... or are we still in Europe?
Flying halfway across the world
Prague saw us off in a fitting fashion and woke us up to a powdering of freshly fallen snow. Message heard load and clear: time for us to get outta here!
A nice reminder as to why we're leaving for the Southern Hemisphere
Our flight from Prague to Buenos Aires involved a 10 hour layover in Barcelona, where we spent the day exploring the city...
...'s various beer bars
From there it was a straight shot to BA. Landing in Argentina was kinda trippy: not just because it was sweltering hot, but because it kinda felt like we were still in Spain: the architecture, the fashion, and the people had very European vibes - think Madrid or Milan. I guess I was expected something more akin to Mexico City, but I guess that's just about as far away as Europe is.
We stayed at a cute AirBnb in the Recoleta neighborhood. This is close to a lot of the "touristy" sights, but otherwise it isn't a very interesting or pedestrian friendly place. We found ourselves wishing we'd stayed in the nearby Villa Crespo instead, and we spent a LOT of time walking back and forth between the two.
The tourist checklist
But I digress. The touristy stuff was near, so with the touristy stuff we shall begin. First up was the Cementario de la Recoleta, an absolutely massive and unbelievably gorgeous cemetery located smack dab in the middle of the city.
We spent a long time exploring its winding nooks and crannies. We found tombs dating as far back as 1876, and some as recent as 2016; some completely destroyed, others immaculately maintained; and all gorgeous in their own impressive way. It was, in a word, awesome, with an emphasis on "awe." I'd strongly recommend it.
Our next stop was the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, located just around the corner. Turns out we chose the right day to go: it was a national holiday, so entrance was free! It's worth mentioning that there was no half-hour wait to get in (*cough* Madrid *cough*).
Left: medieval mansplaining
Right: this outfit... doesn't really work anymore
The museum was more impressive than most. There was some solid variety, from Renaissance to modern times...
These butt-cracked me up
... including some originals from artists even I recognize...
"Van Gogh-K" and "Picasso-so"
... as well as an impressive variety of sculptures (including a TON of Rodin).
These two sculptures form a coherent narrative
During most of our visit, I was taking photos on the sly, a bit surprised by how many other guests were shamelessly doing the same... until I saw a sign that said taking photos was perfectly OK. At which point, of course, doing so lost its appeal.
At the end of the day we settled down to grab a beer and watch the sunset at the Buller Brewpub, located across the street from the cemetery. Their beer was meh, but the view was well worth it.
This second-story view gives you a sense for just how big the cemetery is
The next day we continued our touristy tour at the Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays. This guy you can skip: the greenhouses were pretty janky, you're not allowed to chill on the grass, and to add insult to injury, there was a massive line for the restroom just when I really had to go.
Soph demonstrating the position I SHOULD be in right now
Culinary delights in Villa Crespo
The tourist gods thusly appeased, we spent the second half of our stay exploring Villa Crespo. We chilled at some cute coffeeshops, checked out some craft breweries, and nom'd on some delicious steak almost every single night.
Some BA culinary staples: locro, empañadas, malbec, and STEAAAAAAK
We were pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive everything was. At a mid-tier restaurant (I'd recommend El Corralón), a bottle of wine goes for $8-$12 and a big hunk of steak goes for $12-$15. I assume things other than steak are also reasonably priced, but I didn't bother to find out.
Booze in Buenos Aires: like most cities these days, BA prides itself on having an "up-and-coming craft beer scene." And they ARE trying. The sad truth, however, is that - well, most of the beer just isn't very good. I can't tell you how many shitty IPAs I had to try before I grudgingly came to terms with the fact that I was better off just ordering a Sangria.
There's one shinning exception, though, and OH MY GOODNESS how it shines. Introducing: Strange Brewing. These guys have some of the chronest IPAs I've ever tasted, and some solid sours to boot. Turns out the brewery is founded by two Stanford graduates! Tip o' the 'ol hat, gentleman.
"Daddy, what does the logo of your brewery mean?"
"Well, son, when a dog and a raccoon really love each other..."
The undisputed best meal we had was at Don Julio Parrilla. It's in the "fancy" steakhouse category, but prices were still very reasonable - I think my steak was around $20.
Just make sure to get there early, because they don't accept reservations, and the walk-in wait list is LONG. Though it turns out that's quite OK, as this was one of the most pleasant waiting-for-your-table experiences we've ever had. First off: free all-you-can drink champagne.
Left: bottomless champagne. Right: feeling no pain.
I mean, the "second off" doesn't really even matter at this point, but I'll tell you anyway: free all-you-can-eat empañadas. By the time we were seated, this was, ounce-for-ounce (on both a food and a booze front), probably one of the cheapest meals we had all trip.
And OH MY GOD order the blood sausage. It is. The best. Thing. Ever.
Three parting observations
Observation one: the people of Buenos Aires love their dogs. People are walking dogs around day and night, and we ran into a few professional dog walkers leading straight-up herd-sized canine crews. We're talking 15 dogs per walker here: the pup clustter below is perhaps the puniest we saw.
I don't have any photos of platform shoes, so how about some mancheese?
Observation Two: the people of Buenos Aires are insane drivers. They don't give the flimsiest fuck about pedestrian right-of-way, stop signs, or parked cars, so walker beware.
Some clarification on that last point: one evening we walked by a driver trying to park their car in a spot that was VERY clearly much too small (middle photo above).
Not one to be thwarted by the unreasonable constraints of euclidean space, our determined driver simply pressed up against the parked car behind him and hit the gas - HARD - so as to push said car backwards. Rinse and repeat with the car in front, and then (why not?) give 'em both a few more bumps.
Once our clever driver was well and fully sandwiched in between, they walked out, helped the passenger take out a bag, reversed the procedure, and drove off.
In other words: THIS WAS ALL JUST TO DROP. SOMEONE. OFF.
And observation three: Argentinian woman are really, really, really into platform shoes. Either that, or its against the law to wear anything else, and this law - unlike any having to do with traffic - gets taken VERY seriously.
PS: There you go, Phil. Now Buenos Aires officially happened.