Buenos Aires - Part II

My first stop on Monday was the nearest subway station and on the way I happened to pass Luna Park – the site where Evita met Perón.

I took the subway to Avenida 9 de Julio – the central avenue that cuts through the city. It is supposedly the widest avenue in the world (at least according to the guide from yesterday) and the picture below seems to support that with seven lanes in each direction.

At the heart of the avenue is a giant obelisk that stands in the Plaza de la Republica. It was constructed in the 1930s to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding and is over 200 feet tall.

The famous Teatro Colon is on the avenue not far from the obelisk. The newly renovated building is known for being one of the top five opera houses in the world due to its excellent acoustics. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see a show during my visit.

For lunch I headed to the nearby El Gaucho restaurant, which someone from the hotel had recommended. When I arrived, Switzerland was playing Chile in a first round World Cup match. There was definitely a sense of excitement in the air and Chile was clearly the team of choice among the patrons.

I had always heard how good Argentine steaks were, so I decided to order one. It lived up to my high expectations, but was a lot of food. Fortunately, I was able to take my time while watching the match. Chile won, so the restaurant patrons were in good spirits as I left.

Next I headed to the Recoleta neighborhood and walked around for a while. The weather was very nice and even felt somewhat warm at times despite being winter. In particular I liked the Pilar church.











From there I walked back towards the hotel, passing along Avenida Florida – basically a shopping mecca, but of no interest to someone like me who doesn’t like to shop – and through the Plaza de Mayo.

As I neared the hotel, I could tell that the setting sun would allow for some nice pictures along the water in Puerto Madero. The following is one of my favorites with the reflection of the sun on the building.

One of the downsides of being alone on a trip is not having anyone to take a picture of you. Fortunately, people are typically nice and willing to take a photo if you just ask. Note the use of “typically”. That is because I asked a couple walking by to do me such a favor (in my “best” Spanish, of course) and they flat out said “no” with zero hesitation. They didn’t try to make an excuse and showed no compassion for my predicament. I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

Fortunately, the next person that I asked graciously obliged. He was a French guy that spoke no Spanish and seemed genuinely happy to hear his native language (or at least my interpretation of it) when I asked him in French if he could take a picture.

Once back at the hotel I decided to make reservations for a tango show. Though I was a bit tired from the combination of jet lag and my tourist activities thus far, I had been told that one can’t come to Buenos Aires without seeing a tango show. That was enough of a reason for me. Fortunately, I was able to book a ticket through the hotel, and it included transportation to and from the venue. This came in handy since the show ended after midnight.

The show was indeed a must see. The performers were incredible and the combination of live music, song and dance was unlike anything that I had ever seen before. The skill required for the dancing in particular was truly remarkable. I unfortunately wasn’t able to take any pictures during the performance, but here is a shot of the venue prior to the show.