I would rather own little and see the
world…
than own the world and see little of it.
Alexander Sattler
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| Night view from the window of my room on the 9th floor of a hotel My first night in Buenos Aires Part of the city surrounds the Recoleta Cemetery, a famous burial site Full of ornate mausoleums and sculptures, it feels like a shadowy walled city |
Before my tour of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, I visited Buenos Aires on my own for three days. So many times, I heard comments from world travelers that this city is the best in South America. However, not having been to other large cities in that area, I can't compare, but I certainly agree that it is a beautiful city with a deep history, several architectural gems, well-tended parks, colorful murals and neighborhoods, and much more.
Walking among friendly porteños (their name reflecting the historical importance of its port, people who live in the city of Buenos Aires are called porteñas or porteños), I found that everyone is respectful, eager to help, and very enthusiastic sharing anything about their country be it tango, asado (their BBQ), their history, directions, etc.
Located on the muddy Rio de la Plata (River of Silver), the world's widest river and birthplace of tango, it is a vibrant cosmopolitan city. I could see/feel a European influence and soon learned that it is dubbed 'The Paris of South America'. That influence is seen in their art, eclectic architecture or excellent cuisine. Buenos Aires is considered one of the most diverse cities of The Americas.
With its scores of theaters and productions, the city has the busiest live theater industry in South America. Every weekend, there are about 300 active theaters with plays, a number that places the city as first worldwide, more than either London, New York or Paris.
Buenos Aires boasts the highest number of bookstores per capita in the world, with approximately 700 bookstores serving a population that results in about 25 bookstores for every 100,000 residents. They were able to keep Amazon from selling books there until November 2024. Since then, sadly, sales have declined by about 25%.
It is the third largest (after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro) city south of the Tropic of Capricorn. It's quality of life is one of the best in Latin America.
Designated Ibero-American capital of Gastronomic Culture in 2017, the city also boasts outstanding culinary options, from elegant 19th century 'bares notables' (notable bars), where you can sip a coffee at the same marble tables politicians, society celebrities and literary giants once met, to some of Latin America’s most acclaimed and experimental contemporary restaurants and bars.
It is a vibrant multicultural city with tangible warmth, vast confidence, and a contagious energy.
The only negative I can report is the low number of green spaces. It has one of the lowest amounts of green space per capita and 2/3 of people live in several stories' apartment buildings leading to a feeling of crowdedness and lack of space.
Let's start this photolog with the Recoleta Cemetery (1822), one of the most visited places in Buenos Aires. Despite its many crypts or mausoleums in very bad states of repair or in need of some attention, it is an intriguing place to visit. It contains 4,600 burial sites on 14 acres. I spent 2.5 hours here and feel like I only saw a quarter of it.
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| So many styles, sizes, materials Even animals are fed or watered (green & red bowls) here |
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| Though this mausoleum is taken care of with a fresh plant They let Jesus hang by only one hand - interesting |
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| Reminding me of fall colors I like this rusty leaf accent against spiderwebbed dark glass |
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| 'Fiat Voluntas Tua' - Thy Will Be Done... Calming, flowing sculpture |
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| The fine work of a spider On a sculpture of a kneeling woman from April 30, 1920 |
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| Passage of Time & Mortality or Strength & Decline Art Deco by Troiani, 1926 |
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| Cracked angel wing with 'clavel del aire' plant Also called carnation of the air due to its fragility |
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| Once painted in a yellow/gold color Now peeling away |
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| Plants taking over - slowly |
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| Angel looking down at a cross Covered with carnations of the air |
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| Various styles of crosses |
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| Various styles of roofs - Moorish influence in some of them |
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| Broken stained glass, the slow destruction of time |
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| Skull and crossbones! |
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| Somber unkept interior |
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| At a corner - narrow pathways - no spare spaces Jose Aguilo - 1922 Everything is so compacted together, it's difficult to take good photos |
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| Place of rest of Eva Peron (1919-1952) and her relatives Since she was so well-known, everyone expects something larger, fancier - but it's simple |
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| The true reality of many crypts/mausoleums Open, broken down, full of trash |
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| With caskets stacked up on each other Some found open (not on this photo) with broken lids |
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| Same photo as the one at the beginning of this post but in day time |
The little-known Palacio Noel (part of El Museo de Arte Hispanoamericano Isaac Fernández Blanco) was the first private museum in Argentina. It is filled with colonial American art, religious items (Jesuit and Franciscan) made of wood, gold or silver, and furniture from the 16th through the 20th century. It contains a collection of remarkable 18th century violins as well, but I am only sharing this one photo as it was a type of religious representation I hadn't seen before.
