy is to avoid “all” snakes 🙂
Lots of locals visit the park, here some children were playing with a ball while their parents prepared a barbecue.
As we leave the park we get this “Crocodile Dundee” shot featuring Puerto Madero in the background.
Puerto Madero is a newly developed area with lots of skyscrapers housing multinationals companies.
It also has exclusive apartments.
But on the other side, has this docklands style front with nice cafe’s and bars.
Out in the dock, we admire this classic sailing ship.
We relax next to the water with some nice wine.
Were due to fly home early the next day, and there’s just one thing left of on my must do list.
I’d already done my research on the internet so I know which restaurant to go to.
Our final meal of the trip at estaurant Ill Gatto (which in Italian, means The Cat)
No expense spared on 3 courses and wine.
Just what I wanted, a perfect Argentine steak eaten in Argentina.
We wander along the waterfront.
We’ve been away for 3 whole weeks and now it’s time to head home.