Playa de las Delicias

Slightly bumpy flight back to Buenos Aires. We organised Ubers which we met with some difficulty. We are finding that the drivers’ pick-up point is not quite the same as ours. Blame GPS and the app (never Tony’s operation of it). Our next apartment is run by the same hosts and is a couple of km away from the first one. Once there, we were very pleasantly greeted by Juliet. Walked out to a late dinner. We happened upon a really nice restaurant, Bar Iberian, where we all shared a huge classic Spanish potato tortilla. Delicious. Juliet had told us about a 24 hour supermarket nearby where we were able to do the breakfast shopping. They sell alcoholic drinks but only until about 5pm.
Now (Mon 27 Jan) we have a full day in Buenos Aires. We choose to do a free 3 hour city highlights walk. Of course they expect a tip at the end which we were happy to provide. For 4 people Uber is very convenient and whisks us to Teatro Colón (opera house – perfect acoustics) to start the walk. It rains, hard, with thunder while we are waiting to start. We evaluate alternative activities. The rain dies to a sprinkle. Fingers crossed we go ahead with the tour.
Vito (“as in The Godfather; same name, different occupation”) is our guide. He’s young, thin and very enthusiastic. We see the WIDEST AVENUE IN THE WORLD: Avenida 9 de Julio. 140m wide. About 20 lanes of traffic. The avenue leads to The Obelisk, which commemorates Argentine independence. To make the obelisk stand out they resumed all buildings beside the avenue then demolished them to provide the current imposing width. The widening stops at the French embassy. They said NO (surprise, surprise), as the embassy land is French soil so the building couldn’t be demolished.
During the late 19th century there was a feud between the 3 richest ladies (widows of wealthy men) who competed by doing good works. They really wanted titles to go with their wealth and the only way to obtain them was via the Church. Hence the good works. One built a beautiful church. The other build a huge ugly apartment block (similar shape to the Empire State Building) right in front to block it from view. Buenos Aires has lots of parks. Many feature Australian trees. Eucalypts and Moreton Bay figs. Vito (can we believe everything he says?) showed us a huge fig which he told us came from Australia 300 years ago??
Really nice lunch in the Ricoleto area which is a very wealthy part of Buenos Aires.
In the evening we found yet another good restaurant. Thanks Internet and Ursula. Maybe they are all good in Buenos Aires. Family run. Our young waiter was top notch (“I’ve been working here for 6 years. That’s my mother and my father.”)
Next morning (Tue 28 Jan) we can board the ship. This is quite the experience. Lots of passengers. Lots of formalities. In the end it happens reasonably smoothly. Surprisingly to us, after immigration and a bag scan, we are let loose in the ship. We live on Deck 5 starboard side. See pic. Imagine an 800 room hotel with 8 floors of accommodation. Full sized 2 level auditorium (the World Stage), 2 swimming pools, 3 restaurants, countless bars and shops. You need to be aware which direction is forward, then navigation is quite easy.
We had our first shipboard meal in the Lido buffet. It was quite late, but you can get food until about 4pm. Wide variety of food, from Asian curries to salads. Dinner was a revelation. All passengers can dine at the Vista Dining Room. (Many don’t, and choose the buffet.) The 4 of us had a 3 course sit-down meal. It was like a really good restaurant. 5 or 6 choices for each course. Different menu every night. Will we put on weight?
Next day (Wed 29 Jan) we are still in Buenos Aires. Decided to do the La Boca two hour walking tour. Tony racked up 5 Uber cancellations attempting to get to the start of the tour. Neither we nor the drivers were able to find the pickup spot. Finally caught a cab (thanks, Trevor). Guide was Juan. He pronounced it like “you are the only ONE”. Once again young (though he did admit to being 37). They all look like boys to us. La Boca is a very lively area with brilliantly coloured housing often made from corrugated iron. Originally the buildings were constructed by immigrants using materials from a 19th/20th century shipyard: iron plates, corrugated zinc sheets, timber and whatever paint was available. The colour palette came through suggestion from the famous and influential local artist, Benito Quinquela Martin. The result is one of the most colourful precincts of any city! (Thanks, Trevor.)
The residents are united in being strongly against ‘improvement’ of the area by the wealthy. Original residents were from Genoa so there is still lots of Italian influence.
Not having any local currency we had planned to withdraw the correct amount for the tour from a local ATM. Juan told us that most ATMs don’t work. Those that do charge 10,000 pesos each use. Maximum withdrawal is 15,000 pesos. Cost for the tour is 13,000 pesos per person. Exchange rate is 653 pesos per Australian dollar (today). Fortunately we had some US dollars which are accepted everywhere here.
Juan kept punctuating the tour with reminders that Argentina won the recent football world cup. No surprise that he took us to Bombonera stadium. This is officially called Estadio Alberto J. Armando and is home to Diego Maradona’s beloved Boca Juniors. It is often considered the stadium with the most intense, passionate atmosphere in the world. (Thanks, Wikipedia for this bit.)
Tony had found Café Proa in his research. It is on the top floor above the library here in La Boca. Modern space with extensive views. No other customers. Really nice café con leche.
We Ubered back to the ship just in time for Rob to watch Evita (very topical) on-board in the World Stage.
We enjoyed our first departure this evening between drinks and dinner. Tony and Ursula visited the Sea View Deck on Deck 9 near the pool for the Departure drinks function. Lots of sun. Lots of people. Departure was slightly marred by the fact that we moved out from the wharf, then remained stationary for an hour or so before departing from Buenos Aires.
We have really enjoyed the time here. It certainly is a great city!
After another delicious dinner we watched the Pampas Devils Gauchos in the theatre. The show featured tango and lots of lively music and skilful bolas work. A real taste of Argentina.Read more