And it looks like we might of made it to the end...

So for anyone who was wondering if we would ever finish with Buenos Aires, here are our final Buenos Aires highlights... and on to the next part of our journey. 


 
Palermo
Palermo is a large 'barrio' north west of the centre, and is split in two by the central road Avenue Santa Fe. The mainly residential northern part is filled with parks and posh houses, and as the greenest part of BA is beautiful on a sunny day. Palermo Viejo, its older neighbour, is the trendiest part of town, and is choca block with fancy boutiques, funky craft markets and a vast array of bars. Its the perfect place to spend a sun soaked day wandering aimlessly round shops even if you don't plan on buying anything. It's also a great to sit outside drinking ice cold beer at one of the many bars watching those much trendier than yourself shopping to their hearts content. It also the place where Luke and I spent a month living in an apartment, and it was certainly our favourite part of town.

Whilst Palermo isn't filled to the brim with tourist atractions we managed to fill the majority of our time in BA just hanging out in this part of town. The parks, especially the Japanese Gardens, are stunning and great for people watching in the summer. Luke, Frances and I also had a fun day out at the zoo. As well as the array of clothes and music shops which kept us amused for hours Palermo is also bursting with restaurants, cafes, posh empanada shops and ice cream shops -stocking enough flavours for a different flavour every day for a month. The number of delis was christmas present enough for Luke.

Both on our own and with all four of our different guests we had many a good night in and around Serano Square. From New Year fireworks let off in the middle of the street by random people to a mute magician who wowed us with his awesome tricks to sunny Sunday afternoons with a beer.

Museums and Galleries

Buenos Aires is a culture vulture's dream, teaming as it is with a varied and sometimes weird, collection of museums and galleries, catering to all interests. We didn't go to any where near all of them, or even all of the good ones in the month we were there, but then that is th real joy of choice. If your not into pots and textiles there is an array of other wierd and wonderful places to choose from.

Personal highlights include the Evita Museum was a great museum detailing the history of one of Argentina's famous icon. Eva Peron divides opinion as to whether she was a national hero or tyranical villian -though its fair to say the Museo Evita make it clear they view her as a hero. Either way she's a facinating character. One of Argentinians most famous galleries Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Recoleta had an interesting if sometimes bizzare collection of Argentinian and European art. I prefered the MALBA (Buenos Aires Museum of Latin America Art), a relatively new modern art gallery (free on Wednesdays). When David and I visited amongst other things they had a Marta Minujin display-Argentina's answer to Warhol and a room made of beds that you could get into.

Recoleta

Recoleta is the original wealthy neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. Following the cholera outbreak in San Telmo all the wealthy families moved up the hill north of the city to escape the disease, leaving San Telmo to those who couldn't afford to leave. Recoleta was the place they moved to, and it is to this day still a swanky surburb. Recoleta is full of beautiful houses, shops and restaurants, a particular highlight being the cinema turned into a bookshop.
Recoleta, however is most famed for its cemetary. It may seem strange to refer to a cemetary as a highlight, but anyone whose been to Paris will know how spectacular a cemetary can be, and Recoleta is BA's answer to Perlachese. Argentines glorify their dead, and its fair to say there's more to this cemetary than a few gravestones. The burial place of the rich and famous is far more decadent, with each family tomb competing to out do the next. You can wander for hours through the crumbling statues and maginificent stain glass of mausoleums. You can of course search out the graves of several famous Argentines. The most famous being Evita's grave.

Luke, David and I certainly spent a good few hours here, before heading into Recoleta for an amzing ice cream.

Porteňos

From some mad performances on the underground to the lovely waiters in el penguino Beunos Aires is filled with interesting and kind people, who lack the snottiness we were forewarned about that this city is so famed for. That said being from London, everywhere I go I find people friendy.

