Our first night in Buenos Aires was spent in the little restaurant below in the chic and bohemain Palermo barrio, as the saying goes - first impressions last forever.
La Boca is always the first or second spot tourists tick off their list when arriving to Buenos Aires and I guess we were no different. Yes, the set up is completely artificial and a huge tourist trap but I can safely say we had the best laughs walking through these streets. The colour, the music and the vibrancy, if it is a show, well a great one it is.
Always with a beer in hand. We tried to avoid the tacky Tango shows they preform by eating away from the main street in La Boca. This little restaurant was a gem of a place, situated at the back of someone's house, it merely consisted of a barbeque with crates of beer. What more do you need!
Bruno inspecting the final result...perfection.
You see what I mean about La Boca being a tourist trap! You either loathe it or embrace it, as you can see we very unsuccessfully attempted the latter. The fact that we just handed over our camera to a stranger in a notoriously dodgy area explains the strain in our faces, especially after he told us to look into each others eyes, his perfect moment to split.
Down town Buenos Aires has glorious colonial buildings, long leafy boulevards, grand plazas and many fading old cafes like the one below.
We choose to visit Esquina Carlos Gardel, one of the most well known Tango palaces in Buenos Aires, which was recommended to us by a former waitress there. Opting for the cheapest seats we were slightly isolated from the crowds on little bar stools at the back of the hall but with uninterrupted views we undoubtedly had the best spot to see this dramatic and unforgettable show.
This tango show left us feeling very inadequate with their high kicks and seductive moves. After seeing the performance we wanted to attempt to make fools out of ourselves and have a lesson or two. Luckily enough our hostel had free classes which we attended for two hours. Two hours of giggling, standing on each others feet and embarrassing attempts to look graceful. Thankfully no photos here.
After the class, our teacher invited us to a tango evening promising us the chance to see ordinary people dance real tango, which she certainly fulfilled. It was a dirty warehouse cheaply decorated to look like a dance hall with a makeshift bar and some plastic chairs. The purpose of going here was for one thing only, to dance Tango of course, which left us feeling rather awkward. We sat watching in amazement without uttering more than a few words to each other in shock as we watched the glued couples work their way around the hall in the same anti-clock wise direction, showing off their individual styles and incredible Tango moves.
Esquina Carlos Gardel show
Recoleta Cemetery, the place of rest of Argentina's wealthiest and famous families, located in the upscale Recoleta barrio. We visited on a sweltering hot day, spending most of my time getting lost in the corridors of tombs, I am not sure I actually enjoyed it, especially when we finally discovered Evita's disappointing resting place.
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