Argentina: in pictures!

21 August 2012

Words first, then the photos.

Before I even set foot in Argentina, I had great expectations for the place. This stemmed mainly from personal accounts by people I knew and trused who had spent time in the country - especially Buenos Aires. But it went beyond that. Argentina, like Brazil, attracts a great deal of attention in the western hemisphere, and causes one to free associate upon the four syllables - soccer, beef, tango, wine, nightlife, Patagonia, Che, etc. After spending nearly three months on the OTHER side of the Andes, I began to detect that Chile lived somewhat in the shadow of its better-known neighbor. The fact that Chile has Argentine BBQ restaurants and is obsessed with defeating Argentina's soccer team only adds to the sense that there may be an imbalance in the relationship (there were very few references to Chile in Argentina).

All this is to say that it should come as no surprise that actual Argentina, as I experienced it this last week, was something of a let down. This was not all the country's fault. After cooperating with my travel plans and remaining mostly non-existent during my time in Chile, the South American winter reared its head and spat out some lousy weather. Heavy snows just days before my departure closed the mountain pass from Santiago to Mendoza, meaning the scenic bus ride over the Andes (considered one of the best reasons to go to Mendoza from Chile) was cancelled and I had to scramble to find an expensive flight that same day. Mendoza's weather was nice, but when I got to Buenos Aires, it poured rain for a full day, an apparent rarity for the city even at this time of year.

But enough griping. The weather cleared up, and I was able to do and see much of what I set out to. Allow me to recount the trip now in photo caption format...

A large boulevard in Mendoza, with an old aqueduct running underneath, which solves the question of how this desert city can support such a vibrant wine industry. My pleasant hostel was on this street.

The literal center of the city, which followed a very rigid and somewhat boring urban plan - but it was a plan nonetheless - contained a large square which was great for people watching. Apparently to avoid future destruction from earthquakes, city planners made sure to restrict building heights, create broad streets, and include plenty of trees and open spaces.

Another plaza, this one the famous Plaza Espana, with tile work from Spain that everyone raves about . As much as I did not want to be impressed, I must admit the tiles and layout of the park were quite lovely.

And now we're in Buenos Aires, at Puerto Madero. This has been an adaptive reuse episode long in the making, as old warehouses along this shipping canal were converted into expensive and touristy restaurants. (I promise I won't only write about urban planning)

Don't ask me about the ship behind me. I am standing on the bridge in the previous photo, a Calatrava spectacle which apparently is supposed to evoke Tango dancers. No, I did not tango in Argentina.

The main square of Bs As (as they abreviate Buenos Aires), with one of the oldest buildings still standing on the left in one of the oldest squares. Behind me is the pink presidential palace, and looking straight ahead down a major boulevard is the congress building.

Yep, Argentina still seems to be quite enarmored with Evita (at least, I think this is Evita). There were more posters and art with her around the city - and a surprising lack of Che imagery.

One of several fine Art Nouveau buildings in Buenos Aires. Of course, it was no accident I came across this, as I devoted much of Saturday to tracking down all the major AN structures in the city. They probably make up about half my photographs, but I won't bore you with them here.

Here we are at the other end of Avenida de Mayo, where the Congress sits on one side of the plaza. The planners of Argentina were apparently enamored with Paris and sought to mimic it with grand boulevards and plazas and classic buildings. They pulled it off, but if you haven't noticed, I found this grandeur a little boring.

Last day, and finally some nice weather. A very different part of Buenos Aires, the old working class port area called "La Boca," starting at this ancient transporter bridge that no longer functions but sits as a protected historic monument. I sat staring at it for about ten minutes and still can't determine how exactly it's supposed to work.

What La Boca is famous for - colorfully painted houses made of scrap wood and metal. I was completely unprepared for the absolute onslaught of tourism in the center of this historically poor neighborhood, and the contrived tango dancers, lackluster street art, and overpriced restaurants sucked a lot of the charm out of it for me.

I wandered further afield in La Boca, trying to uncover what my Mom would call "a real working place" (as opposed to a locale contrived for tourism), and encountered buildings that had the faded, less vibrant paint and more basic features that were supposed to be more characteristic of the area.

A neat public works project to provide street art along an alley, with the Boca Juniors soccer stadium in the background. This stadium (nicknamed the chocolate box for its shape) hosts one of South America's most popular soccer teams, and apparently their games against their arch rival are more intense than Yankees-Red Sox.

Requisite shot. Of course, I had Argentine beef and wine while there. I had to pace myself to avoid eating it every meal. Review: Malbec wine was better than I expected (I may even like it more than Chile's signature Carmenere), but the steak, although good, was not heavenly enough to change travel plans for.

I ended the day in the San Telmo barrio, famous for its Sunday street fair in its historic plaza. I don't know why I listen to guide books' advice about great shopping or fun markets - it usually just results in me feeling extremely out of place in high traffic tourist corridors where I'm trying to snap photos while everyone else wants to buy souvenirs. Humbug.