Being tourists you often an inevitably end up hanging out in places where there are other tourists (especially if you don't speak good Spanish), like hostels and tourist spots. So for a change we took Chris along to a night of Spanglish -a speed dating style night where English speakers and locals rotate round the room practicing speaking in Spanish for 10 minutes and English for 10 minutes. Chris having not ever spoken Spanish before was very nervous, but surprised himself by having a great night learning Spanish and talking to an array of local people, brimming with enthusiasm for their city.

And so it looks like we've finally made it to the end of our Buenos Aires blog and I didn't even get chance to tell you about the day trip to the countryside, our day out in Uraguay or the sunny River Delta - it's a city with just too many highlights. You'll just have to see the photos.

After a truly wonderful fun packed month in this seductive capital we set of for Patagonia.

Until next time stay warm,

Luke and Louise

Posted by Louise

To flesh-coloured Christs that glow in the dark...

Buenos Aires Highlights Part II

Having neglected to write a blog for over a month we have returned with an updated and new look blog, and with the long awaited continuation of some Buenos Aires highlights we started long ago!

So here it is. For anyone whose been on the edge of their seat unable awaiting part II, apologies for the delay and I hope the wait was worth it!

Ok if you've only got a few days in Buenos Aires then maybe a religious theme park wouldn't be on your list of things to see.  But not only is Santa Tierra the only religious theme park in the world, but it hosts the world's largest (and I suspect only) all year round animatronic nativity scene.

And if thats not enough for you it also hosts an emotive, life size antimatronic reconstruction of the Last Supper, a kitsch (if not very life like) electronic recreation of the Creation and - to top it all an - 18 metre high Jesus who is ressurected every hour, on the hour.

I should at this point clarify that Tierra Santa doesn't have rides - it's a park with a theme, more than a theme park  - but it is however a fun and educational day out for all the family.  And a bargin at just over a fiver (Nuns and Monks take note - you get a discount if you belong to a religious order).

The whole park is a plastic Disney World style reconstruction of Jerusalem around 30AD. All the staff are dressed as Roman soliders or put upon Israelites, there are tasteful Arabian dancing shows and you can enjoy a beer and a kofta in the Road to Damascus Cafe.

Throughout the park there are life size statues of Jesus at different points in his life, from the time he turned water into wine or Palm Sunday he was greeted by crowds riding into town on a donkey. You can even get in on the action and get a photo.

Quite bizarrely, perhaps as a step towards inclusiveness or for educational purposes, there are some other relgious big hitters in plastic form as well, including Martin Luther and Ghandi. And of course, no Jerusalem would be complete without a Synagogue or a Wailing Wall, though I did wonder if the Mosque was a bit before its time. All down one side of the park you can see the Stations of the Cross, culminating outside Jeruselem in the true to life (if plastic) Cruxification on the hill... with the Argentine flag blowing in the background.

I think it's fair to say that if you've been to Disneyland - or even on the Bubble Works at Thorpe Park - you may find the animatronics a little limited, especially the Nativity. That said, if you're an Argentinian Nun then your unlikely to have visited either, in which case you'll find the Creation recreation pretty magical. The nuns sat behind us certainly did.

And yes - there really were real life Nuns there. Lots of them. Ironic as it may seem ,this park is not a joke - Monks, Nuns, Priests and families alike take the whole day very seriously. There were people moved by the Last Supper, gasping at the appearance of a gorrilla with a moving finger during the Creation and stood in awe and amazement at the Resurection, although that could be because the resurection was cancelled twice the day we were there due to a technical fault.

Kitsch and crass as the whole thing may appear on the surface, and far from the Bible's teachings as it may seem to many, it's easy to see the whole park has been put together with well intended love and devotion. It also achieves some quite frankly harmless Jesus related fun.

Luke, our friend Jo and I planned to spend an hour or so at the theme park, but six hours and a bottle of wine later, we finished off our perfect day with a photo with a giant Jesus and view from the Cruxification hill out of Jerusalem at night.

Tacky, inappropriate... or just what Jesus would've wanted? I'll let you decide. What I can tell you is that its a fun, if not rather bizzare, day out.

Stay warm, until next time.

Louise and Luke

(Posted by Louise)