The following is a guest post by Sophie Collard.
Tell someone you’re off to South America and they’re unlikely to make comparisons with Europe unless they’ve been to the wealthier South American countries. They’re probably even less likely to imagine you checking out car hire and driving yourself around the place.
But Argentina does feel European. The Spanish colonized it in the late 1500s, and by the late 1700s was the capital of the Rio de la Plata (which includes Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay).
Large squares, like the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, mirror the numerous squares in Spanish cities. The Plaza de Mayo is where Eva Peron gave her ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’ speeches (although it’s unlikely Evita used the same words as lyric writer Tim Rice).
It is possible to Evita-theme your stay in Buenos Aires. You can visit the Evita Museum, which holds many artifacts, video clips and sound bites from the life of the Argentine woman who rose from poverty to end up becoming the most influential woman in the history of Argentine politics, marrying the president at the time. She was diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of just 33, solidifying her place in the country’s memory as an idol.
She is the most famous of the deceased that you will find in La Recoleta Cemetery. The cemetery, in Buenos Aires’s Recoleta district, is filled with the tombs of Argentina’s wealthy–like a village of the rich and dead. Large mausoleums have photographs of the people buried underneath affixed to the walls. Hundreds of cats weave their way between the tombs. Candles and chairs are placed by altars where the families of the past can come and pray for their souls. Evita has the largest crowd of tourists around her at any one time.
Beyond Evita, Buenos Aires is also famous for being the birthplace of tango dancing. There are many bars decorated with tango memorabilia and numerous places you can go to take tango lessons.
On Sundays in the San Telmo district, there’s an antiques market. At the market amongst the old books and gramophones you will find a few old tango hats. Try them on before you buy, and if you’re buying for someone else, find someone with a head their size, as many of the hats are quite small.
San Telmo is also one of the most fantastic places to hang out in the evenings. A lot of the best steak houses are here. And unless you’re veggie, the bife de lomo is the best you’re ever going to have. Eat it alongside a glass of Mendoza’s famous Malbec.
Before you leave Buenos Aires, be sure to check out MALBA, which has several works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in it. Outside is the impressive metallic Floralis Genérica sculpture, which opens and closes according to the amount of sunlight hitting it. Go also to La Boca, famous for its multi-colored corrugated iron houses and tango artwork as well as for its Boca Juniors football ground.
Sophie Collard writes about fascinating places to visit and people she’s met while on her travels. She’s traveled in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia and loves the sense of distance and changing landscapes.
