Buenos Aires This and That and Other Ramblings

Well this is our last day in Buenos Aires. We leave for Santiago in the morning and then on to Vina del Mar for a week before the cruise to San Diego. Buenos Aires is a wonderful city – with many things to do that could keep you busy for months. We feel we know it better and would recommend a stay here to anyone with a sense of adventure.

Some of the things we have done I have not mentioned so far in these blog entries. The museums are great and most are free. We visited the old Palais de Glace – yes the French word for ice skating rink. It is now an art museum with some very strange art! At a distance, the art looked like textured cloth. Up close it was small plastic baby dolls strung together with string – some were blue, white, pink, etc. Very odd!

The National Museum of Bellas Artes houses a large collection of 19th and 20th century Argentine art. The ground floor has a very good collection of European art – spanning several centuries. There were many sculptures by Rodin. Artists included Diego Rivera, Picasso, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Gaugin, Sisley, and other impressionists from Italy, Spain, etc.

The Malba Museum is housed in a strikingly modern structure in Palermo. We also ate lunch in their excellent restaurant which we highly recommend. This museum houses the collection – or at least part of the collection – of Eduardo Constantini, a Buenos Aires developer and entrepreneur. The collection is said to be the largest, most diverse, and most valuable collection of 19th and 20th century Latin American art in the world. There are many paintings by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Lygia Clark….yes…Clark!. She was a Brazilian born artist – must be the Portuguese branch of the family!

The Museo de Arte Decorative is housed in a beautiful French style house once owned by the Alvear Family. The art is interesting but it is the house that is the real attraction. If you did not know you were in Buenos Aires, you would think you were in Paris. We also enjoyed a late afternoon coffee and snack in their outdoor tea room.

There is a lot of public art in Buenos Aires - from the monumental columns and statues to modern pieces like the Floralis Generica. This giant aluminum flower opens and closes with the sun!

We also visited the Evita Museum – which was very well done. The exhibits all have English translations and several films have English and Spanish descriptions above the news footage. Eva Peron is loved by many and hated by just as many. She was an intriguing woman who did a lot for Argentina – no matter what her motives might have been. The vote for woman and many social reforms were attributed to her. Some claimed that her Eva Peron Foundation was a way of funneling government money into Swiss bank accounts. Other experts refute this claim. Who knows? She is certainly an intriguing woman – made even more famous by Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice. Some claim she was just ahead of her time – people now accept movie actors in political roles! Ah…the cult of celebrity! We also tried their restaurant for an afternoon snack…do you see a pattern here? We also visited Eva Duarte Peron's grave in Recoleta - the story of how her body was secretly moved to Italy and then back to Argentina is a mystery story in itself.

Evita's Grave in Recoleta Cemetery

The Japanese Garden in Buenos Aires is claimed to be the largest outside of Japan. It was donated by the Japanese community in Argentina. Yes...we stopped for a drink and ice cream!

Buenos Aires is also a place for shopping, shopping, shopping. With the value of the dollar high (yes there is a place where the dollar goes far), there are many bargains. Avenida Florida is a pedestrian street in the Micro-Center with shop after shop.

When in Buenos Aires, always look down! Why – the sidewalks are terrible – must not be many lawyers here…lots of “trip and fall” cases if this was the US – spoken like a true retired City Manager!!

Taxis are so cheap – we used them constantly. Buses cost about 35 cents but when we tried to figure out how to use them we gave up. You have to know where you are getting off and the driver then tells you the amount. You must have the exact change. Most rides are one pesos 10 centavos. But…change is horded in Argentina and it is hard to get it. The subway is 17 cents but it does not come near Recoleta. So…taxis for us. From here to the main downtown area – about a 10 minute ride – cost about $3 US.

The dog walker! Yes there are 10 here!

Have to count the legs below the big dogs...

and divide by 4 and don't forget

the one in his arms!

Buenos Aires is a city of dogs! They are everywhere. Dog walking is a big business. Today we saw a walker with 10 dogs and he was carrying a puppy across the street with him. They are all so well-behaved. Have not seen a fight or much barking either! Cats are not around much except in Recoleta Cemetery and the one in church – of course.

We usually do a lot of cooking when we rent an apartment – but this time we ate out more. Why? It is so inexpensive. We tended to eat our main meal at lunch and then have a snack in the evening. Of course, breakfast was here at the apartment.

Well…that is it for fabulous Buenos Aires – staye tuned for reports from Vina del Mar, Chile!