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| Señor de la Humildad y la Paciencia (Lord of Humility and Patience) Jesuit-Guarani (indigenous people of Paraguay) From a Jesuit Mission, middle of 18th century |
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Inaugurated in 1896, moved once in 1911 and then again in 1933 - now its current location. Showing works by Gaugin, Degas, Modigliani, Rodin, van Gogh, Chagal, Pissarro, Monet, Cezanne, Lautrec, Rivera, and many more well-known artists. At 130 years, the museum owns over 13,000 national and international works of art. I am only showing a few favorites.
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| Donated to the museum by Rodin himself in 1907 Sculptures from 1886 and 1887 Rodin sculpted many variations of 'El Beso' (the kiss) |
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| First Funerals by Louis-Ernest Barrias, 1878 Marble |
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| Banquet of Scipio after the Triumph, 1660 Tapestry of silk, wool, gold and silver thread Workshop of Everaert Leyniers III, Brussels 5.2 yards x 7.6 yards (4.76m x 6.94m) Considering the age and size of this piece, it's quite stunning it still holds together |
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| Juanito Laguna Aprende a Leer (Juanito Laguna learns to read) By Antonio Berni, local artist, 1961 Seen as you go up the stairway |
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| La Civilización Occidental y Cristiana (Western and Christian Civilization) By Leon Ferrari, 1965 Symbolizing a critique of Western hypocrisy, with its coexistence of Christian values and military violence. |
Walking around town, enjoying parks, architecture, sculptures, or witnessing people's daily lives...
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| Floralis Generica by Eduardo Catalano, 2002 Operated via solar and hydraulic This large metal flower opens every morning, closes at night I couldn't get closer due to this event for which I didn't have a ticket |
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| 'Bust' by Fernando Botero Given to Buenos Aires and installed in Parque Thays in 2002 Bronze male torso |
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| Home delivery of meat |
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| Torre Massué by Alfred Massué, 1909 Saved thanks to 'fragmentary preservation' in 1989 Only the tower of the old building was preserved Mixing old with new at street corner |
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| Bollards on many of the streets of Buenos Aires Stops cars but not motorcycles from parking on sidewalks However, they are so low that many car drivers can't see them and hit them |
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| How they display sandwiches Damp cloth on slices of crustless bread |
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| So many people use motorcycles here |
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| Embellishing a display of fruits and vegetables with lettuce leaves |
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| City's mounted police |
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| Monument to International Cordiality, 1936 By Antonio Pena and Julio Vilamajó Moved to Lezama Park in 1962 |
When you think of Buenos Aires (founded 1536), an interesting stop is the Monument to Argentine-Uruguayan Cordiality in the Lezama Park, a natural ravine. This monument was a gift from Uruguay to commemorate the four hundred years since the first foundation of Buenos Aires. It is a fascinating work made of bronze, obtained from the scrapping of an old cruiser and from the melting of 10-cent coins donated by schools in Montevideo (capital of Uruguay).
The work depicts a ship symbolizing the union between Argentina and Uruguay, with a central column. On the column, constellations, conquerors, indigenous people, and the Paraná and Uruguay rivers are engraved. Of particular interest is the female figure called 'La ofrenda' (the offering) who, positioned at the bow of the ship, holds the coat of arms of Montevideo in her left hand. Behind the column, a water mirror is decorated with gargoyles, seahorses, octopuses, and whales.
