Chronicles from Buenos Aires | Recoleta

The Recoleta district evolved around the area where was located the monastery of the monks Recoletos (Recollects). This was also an area of ​​orchards and farms until, in the late 19th century, the wealthy families of Buenos Aires arrived there, trying to escape the epidemic of yellow fever that hit the neighborhood of San Telmo. Since then, Recoleta has become one of the most elegant and expensive neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, concentrating mansions, embassies and luxury hotels, around splendid parks, landscaped squares and large avenues. Avenue Alvear is one of the most traditional and elegant avenues in the city, with its striking French palaces, including the iconic Hotel Alvear and the embassy of France.

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The church of Our Lady del Pilar is one of the most modest churches of the capital, with its white painted façade. It was built in 1732 by the Jesuits and was intended for the prayers and spiritual practices of the Franciscan monks. Today is one of the landmarks at Recoleta district.

Not far from the church you can find the entrance to the Recoleta cemetery, famous for the architecture of its mausoleums and for the statuary. Being the resting place of Buenos Aires elite, this cemetery is a repository of some fine pieces of funerary art. The cemetery is open for visitation every day from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and it's possible to take a guided tour, free of charge, that presents the history of the place, showing some of its main tombs. This visit is about an hour long and takes place every day at 11:00, being held in various languages: Spanish - from Tuesday to Sunday - English - Tuesday and Thursday - and Portuguese  on Friday. Also famous are the cemetery cats. I was hopping to get some photos of them, but a cloud of mosquitoes made run for my live, without a single picture.

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In front of Our Lady del Pilar church you can find green lawns where you can chill out for a while or, if its Saturday or Sunday, walk around and check the craft stalls at Recoleta Street Market. The market started at Plaza Francia in the late 1970s, when a small group of "hippies" start selling their handcrafted pieces in the park. Since then, the market has grown considerably and became an attraction in this part of the city.

At Recoleta there is a succession of landscaped squares where you can find statues and sculptures and in the buildings around there are many restaurants and cafés where you can have a nice meal or a drink. One of the most famous is Bar la Biela.

Not far you can find the Cultural Center of Buenos Aires, the Cristal Palace and the National Museum of Fine Arts. The National Museum of Fine Arts was inaugurated in 1896, and its collection is the largest in the country and one of the most important in Latin America. The permanent collection houses works by Argentine artists, as well as masterpieces of renowned artists like Picasso, Goya, Renoir, El Greco, Rodin, Degas and Cézanne. As I did not have much time, choices had to be made and just visited the museum of modern art - MALBA.

Walking down the lawns and then crossing Avenue Presidente Figueroa Alcorta, you will find a large park with an amazing sculpture by the Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano. Floralis Genérica is a large metal sculpture, located in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas, with the shape of a flower that opens and closes its petals according to the time of the day. The ever changing reflections of the skye in the metal petals its absolutely breathtaking.

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Once more I want to thank the two amazing Instagramers whose photos are once more featured in one of my BsAs posts. You surely have noticed their pictures above and if you are not following them on Instagram I strongly advise you to. Tannia is a young lady suffering of a terrible case of wanderlust and you can find her colorful feed at Wanderlustladies. Tania and her travel buddy Erin have a travel blog where they tell us all about their adventures. Please visit Wanderlust Ladies, its really worthwhile. Juan Pablo has the knowledge of a local and a strong talent to photograph the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, please visit his amazing feed at Somebody 4 Someone. To both of them I'm much grateful!

Chronicles from Buenos Aires | Centro

The Centro (Center) of Buenos Aires, constituted by several small neighborhoods, is house of some of the main landmarks of the city. You should schedule at least half a day to walk around, but you'll need much more if you want to visit some of the attractions like Casa Rosada or Teatro Colón. I've visited Buenos Aires, while living in Brazil, in an extended weekend, and had to manage time carefully to have an overview of the city. If you are staying longer I strongly advise to make some of the guided visits available.

A good place to start is Plaza de Mayo. This large and sunny square is not far from Puerto Madero and within walking distance from other neighborhoods like Retiro and San Telmo. Plaza de Mayo, which since the foundation of Buenos Aires  (1580) has been surrounded by many of the most important political institutions of the city and of Argentina, was scenery for several important historical events.

In more recent history, this square was the place where the mothers of missing prisoners from the Argentinian military dictatorship (1976 - 1983), gathered in protest to know what happened to their children. This movement - Madres de la Plaza de Mayo - started their marches on 1977 and raised awareness, on local and global scales, for the atrocities committed by the regime. This association continues active and marching every Thursday in pursuit of action on other social causes.

