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Argentina

Welcome to Argentina and the capital Buenos Aires. After an overnight flight from San Diego to Dallas, to Miami and finally to Buenos Aires arriving early the next morning. This is my 5th trip to Argentina. Literally Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America. The real heart of downtown Buenos Aires is only about a 16 by 10 block rectangular area. Outside the hub, the city sprawls for miles in all directions.

Within this central zone you will find the city's major commerce, shopping and nightlife spots. La Bombonera is an association football stadium located in La Boca district of Buenos Aires.

The streets you will to know to get around on your own are Avenida de Mayo, Avenida 9 de Julio, Avenida Corrientes, and Calle Lavalle - plus Florida, a lively shopping thoroughfare that runs from Plaza San Martin to Avenida de Mayo.

La Boca is a neighborhood, or barrio of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires

La Boca is a popular destination for tourists visiting Argentina, with its colorful houses and pedestrian street, the Caminito, where tango artists perform and tango-related memorabilia is sold. Other attractions include the La Ribera theatre, many tango clubs and Italian taverns. The actual area visited by tourists is only a few blocks long and has been built up for tourism very actively over the last few years

Art painted on the local walls in La Boca

The old fashioned accordion. We proceeded to have a demonstration of the tango.

The tango is a distinctive partner dance which originated in the working-class port neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.

Colorful shanty houses line each side of the street and impromptu performances are often carried out by talented tango dancers. Although a top spot to experience Argentine culture, remember to be careful in El Caminito, as tourists are sometimes the targets of theft.

Inside courtyard in La Boca we received some tango lessons.

A corner pizza cafe in La Boca

A colorful art mural on a wall nearby.

Side view of the corner building at Caminito

La Boca was the neighborhood where new immigrants first established themselves when they arrived in Buenos Aires.

The centerpiece is the cobblestone strip, El Caminito, or little walkway. The one-time railway route is lined with the bright facades that make La Boca postcard perfect. Named for a 1926 tango song, the pedestrian lane features an outdoor fair where artists sell their wares and tango dancers prance along the sidewalk in between photo ops with tourists.

Monument in the doorway for the current Pope in the Vatican is from Argentina. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, when he was named the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Bergoglio, the first pope from the Americas, took his papal title after St. Francis of Assisi of Italy.

El Caminito, meaning ‘little walkway’, is a street museum and traditional alley in La Boca. This lane boasts a thriving street with peddlers selling art, buskers playing music and stalls offering trinkets of every variety

Jewelry made from watch parts. Clever

This is the artist that makes the creations..

The neighborhood may derive its name from its location at ‘La Boca’ (the mouth) of the Riochuelo, as the Mantanza River is usually called. The port-side barrio is an obvious point for boats to come ashore and historians say the Spanish first landed in La Boca as early as 1536.

During their early colonial expansion the colonizers housed African slaves in this area. After Argentina gained independence many of the freed stayed. With the arrival of the industrial revolution La Boca grew into a gritty shipyard area with meat curing plants and tanneries.

A revival of El Caminito and La Boca in the 1950’s was lead by artist, Quinquela Martín. The famed La Boca orphan was abandoned at birth, adopted and spent a good portion of his childhood in La Boca. After studying drawing at a La Boca night school, he ended up becoming one of Argentina’s most famous painters and a major neighborhood philanthropist

El Caminito is a colorful street museum in the historically Italian stronghold of La Boca. Meaning little street, the brightly-painted walkway is a lesson in the life and history of the early immigrant Italian community in Argentina. What began as an independent collaboration between artist Benito Quinquela Martín and the local community in the 1950s is now a major tourist attraction showcasing the work of numerous local artists

Large Asado grill and patio of a restaurant in the Boca area.

Lots of great local art for sale

A purchase of local art by one of our fellow travelers Peggy. Good choice.

After the General Roca railway train line, which ran through here shut down in 1954, Martín set to work to save the barrio. He gathered neighbors to paint the houses bright colors, emulating the early immigrants. The artists began to host theater here utilizing the colorful houses as part of the backdrop

Marta Ficarra, our guide in Argentina and in Antarctica a few days later in front of an incredible mural in La Boca.

Marta treated all of us to sweets at a local Argentina panaderia, bakery.

Broad avenues define the limits of the city’s unofficial but familiar neighborhoods and are lined by seemingly endless rows of apartment buildings. During rush hours these avenues are clogged with traffic. Each city neighborhood has its own identity, and residents maintain loyalty to their local sports teams, political candidates, and traditions along the Harbor, Puerto Madero seen in the photo.

Shopping Centers with shops and restaurants back up to the harbor.

One of numerous Universities in the city of Buenos Aires.