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| Special travel-kit for mate, the drink that often replaces coffee here I am waiting in line for a flight and this man is ahead of me with this kit. Local airlines let people bring this liquid aboard. The kit includes the yerba mate (herb), a special straw with filter (bombilla), a cup (gourd), a condiment bottle (sweetener, spice, citrus, milk, or cream) and a thermos full of hot water. |
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| El Ateneo, originally built in 1919 Old theater turned bookstore in 2000 Named 'World's most beautiful bookstore' by National Geographic in 2019 Fresco symbolizing Peace after WW1 by Orlandi, 1919 |
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| El Ateneo Some theater boxes were kept - for privacy to hide, read or think |
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| El Ateneo - feels more like entering a theater than a bookstore The red curtains still front the stage which has been turned into a coffeeshop First sound film in Argentina was shown here in 1929 Live piano is still played some afternoons (to great accoustics) |
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| El Ateneo Details of gold accents throughout the library This old theater hosted the giants of tango throughout its history |
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| Pasionara (passionflower) by Marcela Cabutti, 2009 'My goal is to create a fleeting moment in which one senses a presence that is simultaneously strange and familiar, that gives rise to enduring, expansive imagery.' Puerto Madero on the Rio de la Plata |
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| Monument to Taxi Drivers by Fernando Pugliese, 2012 Seen here is a Siam Di Tella, an Argentina made car of that era In the city of Buenos Aires, there are 40,000 taxis & 70,000 drivers They are heavily unionized and force strict restrictions on Uber and the likes Today, taxis must be black and yellow |
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| Isla Ba Corona, a floating bar/restaurant White pedestrian Puente de la Mujer (woman's bridge) in the background This bridge rotates 90 degrees to let water traffic through It was built in the Basque Country and opened in 2001 Puerto Madero on the Rio de la Plata |
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| Parque Mujeres Argentinas, 2007 Celebrating famous Argentinian women I like the juxtaposition of tall, narrow, leafless, white bark trees with skyscrapers |
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| ARA Presidente Sarmiento Frigate Museum Original 1898 appearance Three-masted frigate with 21 sails |
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| Tango dancers on Puente de la Mujer Fairly common to see outdoor dancing around tourist areas |
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| One of several colorful cranes around Puerto Madero Remnant of the old port which was active from 1897 to 1907 Symbol of harbor and shipping, mixing old and new |
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| Teatro Colón - closeup of delicate lighting Took 20 years to build, opened in 1908 Top ten opera house in the world Top five acoustically |
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| Teatro Colón Spectacular grand foyer entrance |
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| Teatro Colón - Stained glass by Gaudin House in Paris, 1907 Four-meter wide umbrella or mandala style Portraying the eight muses of music, conceived by Vittorio Meano Its restoration, a hundred years later, by Antonio Lestruch, took ten months |
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| Teatro Colón - another stunning stained glass In the Hall of Busts (of eight famous musicians) At center, a circle of three women playing |
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| Teatro Colón - Comedia Dell Arte fresco by Raul Soldi, 1966 Showing 51 characters - Allegory of music, song, dance Chandelier in center weighs five tons and contains 700 lightbulbs Lowered once a year to clean and replace bulbs Catwalk hidden above chandelier for special musicians not scared of heights |
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| Teatro Colón - Ubiquitous red curtains To celebrate its 100th anniversary, went through a restoration that took ten months, 1,500 workers, 130 professionals (architects, engineers) For a cost of $100M, it reopened in 2010 |
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| Teatro Colón - seats stuffed with horsehair Can accommodate 2,500 people seated, 500 standing Pavarotti himself famously commented that the acoustics were so perfect that it made him nervous to perform because any mistake was amplified. |
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| Teatro Colón - another hall, another chandelier During covid, the theater closed down but they had their seamstresses sew masks to help support the theater. |
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| Mural of firefighter carrying a child in the La Boca neighborhood By Lucas Quinto, 2011 Commemorating the first fire department led by Tomas Liberti Symbolizing courage and compassion |
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| The colorful La Boca neighborhood Settled mostly by Italians from Genoa Here, you can pose with tango dancers against all these colors |
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| Another colorful but far less known neighborhood - Pasaje Lanín de Barracas 35-40 houses are covered with colorful paints, ceramic or glass mosaic tiles Transforming this grey neighborhood since 1996 |
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| Pasaje Lanín de Barracas |
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| Pasaje Lanín de Barracas |
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| La Casa Rosada - the home of the President of Argentina |
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| The country flag Statue of General Jose de San Martin (1778-1850), across from La Casa Rosada Liberator with crucial role in the independence of Argentina, Chile and Peru from the Spanish rule |
Hope you enjoyed these few photos and comments about Buenos Aires, a city I wouldn't mind visiting again, especially since they have so much to offer in terms of art and culture. Three days just wasn't enough.
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