The most striking building in Plaza de Mayo is the iconic Casa Rosada,  the executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina. The pink building also houses a museum, and it has been declared a National Historic Monument of Argentina. Is possible to visit its interiors on weekends free of charges. You just have to schedule your visit beforehand in Casa Rosada site.

Across the square you can find the Cabildo that was used as seat of the ayuntamiento (City Hall) during the colonial times.  Currently, the Cabildo hosts a Museum  - Museo Nacional del Cabildo y la Revolución de Mayo - where you can have a guided tour held in English. The admittance is free on Thursdays.

Also in the square you can find the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires.  The Cathedral of Buenos Aires was rebuilt several times since it was originally built in the 16th century. The current building presents a mix of architectural styles, with its 18th century nave and dome and the 19th century Neoclassical façade with 12 columns, representing the 12 apostles.

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You can exit Plaza de Mayo to Avenida de Mayo, where you can find the famous Café Tortoni.  The café inaugurated in 1858, it was named Tortoni after a famous Parisian café of the same name, located on Boulevard des Italiens. The café's decoration was inspired by Fin de Siècle French coffee houses and Café Tortoni is frequently considered one of the most beautiful cafés in the world. Like its Parisian counterpart, the Porteño Tortoni became the meeting point for the intelectual elite of the city. Currently is one of the must go's of many visitors to Buenos Aires and you can also add it to your list. A visit to look at the gorgeous decoration, an espresso and churros with dolce de leche are a good pretext to enter the number 825 of Avenida de Mayo. If you go in the right time frame you can even enjoy a Tango show.

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After leaving Café Tortoni, keep walking the Avenida de Mayo until you reach Avenida 9 de Julio. You can't miss it, this is the widest avenue in the world, named to honor Argentina's Independence Day, July 9, 1816. Standing tall in  Plaza de la República (located in the intersection of avenues Corrientes and 9 de Julio)  you can find the Obelisk of Buenos Aires. This is a national historic monument and icon of of the city,  erected in 1936 to commemorate the fourth centenary of the foundation of Buenos Aires.

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Not far you can find Teatro Colón, the main opera house in Buenos Aires. The theater that reopened in 2010 after a 4 year renovation, is considered one of the best opera houses in the world. You can try to book a concert beforehand or to have a guided tour. Be prepared to hold in a line ir order to buy the tickets, but there are groups entering the theater every 15 minutes, so don't get discouraged by the long lines. The interiors are worth the waiting!

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Walk Avenida 9 de Julio until it intersects Avenida Santa Fé, turn left and walk the avenue until you reach El Atheneo Grand Splendid, one of the best known bookshops in Buenos Aires. This gorgeous bookshop, was built inside a former theatre (called Teatro Gran Splendid) from the early 20th century. The interiors still hold many of its original features and in 2008, The Guardian placed it as the second most beautiful bookshop in the world. Either if you are a book worm (like me!) or not, I'm sure you will love it!

Before ending this postI want to thank to two amazing fellow Instagramers that came to my rescue in my shortage of nice photos to present you. You surely have noticed them in the pictures above and if you are not following them on Instagram I strongly advise you to. Tannia is a young lady suffering of a terrible case of wanderlust and you can find her colorful feed at Wanderlustladies. Tania and her travel buddy Erin have a travel blog where they tell us all about their adventures. Please visit Wanderlust Ladies, its really worthwhile. Juan Pablo has the knowledge of a local and a strong talent to photograph the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, please visit his amazing feed at Somebody 4 Someone. To both of them I'm much grateful!

Food Chronicles | Johnny B. Good (Buenos Aires)

A late lunch in Puerto Madero took us to Johnny B. Good, a bar and restaurant with a musical environment and  tex-mex food. The decor is awesome, full of color, lights, pictures of bands and musicians and musical instruments everywhere.

The  food is tasty, and the servings are quite large. We tried ribs, a pasta dish and a salad and any of the choices left us truly satisfied. The Mojitos, were a delight. The chosen dessert, Jackson Five, was more delightful to the eyes than to the palate (but I’m also not a sweet tooth!).

I was sorry not to have had the opportunity to go there at night when there is live music. Anyway, the music selection during the day was spotless and the restaurant has a really  nice ambience.