The skyline is beautiful along the Harbor

Puente de la Mujer (Spanish for "Women's Bridge") is a rotating footbridge in of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is of the Cantilever spar cable-stayed…

Another view of the footbridge.

What used to be old and dilapadated is now new and sheik.

The clouds reflecting onto the glass on the new buildings.

Beautifiully designed to capture the sky and clouds.

he Obelisk may be Buenos Aires’ defining monument. The Obelisk is to the city what the Christ Statue is to Rio de Janeiro and the Eiffel Tower to Paris. Located in the Square of the Republic between 9 de Julio and Av Corrientes, the Obelisk opened in 1936 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Buenos Aires.

Torre Monumental and before 1982 Torre de los Ingleses is a clock tower located in the barrio of Retiro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is situated in the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina next to the Calle San Martín and Avenida del Libertador

Driving in Busnos Aires

The sculpture is called "Torso Masculino Desnudo" (Naked Male Torso)

La Flor statue, which is a giant mechanical flower that opens and closes according to the time of day.

Dog walker.. They make a good salary walking numerous dogs daily.

Looks like a friendly place.. Club Friends.

The "Monumento a La Carta Magna y las Cuatro Regiones Argentinas" is situated in the Sarmiento y Libertador avenues part of the Palermo district. It was raised by the Spanish community in 1910 for the Centennial of the Revolution of May, and it is commonly referred to as the "Spanish Monument"

Statue of Eva Peron in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina

The Monumento a Bartolomé Mitre in the Plaza Mitre was created by the Italian sculptors Luis Calandra, David and Eduardo Rubino. It is an imposing work carried out in white Carrara marble that dominates the square from the high part of the ravine.

Monument to General Juan Lavalle. The monument is the work of the sculptor Pedro Costa, located in a circle on Tucumán street.

Atlas, the titan, was condemned to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now, a statue of Atlas is carrying the weight of the branches of the oldest gum tree in Buenos Aires, replacing one of the concrete columns. The tree, planted in 1781, can be found in Recoleta and is known as the “Gomero de la Recoleta”.

The statue symbolizes a great man that lifts one of the biggest and heaviest branches of the historic tree and the patrimonial value of the city”. The statue of Atlas is made out of 85% of remnants of cars.

Atlas Junior

The Gomero was planted over 218 years ago by Don Martín José de Altoaguirre from a plant that he received from his brother Fray Fernando. Altoaguirre was an agronomist; besides the famous tree he had a huge collection of several species of trees. Nowadays, his collection is still to be visited in the Botanical Garden located in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

At the entrance of La Bioela restaurant is a statue of a service man waiting for his friends. The restaurant is along side the Gomero Tree and the Atlas man holding up the tree.

A man selling dusters in the Recoleta area.

Statue across from the entrance to the Recoleta Cemetery.

The entrance to (and exit from) the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall columns. Most people explore the grounds on their own,

Who would have guessed the most expensive real estate in Buenos Aires is found in a cemetery? Not only is it expensive, there's a line waiting to get in (seriously)! You actually lease a plot here, as I understand it, and don't permanently own it. In the future your heirs can cancel the deal or let the lease expire, though it's so prestigious to have a plot here few do. Regardless, this piece of pricey land has become an interesting and popular tourist attraction

Recoleta Cemetery is the final resting place of some of the richest and most important people in Argentina's history, including politicians, Nobel prize winners, scientists and businessmen

Obviously only wealthy people can afford the real estate (about the same price as a nice condo in the neighborhood, a respectable 6 figure US$ sum, for a piece of land measuring a few square meters), so you'd expect to find many VIPs buried here. You can visit them any day you want to as the cemetery is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.

The cemetery, created in 1822, is among the oldest in the city and covers four city blocks (5.5 hectares or 14 acres).

There are slightly less than 5000 mausoleums in Recoleta Cemetery, many of unusual architecture and built in a variety of styles; a number are adorned by beautiful sculptures

Several of the graves have been declared National Historical Monuments and are protected by the Argentinian government.

Some are very simple and you look at coffins laid to rest for the world to see.

Recoleta Cemetery was once a garden affiliated with the adjoining Our Lady of Pilar church (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Pilar), built in 1732 located to the right of the photo.

The cemetery is laid out in a grid pattern, with wide lanes and is easy to walk around in.

Colored etchings on the glass of a family vault.

It is amazing the time and money that are spent on these vaults.

Walking through the cemetery is like walking through an old village.

Final resting place of Eva Peron

Maiden name was Duarte. This is the family vault.

By far the most popular and visited tomb is Eva "Evita" Peron's which is always decorated with flowers and letters from admirers. To prevent her body from being stolen (yet again!), as it had by several military governments, she was finally buried deep in a concrete vault 8 m (27 ft.) underground in 1976.

