Posts Tagged ‘buenosaires’

Nice little film tracing the day of one of Buenos Aires’ famous Dog Walkers. Victor has been doing the job for the last 12 years and has been bitten three times and has lost 2 dogs (both turned up later!).

I’ll tell anyone that listens that the best map of Buenos Aires is the Interactive Map on the Buenos Aires City Government site. With it you can easily find any street address and for planning a journey on public transport it’s indispensable.

However, today I discovered a feature I’d not spotted before which makes me very happy indeed (it doesn’t take much). As well as the expected map and satellite views, it offers a choice of photographic overlays from times gone by. A satellite view from 2004 and aerial views from 1978, 1965 and 1940. I’ve spent most of the afternoon exploring 1940s Buenos Aires and am going to sharing some of the highlights here (click on all photos for larger views).

Completed around about the turn of the 20th Century, the Plaza de Mayo has not changed beyond recognition in the 71 years since this photo was taken. The main change is that the Casa Rosada was surrounded by roads on all four sides back then. Balcarce to its left as we look at it is now pedestrianised and the Paseo Colón passed right past the front of the building instead of looping round the gardens as it does now. Also, with fewer trees than nowadays, it’s easier to see the symmetry of the Plaza itself in the aerial view, something its hard to appreciate from ground level.

If the Plaza de Mayo hasn’t changed much, then the above shot shows an area that has undergone some major work. We all know the Avenida 9 de Julio these days as it cuts its way through the heart of the city. Well it hasn’t always been this way – back in 1940 it was only 5 blocks long and was more of a Plaza than an Avenida! The Obelisco had been built 4 or 5 years prior and it wouldn’t be for another 10 years until the buildings between Cerrito & Carlos Pelligrini would be levelled to extend the avenue. The Teatro Colón can be seen in the bottom left of the picture.

El Caminito, now one of the main tourist attractions in Buenos Aires was a long way from that in 1940. As the above picture shows it was then simply a spur of the main railway that served the docks. It wouldn’t be for another 15 years before local artist Benito Quinquela Martín would begin working on his vision of transforming it into Buenos Aires’ first open-air musuem.

The above picture shows one of the main sights of my tour, the market building in Abasto. At the time of this picture it had only been open for 5 years and would remain so for another 44 years. Clearly visible is the rear sections which is somewhat altered these days, but the front section remains intact as it was then. Also note the tramlines running up and down Corrientes. Buenos Aires once had one of the largest tram systems in the world (more than 850km of track at its peak) which was dismantled in the 1960s in favour of buses.

There is, of course, much more to be discovered with these wonderful old aerial shots and as I find more things of interest I’ll post them here.

In a city filled with architectural curiosities, one that captures the attention more than most is the Confiteria del Molino, on the corners of Rivadavia and Callao, opposite the Congeso Nacional. Abandoned since 1997, it now sits in one of the best locations of Buenos Aires, looking unloved and getting dirtier every day. Things were not always this way of course, and the building has a much brighter past than its current sorry state implies.

Gaetano Brenna had been operating as a cake maker in Buenos Aires since 1850 and the Brenna name became synonymous with some of the finest Pan Dulce to be found. Towards the end of the 19th Century Brenna changed the name of his café from Confiteria del Centro to Antigua Confitería del Molino (Old Windmill Café) in honour of the nearby Molino Lorea, the first flour mill built in Buenos Aires. In 1905 they moved to the current site and in 1917 the Nueva Confitería del Molino opened in the building we still see today.

In order to build this Art Nouveau masterpiece, architect Francisco Gianotti imported all of the doors, marble, ceramics, glass and 150 m² of stained glass from Italy. Above the decorative windmill, the attic roof and the decorative cupola still have their gold tiles, although due to the dirt accumulated over the years, these are best seen when it’s raining!

Being such a prominent and striking building, many famous Argentines (and others) have passed through its doors. From Eva Perón to Carlos Gardel (who requested a special dessert be created in honour of his friend, jockey Irineo Leguisamo) to Madonna, who even filmed the video for her song Love Don’t Live Here Anymore (see below) in the building, less than a year before it closed.

