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Monday 18th
A travel day today with a 10:00am flight to Buenos Aires. All went well and we were in our Buenos Aires hotel by 2:00pm. Once checked in and settled, we went for a walk and, at the recommendation of our tour guide, headed to an Italian restaurant for some of their famous calamari.
That weather front we experienced in Santiago arrived later in the afternoon so it was time to head back to the hotel to get out of the rain.
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A few sights during our walk and Beer-O-Clock (Just prior to the famous calamari and a bottle of really nice Argentinean wine)
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Tuesday 19th
Another wet bus tour day having a look around BS. The tour finished mid Afternoon and we were dropped off at the Theatro Colon (opera house) for the 3:00pm English tour. After that it was back to the hotel for nap-o-clock before heading out for dinner at a nearby restaurant.
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A man on a horse |
The big metal flower where the petals open on sunny days |
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The old wharf area which is being redeveloped into residential & commercial precinct |
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Just south of the is wharf area is the old residential area for the sailors and immigrants. The colourful buildings resulted from using left over paint from the ships. |
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Battling BA traffic to get back into town for lunch at the the oldest cafe in the city. |
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After lunch it was a short walk to the main square in town outside the Presidential palace. I swear I have no idea how Phil got onto that balcony.
(This is the palace and the balcony where Evita Peron made her speeches to the public and where Madonna sang "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" in the film Evita)
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The Catedral Metropolitana |
The tomb of José Francisco de San Martín |
 Inside the Theatro Colon Above: Foyer Below: skylights Right: Reception hall
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Unfortunately the auditorium was darkened while we were there as there were rehearsals in progress while we visited. The picture below is from the interned and shows the inside of the auditorium. |
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We finished the day with a fantastic meal at nearby La Stampa restaurant where our 80 year old waiter Vittorio looked after us so well. |
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Wednesday 20th
Today was a free day but we opted to take a tour of the Parana Delta just north of BA. We stopped in a few places on the way for a view of the BA skyline and a coffee break.
After the tour we had a late lunch and a quick visit to the small Railway Museum over the road from the hotel.
Dinner was a low key affair at a nearby restaurant.
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 Above: Finally some sunshine Right: A nearby church Below: The house where a revolution was planned and the first place where the current national anthem was sung.
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There are many islands in the delta and the closest to the mainland have been developed to some extent. There are no roads on the islands and everything has to come in by boat including drinking water. River water is used for toilets and washing. The kids go to school by boat. The bottom right pic is of the "supermarket boat". |
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A couple of pics from the railway museum |
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