Most sites are well-maintained although some aren't (and these likely will soon be occupied by different tenants). See the cob webs from decades just hanging in the doorway.

Another popular place to stop is Rufina Cambaceres' tomb. She was a young woman who was buried alive in the early 1900s, so her story is especially grisly. She appeared to be dead, perhaps being catatonic or in a coma, and was buried. A few days after her interment, workers heard screams from the tomb. When it was opened, she truly was dead but there were scratches on her face and on the inside of her coffin from her attempts to escape.

An interesting and unusual tomb is that of Liliana Crociati (de Szaszak). Liliana was 26 years old and, while visiting Innsbruck in 1970 was killed when an avalanche destroyed her hotel. Adjacent to the tomb, which was designed by her mother, is a life-size bronze statue of Liliana in her wedding dress. Subsequently, following the death of her pet dog, a bronze statue of it was added, with Liliana's hand petting its head

Besides the tombs, there's a large population of feral cats that resides in and around the cemetery. These are fed by volunteers and are themselves a popular attraction, especially with children.

Our group listening to a local guide explaining so much of this cemetery.

Looking through a glass window at the art work on the rear of the vault.

A walking round about in the cemetery.

Ornate metal and glass doors to the vaults

Exiting from the inside to the outside world and the Ricoleta.

One last look inside the cemetery

A better view of the statue as you exit the cemetary.

The upscale Recoleta area offers more than just the famed cemetery. It is also the home of the city's most prestigious art collection at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. The Recoleta is also the 'in" area of many posh restaurants and clubs.

Face of Eva Peron on the side of a building near Avenida 9 de Julio.

Teatro Colón, San Nicolás, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Opera House

Name of the Pizzeria where we had lunch after our tour of the cemetery.

This was 2 in the afternoon and still packed inside.

Line waiting for the take out.

Our group enjoying Pizza

It was good pizza

The Plaza de la Republica, marked by a 220 foot high obelisk, is on 9 de Julio.

Avenida 9 de Julio is so wide, 14 lanes, that each side has its own name. Carlos Pellegrini on the near (east) side and Cerrito on the far (west) side.

The avenue has up to seven lanes in each direction and is flanked on either side by parallel streets of two lanes each. Through the centre of the avenue runs one of the city's Metrobus (Buenos Aires) (Bus rapid transit) corridors, which stretches 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) and was inaugurated in July 2013.[1] There are two wide medians between the side streets and the main road.

The idea of constructing July 9 Avenue (La Avenida 9 de Julio) was proposed during the time of Mayor Francisco Seeber (1889-1890). It was hoped to be like an artery that crossed through from the north to the south, connecting the two

The avenue's unusual width is because it spans an entire city block, the distance between two streets in the checkerboard pattern used in Buenos Aires.

This is inside the famous Restaurant Gran Cafe Tortoni founded in 1858.

A must stop while in Buenos Aires downtown for a cup of Argentine Coffee or a Cappuccino.

The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires) is the main Catholic church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located in the city center, overlooking Plaza de Mayo, on the corner of San Martín and Rivadavia streets, in the San Nicolás neighborhood. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and the primal church of Argentina.

The Cathedral of Buenos Aires is a Latin cross building with transept and three-aisles with side chapels connected by corridors

The Cathedral itself could be considered as a pictorial museum as well

Originally the interior was only decorated with altarpieces, but at the end of the 19th century the walls and ceilings of the church were decorated with frescoes depicting biblical scenes painted the Italian Francesco Paolo Parisi

Looking up into the cupola

The location where Jose de San Martin the liberator of Peru, Chile and Argentina is laid to rest.

In 1880, the remains of General José de San Martín were brought from France and placed in a mausoleum, reachable from the right aisle of the church. The black sarcophagus is guarded by three life-size female figures that represent Argentina, Chile and Peru, three of the regions freed by the General.

La Casa Rosada (The Pink House) is the executive mansion and office of the President of Argentina. The palatial mansion is known officially as Casa de Gobierno, ("House of Government" or "Government House"). The characteristic color of the Casa Rosada is baby pink, and is considered one of the most emblematic buildings in Buenos Aires.

Views of the city of Buenos Aries from the hotel pool area.

Rio Plata. in the distance. Note how wide it is.

Even at the upper floors the buildings of Buenos Aires are famous for the statues floors above the street level. across the city.

You will find many domed buildings in this area of Buenos Aires.

Argentina is noted for the Asado or barbecue. Asado is a traditional way of preparing food for a social event. An asado usually consists of beef, sausages, and sometimes other meats, which are cooked on a grill, called a parrilla, over an open fire over a hard wood called la lania. Juan Pablo, a good friend is called the Asador, the person who is preparing the feast for my visit with Argentinean friends.