Unfortunately, the exterior beauty and beautiful clientele did not mean that the business was being run with any level of competence and after several decades of bankruptcies and buyouts the Confiteria finally closed its doors on the 24th January 1997, and was named a National Historic Monument the same year. Plans have come and go to reopen the building, and there is currently a proposal of expropriation working its way through the House of Representatives. Until that happens however, the Confiteria del Molina will remain closed, it’s grubby exterior giving us only a small glimpse of her glamourous past.

Love & questions will be in the air on Monday 14th February with the Cigale Valentine’s Quiz!

It starts at 7:30pm, teams of up to 6 people allowed and entry is 10 pesos per person. There will be prizes for the winners and runners-up!

See you there! map

Had a fun day yesterday as Argentinian tourism channel Turismo Visión came along to film the tour! They’d been looking for alternative ways to see the capital and loved the way we do things on colectivos and the Subte. It was very exciting and I can’t wait to see the final result – which should be in 2 weeks or so. Obviously you’ll see it here first!

After months of delicate negotiation involving suitcases of cash, gallons of rum and quite a few swear words, I am pleased to announce that Monday 29th November marks the first La Cigale Quiz Night.

It will begin at 7:30pm, teams of up to 6 people are allowed and it cost 10 pesos per person.

Full details can be found on the Facebook event page – hope to see you there!.

One of the highlights of the Argentine Bicentenary celebrations this year was the reopening of the Teatro Colón which had been undergoing restoration since 2006.

Opened originally in 1908 as South America’s answer to the great Opera Houses of Milan, London and Paris, it is considered as one of the top 5 in the world and has played host to all the greats of the world of Opera and Classical Music.

As my parents were coming to visit I thought I would treat us to a night out at the Colón and 6 or 7 weeks before they arrived I looked on the web for tickets. There are performances (classical music and ballet, no opera at the moment) 2 or 3 times a week which are obviously pretty damn popular as all I could find was 4 seats (in 2 blocks of 2, not together) in the Paraiso (Paradise) section, right at the very top.

We picked the tickets up in the afternoon and in the evening, put on our gladrags and headed out. Seeing as our seats were in the plebs section we didn’t get to use the main swanky entrance and had to skulk in through a side door and climb the 8 floors up to our level.

We were watching a performance of the Buenos Aires Philarmonic Orchestra. I know very little about Classical Music and didn’t recognise any of the music, or even the composers, but the sound was beautiful, as was the building. Most of the Paraiso area is actually standing room, with tickets costing just 25 pesos (about £3). Our seats were 45 pesos each (about £7.50) and gave a clear, if a little distant, view of about 2/3 of the stage.

Most of the standing crowd left at the interval, which I’ve since found out is pretty typical, as it’s a long time to stand still and the majority of people come simply to see the interior. Which is pretty much the reason I went, and I’m very glad I did, it was a real experience, one I would thoroughly recommend to anyone staying more than a few days in Buenos Aires.

Click for bigger. Google Maps, I love you.

As wonderful as Buenos Aires is, at some point you will want to escape for a few hours, if only for a change of scenery. Thankfully getting away from it is not difficult (or expensive) and there are some lovely spots worth a visit within in easy reach.

1. Tigre

Probably the most popular Porteño daytrip of all, Tigre is a must-see, even if you’re just in Buenos Aires for a few days. Situated on the delta of the river Paraná, the town is a gateway to hundreds of kilometres of navigable river, complete with restaurants, hotel, holiday complexes and entire neighbourhoods.

Numerous boats leave the Estacion Fluvial for a guided tour up the river, pointing out the main points of interest (including the house of former President Sarmiento, faithfully preserved in a huge glass box) along the way. The town is also host to an amusement park (Parque de la Costa) and an enormous, flashy casino if you like your pleasures a little more risky.

