10 to 16 January 2016
My Argentina trip started properly in Buenos Aires, where I met my mum on 11th January. The next three weeks were perfectly organised by my sister Lena. She has a special place in her heart for Argentina, a) because she has been there twice and b) because her boyfriend Juan Pablo is Argentinian. We met his wonderful family twice, for a traditional Parilla in a lovely garden restaurant, and for Empanadas and Icecream in the parent’s flat with a nice view over Buenos Aires. Thanks Ruchy, Rodolfo, Paola, Pablo, Alejo and Gaston for making us feel so welcome!
Lena’s plan for our days in Buenos Aires prescribed ‘Arrival, Citybus (San Telmo, Boca), Palermo/Lago de Palermo/Museums, Tigre’. We have to admit that we didn’t do Tigre on day 4 as the plan said, but on our last day together two weeks later. Even then I had to force mum and remind her that we had an obligation to follow the plan. Lena would be disappointed if we willy-nilly left out programme points. I think mum agrees that Tigres was worth it. It is an hours train journey from the centre of Buenos Aires. Many Porteños, people from Buenos Aires, come here to spend their weekends in the cabañas and houses built at the many canals. I can see why, it’s a relaxing lush area with lots of green and colourful flowers and birds.
My favourites in Buenos Aires were Boca, Puerto Madero and a free walking tour through the City Centre.
- Boca
We had got off the Citybus at the Boca Junior Stadium also called La Bombonera (English: the Chocolate Box) due to its shape, with a “flat” stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the rest of the stadium. Boca Junior is one of the two big Buenos Aires football teams, River Plate being the other one. Carlos Tevez is currently playing for them and Diego Maradona finished his career here. Boca’s colours are blue and yellow. Legend has it that the young Italiens who had founded the club needed new club colours and decided to take them from the first ship that sailed into Boca’s port. It was a Swedish vessel.
From the stadium, mum and I decided to walk to the next Citybus stop, the Bar El Estaño 1880 and from there to Caminito with its famous colourful houses and origins of the tango. Walking through the streets, we could feel that it was not a good neighbourhood. An old lady in a shop where we bought a drink advised my mum to take off her golden necklace as someone had ripped one off a tourist the week before. We got to Caminito without incidents though and enjoyed a cold beer or two in the late afternoon sun outside the bar La Perla. We loved it so much that we missed the last Citybus back and had to take a public bus. Only partly our fault as the timetable at the Citybus stop had been out of date. It wasn’t too much of a problem though, as we saw a nice looking restaurant from the public bus and promptly got off to have dinner there. Tour de Buenos Aires.
We came back to Boca the following day to see a Jeremy Deller exhibition in the new contemporary art museum and discovered the wonderful cafe at the top. It has a great terrace with view over the port and I celebrated it with an Aperol Spritz, whose colours matched nicely with the balcony and Boca in general.
- Puerto Madero
We had tried to get there on our first day, but couldn’t figure out where to cross first the massive dual carriage way, then the railway lines and finally the river. So we took a taxi the next day. Luckily, taxis are not too pricey in Buenos Aires. Puerto Madero seems a fairly recent development with sleek offices and apartment buildings at the canal where big yachts are mooring. It reminded me a bit of Canary Wharf and nearby redevelopments in London. Despite the maybe slightly sterile environment, it was a lovely place to have a sundowner, so much so that we came back twice.
- City Centre Free Walking Tour
On day four, when we should have been in Tigre according to plan, we joined the free walking tour as I had remembered the excellent tour in Medellin. Similar to there, it made us understand the Buenos Aires and Argentinian psyche a bit better: The wish to build a better Europe in Argentina at the end of the 19th century, the cafe and endless discussion culture, the obsession with the US Dollar, the terror of the last dictatorship and the party of the 90s. Fernando, our lawyer guide, was extraordinarily funny, and we remembered his jokes throughout the three weeks.
Buenos Aires was also memorable thanks to Carola, my Argentinian friend, that I had met in Cumbuco, and her boyfriend Santiago. They were extremely welcoming, took mum and me for dinner for Parilla and Milanesa, basically a Schnitzel Pizza. The days in Buenos Aires before and after my mum arrived, I could stay in their grand apartment on the 26th floor of a building in Palermo with view even of Rio de la Plata. In the night looking out onto the lights of Buenos Aires and hearing the sounds of the buzzing city, I had the same feeling I had one night as a small child of six years staying over at my Godmum’s flat in Freiburg: excitement that life was happening here, that the City never sleeps and that I was allowed to be in the midst of all of this. Ok, in the case of Freiburg, the perspective changed over time. It feels small and cozy now in comparison. But for me at the time coming from a village in the darkest Black Forest, it represented the big exciting city.
Carola and Santiago also took me to get to know Electronic Cumbia (I need to download some of that stuff!) and finally Tango and Milonga lessons. I thought I was a natural talent, but based on the many times the teacher corrected me, maybe not… Unfortunately, mum missed any tango. Then again, it wasn’t on Lena’s plan hence not mandatory.
Carola and Santiago, I had a wonderful time with you and value our conversations and everything you explained to me about Argentina and current affairs. I hope to see you again, maybe in Europe where I can return your extraordinary hospitality.
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lisaimwunderland.com 
Hallo Lisa,
wie immer erfreuen uns die Berichte über deine wunderbare Reise.
Bald wirst du wieder inOld Europe sein – auch ein Wunderland – oft der besonderen Art.
Aus Buenos Aires in den Smog of London !
Liebe Grüße,auch an Lena – u. ein happy end euerer Reise
Rudolf u. Vita
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