You can see the feast that Juan Pablo has prepared along with his wife Maia, daughter Athena and good friends.

Adding to the feast is Flan a great dessert prepared by Patricia.

Left to right Juan Pablo, myself, Maia, Maxi and Patricia. Good friends of many years and many trips.

This is downtown Ushuaia, "the City at the end of the world". A former penal colony, Ushuaia's name is a Yamana Indian word for "bay that stretches into the sunset".

It is a small but busy port with a friontier atmosphere. The snow capped Andes rise on one side of town, while the magnificent Beagle Channel extended from the other leading into Tierra del Fuego and into Antarctica.

Just off the Main Street in the city center is the Prison Museum, with exhibits on the area's early penal colonies.

Bathroom for the prison

Although the 600 convicts that occupied the 380 cells in the Ushuaia prison up until its closure in 1947 were not exactly town citizens, their work was integral to the daily life of the city beyond the formidable walls.

Public works projects and houses were often built by prison labor, which also supplied the southern Argentine town with such staples as firewood, bread, and electrical power; prisoners and citizens relied on each other

This is an actual cell with a depiction of the cell.

One of the prisoners actually painted the flowers on the wall for decoration.

Photos of some of the prisoners

the Museo Marítimo y del Presidio, dedicated to the maritime history of Tierra del Fuego, the building's own history as a prison, and the history and biology of Antarctica.

Views within Ushuaia

Even at the end of Summer and now Fall in Ushuaia there is snow on nearby mountains with beautiful streams and water falls nearby.

City of Ushuaia a casino in the foreground next to the harbor. ,

The bay

Map of Tierra del Fuego, the bottom of the world.

An old German Heinkle airplane from yesterday's air history of the area in Ushuaia.

The National Geographic ship that ran into mechanical problems waiting to be taken away for repairs. It was sidelined at the beginning of the Antarctic season in December. This photo was taken Mid January 2017.

The Casino in the foreground next to the harbor.

View from he hotel room up in the Forrest area of Ushuaia.

Tierra del Fuego National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego) is a national park on the Argentine part of the island of Tierra del Fuego, within Tierra del Fuego Province in the eco region of the Patagonia Forest and Altos Andes, a part of the sub antarctic forest. Established on 15 October 1960 and expanded in 1966, it was the first shoreline national park to be established in Argentina.

Camping inside the National Park

The campers a closer look. It is summer and the air is cold.

On the walking trail with our guide within the National Park.

The park has dramatic scenery, with waterfalls, forests, mountains and glaciers. Its 630 km2 (240 sq mi) include parts of the Fagnano and Roca lakes. The Senda Costera (Coastal Path), connecting Ensenada Bay to Lapataia Bay on Lago Roca, is a popular hiking trail within the park.

Lone sailboat in the waterway inside the Tierra del Fuego National Park.

An overcast windy, rainy day inside the park.

Another view of the bay.

The dotted line to the left on the map is the country of Chile.

Tierra del Fuego National Park is remarkable for its remote location at the tip of Argentina. It is notoriously famous for its raging winds and rugged landscape. The park protects unique flora and fauna including Austrial parakeets and the Fuegian fox.

Dense Forrest up to the snow line then nothing.

In the distance is the country of Chile

The drivers of this vehicle, from British Columbia, had driven from Alaska, USA to Tierra del Fuego National Park, the bottom of the world. What a trip they had. The trip took them 2 years.

Sign pointing out the different peaks in the distance.

Post office at the bottom of the world.

Many think the Bahia Encerrada, Confined Bay, is a lake at first but it is a bay from the ocean.

Ironically at this post office, privately run, you can get a stamp in your passport for a fee.

Carlos is the Post Master of the southern most Post Office in the world.

Ironically early the next morning we were able to see the ship from National Geographic being loaded into a floating dock, Rolldock, and transported out of the harbor somewhere in the world for repairs. What an expensive repair job this will be. The Rolldock literally sinks into the water and the disabled ship is floated into its bed, then discharges the water back out and raises up to the level you see in the photo. Talk about luck seeing this happen in front of us.

The Argentine Coast Coast Ships in the harbor

Harbor and our ship the Corinthian nudged just behind the Rumbo Sun in the center of the photo with the blue hull, and a number of other ships. This will be the ship we leave for 10 days into Antarctica.

Famous location to have a photo taken. Ushuaia End of the World.

Walking along the bay front.

One of many hotels in Ushuaia along the water front

View from the stateroom overlooking the bow of the ship departing Ushuaia.

Departing Ushuaia. You can see how crisp the air is and it is Mid January.

Departing through the Beagle Channel heading east for the storied Drake Passage.

Part of the airport in Ushuaia.

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© 2025 Jim Schroder