An easy hour-long train-ride from Buenos Aires (leaving from Retiro, but if you’re in Palermo get a taxi to the Lisandro del Torre station), a day in Tigre is a wonderful way to escape the heat of a Porteño summer.

2. La Plata

In 1880, when the decision was finally made to make Buenos Aires the capital of Argentina, a new site for the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires had to be found. It was decided to build a new city from scratch about 50km from the new national capital.

The result, La Plata, is known as La Cuidad del Diagonal (the Diagonal City), due to the large tree-lined avenues that criss-cross the usual square block layout. La Plata is a pleasant place just to wander, with shops to rival Palermo’s finest and a beautiful central square, home to the striking Cathedral.

At the other end of the central thoroughfare are the Bosques de la Plata, a large and leafy park, complete with boating lake, Observatory and numerous museums.

It takes about 90 minutes to reach La Plata by train, leaving from Constitucion station.

3. Luján

Hop on the number 57 from Plaza Italia and in just over an hour you’ll find yourself in Luján, the religious heart of Argentina. Home to a large neo-gothic Basilica (not unsimilar in design to the cathedral in La Plata), built to honour La Virgen de Luján, the Patron Saint of Argentina.

Known as the nation’s Capital of Faith, Luján attracts some 6 million pilgrims a year, many of them walking the 68 kilometres from Buenos Aires. Whilst the town itself is pleasant place to visit, and the Basilica is definitely worth a visit, a short taxi ride is recommended to nearby village Carlos Keen.

Once home to an important railway hub, the trains stopped a long time ago and made room for restaurants. Lots of them. Set round a large central green, people now flock here on Sunday for a generous portions of homemade food (asado being very popular of course) in a peaceful and rustic setting.

Luján is also home to a large and well-advertised zoo (about 10 minutes out of town). A trip here is not recommended for animal lovers, the enclosures are small and barren with more emphasis on entertainment at the creature’s expense than conservation. To be avoided.

4. Colonia

Colonia is a popular daytrip for many reasons, not least for expats who need to renew their 3-month tourist visa. A 3-hour ferry ride (Buquebus run several a day from their Retiro terminal, including a fast boat which does the trip in an hour) across the mighty River Plate, the Uruguayan town of Colonia del Sacramento is a well preserved Portuguese stronghold originally founded in 1680, with many of the original buildings still standing.

A tranquil place in the week, the picturesque and compact historic centre is overrun with daytripping Porteños on the weekends, it’s well worth the trip if you have a day spare. You could even venture to one of the estancias that surround the town for a traditional asado and cabalgata (horse ride).

With the impending arrival of Mummy and Daddy Gringo, I’ve been planning a couple of excursions. Until now, my travelling around Argentina and South America has involved very little planning, but on this occasion I’m making an exception and booking stuff up in advance – I want these few days to be a trip to remember for the right reasons, rather than knocking on hotel doors at 9 in the evening.

I’m looking forward to these trips (one to Iguazu, the other to Puerto Madryn) for two reasons. Firstly my parents have never been to South America, and I really want them to see a little bit of what I’ve experienced over the last couple of years and secondly, it means getting back on the road, if only for a short while.

But it has also reminded me of what a bloody enormous country Argentina is, and how my attitude to travel has changed. Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn is 1442km (896 miles – just under the distance between London and Barcelona) and we’re going by coach. A couple of people have suggested I look at flights but to be honest I wouldn’t consider it. It may be cheaper (although unlikely) but I just don’t enjoy flying anymore. As soon as it stops being about the time, there really is no reason to fly. I could play the green card, according to this carbon footprint calculator, the bus journey accounts for 1/10th of the CO2 emissions the flight does. However, for me it’s more about the journey. There’s no more complicated reason than I enjoy it.

It sounds boring, sitting on a bus for 18 hours but I simply enjoy watching the world go by. Argentina is just full of scenery, and in Patagonia there is little else, miles and miles of nothing. It’s a great way to relax, switch off and let your mind go wherever little roads of its own it wants to go down. Now that I know I’m going to be doing it again, it makes realise how much I miss it.