The 5 above photos via Johnny B. Good

Chronicles from Buenos Aires | MALBA

In our recent visit to Buenos Aires, the walk through Palermo district ended with a visit to MALBA – Museo de Arte LatinoAmericano de Buenos Aires. Not being possible, in the four days we spent in the city, visiting more than one museum, we decided  for the MALBA to be one were we would have the opportunity to see the works of different artists less represented in European museums. I do not lie if I say that the names of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera weighed heavily in the decision.

As the museum’s website informs “The exhibition is divided into four main areas: the variants of modernity and avant-garde Latin American ’20s; a set of paintings of the 30s and 40s, which reflects the diversity of surrealism and affirmation art / politics as the focus of production and reflection, abstract, concrete, visual and kinetic trends that developed in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, and contemporary art from the new figurative painting, pop, minimalism and conceptualism to the scene of years 80, with the return to painting. “

The building where the museum is installed  has a very appealing architecture with interiors full of light and dynamism. However, perhaps due to my high expectations, the main collection let me a little disappointed, especially with the (few) exhibited works of artists that I was more eager to see. However, some works and art installations  have surprised me very positively.

Before we see the exhibition, we had lunch in the restaurant Cafe des Arts, adjacent to the Museum. The terrace is a delight and the dishes are really appetizing. We ate pasta and salads, but one also can enjoy beautiful sandwiches (saw some pass) or have tea or a snack in the afternoon. Recommend!

All the pictures (from various origins) find in Pinterest


Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires
Av. Figueroa Alcorta 3415
C1425CLA Buenos Aires
Argentina
Phone: +54 11 4808 6500


Opening Hours and Ticket Prices:

Thursday to Monday and Holidays: 12:00 to 20:00
Wednesday: 12:00 to 21:00

Adults - 100$ | Students, teachers and seniors: $50 | Children under 5 / People with disabilities  - free

Food Chronicles | Cabaña las Lillas (Buenos Aires)

One of the restaurants we experienced on our visit to Buenos Aires was the Cabaña las Lillas in Puerto Madero. Opposite the marina dock 4, near the Puente de la Mujer and the Fragata Sarmiento, this restaurant offers excellent steaks, good wine and a beautiful view of the river, as well as an attentive and friendly service.

Spacious, both on the terrace and in the main room, features an elegant decor, dominated by the nobility of wood, iron and leather.

Despite having plenty of tables and not being a very cheap restaurant, is always full and when we arrived we had to wait a few minutes for a table. The bar is very nice and waiting with a drink and some snacks is a great way to spend your time. I also took the opportunity to peek the kitchen / grill that is in sight and believe me, see all the team in action is a true spectacle.

When we arrived at the table and while waiting for our orders to be prepared, had some entries and delicious breads that are also an emblem of the house. For someone who loves bread, like me, the diversity offered was irresistible. From Rosemary Focaccia decorating each table in a kind of pedestal created for this purpose, to all the bread  slices and small breads that are brought along the meal is hard to resist not to taste all.

The meat is delicious and melts  in the mouth. It comes from grazing livestock, from a livestock breeding of its own that, in addition to providing the restaurant sells to the domestic and foreign markets. You can also try fish and seafood dishes, but we all choose meat and we didn’t regret it. For those who like to accompany the meal with wine, Cabaña las Lillas has plenty, and good, to choose from.

After all the snacks, the meat and (too much) bread, I had no appetite for a dessert, but I assure you that what I saw on the tables next to ours  was really tempting.

Cabaña las Lillas
Alicia Moreau de Justo 516
Tel (054) 011 4313-1336
restaurant@restlaslilas.com.ar
Puerto Madero - Buenos Aires
Argentina

Chronicles from Buenos Aires | Puerto Madero

Many cities around the world have rehabilitated abandoned former port areas, transforming old workplaces  in leisure spaces, where both its inhabitants and tourists can enjoy their free time. Buenos Aires is no exception and the Puerto Madero neighborhood has become one of the most popular in the city.

The old warehouses have been turned into luxury apartments, shops and trendy restaurants (we visited Cabaña Las Lillas and Johnny B. Good and we recommend both!). Industrial elements were kept and now combine with external cared spaces and the modern architecture of the new buildings. The central axis of the neighborhood is a river arm that is crossed by the iconic Puente de la Mujer.

The wide sidewalks and bike paths along the river are full of people of all ages walking, riding bikes or roller-skates, playing with the kids or running with their pets. Enjoying the view on the terrace of a good restaurant or one of the many cafes, relaxing on a park bench or sunbathing on a lawn, are just some of the activities you can enjoy in Puerto Madero. At night the sky line of the most modern part of Buenos Aires is beautiful and the nightlife is animated.