I can’t believe how fast the time is going by. There is so much to see and do in Buenos Aires, but there are also some easy day trips that are worth checking out. I joined up with new friends from the English Group of Buenos Aires for a tour of La Plata on the hottest Saturday of the entire summer. It was blistering, but good fun. La Plata is the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires, while Buenos Aires City is the capital of the country – sort of like the difference between Toronto and Ottawa. Despite the heat (36C), we managed to walk all over the city and take in the racecourse, the cathedral and the museum of natural science. The train from BA, which you can get at the Constitucíon station takes about an hour and a half, and is so cheap. A return ticket cost less than 6 pesos – or about $2 Cdn. Unlike many cities, La Plata was designed and planned out before it was built in 1832. Our first stop was the racecourse, where I made friends with this beauty.
After a lovely lunch with the group at La Trattoria, we walked to the cathedral that sits in the centre of the city. It’s the largest church in Argentina.
The natural science museum is known for its collection of dinosaur bones. It’s not the best laid out design, but you can see the influence of the 19th Century when the emphasis was on collecting more than on display. At the moment, parts of the museum are being renovated, like many things in Argentina, but it’s a really interesting collection of artifacts from all over the world.
After a full day of wandering the city, the group headed back to the train station for our return to BA.
The following weekend, I went off with some friends for a tour of Tigre, a small city an hour outside of BA. It sits in the delta of the Paraná River, which eventually empties into the Rio de la plata. You can take any number of boat tours along the river. We chose one that took us an hour out and an hour back. We took the train from Retiro station out and the more scenic Tren de la costa back. If I were to go back, I would hire one of the private boat tours that go up the smaller channels. The wooden tourist boats are loud and smelly, but it’s an interesting experience. They stop along the way to drop off and pick up locals, many of whom have summer homes along the river.
You buy your ticket to a given destination and once there, they call out your stop. We got off at a place with no markings and nothing really to distinguish it from any of the other wharves along the way. Undeterred, we followed the stone-lined path until we came to a German Gesthaus with a lovely deck by the river where we stopped for lunch. The food wasn’t great, but the company was. Camila and Belinda are my flatmates and Susi and Nicola are English travellers I’ve met along the way.
After the bustling urban landscape of BA, the trip along the river at Tigre is like being in an entirely different world. The natural beauty of the place is really worth seeing.
Well, my time in BA is winding down, so I must head out to catch a few more sights. Off to the milonga tonight, and then looking forward to a private tango lesson tomorrow!
buena día mis amigos.
I love your posts Jannne! I am so happy that you are having a great time, seeing new things and meeting new people.
thanks Liz. i’m holding back from posting the gazillion pictures i’m taking! this city has been very surprising to me. on the one hand there is so much beauty, and on the other, the poverty is so visible. i’m still working out how i feel about it, but the people i’ve met – both locals and other travellers – have been really wonderful. i’ve been following your progress on fb. glad to hear you’re recovering so quickly. keep on with that. besos.
It’s wonderful how relaxed you look. A great antidote to Ottawa!
Anne! hola! yes, an antidote to Ottawa and winter. bonus. miss you and Fella.
besos y abrazos.
Hey Janne, You look sunny & happy!
Hi Janne! Why on earth do you want to leave BA to come to a cold and damp UK? It looks a fabulous place! That said, looking forward to catching up with you when you land here!
Take care and safe journey!
Ray x
well, clearly, Ray, i have to leave because you’re not here! i’m so looking forward to seeing you and Suzy. let me know what i can bring you from the south – besides the heat :). and do send me your suggestions for getting to you from London. i’ll be travelling from King’s Cross. can’t wait to see you both. xx
Just bring yourself and your wonderful sense of humour! That will be enough to warm us up!
If you book a train to Liverpool, you can get off at Runcorn which is the stop before Liverpool. That’s quite handy. They normally run from Euston station. Not too sure about Kings Cross. If Manchester is better for you, I’ll pick you up from there. It’s only a half hour journey. l’ll pick you up from wherever is best for you, just let either me or Sue know.
Safe journey
Ray x
I’m really enjoying your blog, Janne. Come pick me up 🙂
Simon!
hey cutie! i arrive in london on sunday morning. where are you? will i get to see you (say yes 🙂
ok, so i just checked out your blog, and clearly you’re not in the UK. wow! we must meet up somewhere this year on our travels. i’ll be back in spain in April until June. muchos abrazos amigo. xxx
I think it must be meant to be! I’m in Spain in April. Are we going to do some drinking, eating and partying? 🙂
yay! i can’t believe my luck. yes, yes, yes. i’m in barcelona april 6-19 and then in madrid. i’m doing 2 vaughan towns (april 28 – May 3 and again May 12 – 17). i also have this insane idea that i’m going to do a southern camino from granada to cordoba. where are you going to be? we must most definitely find a way to get together for drinking, eating and partying :). besos amigo. btw, i just finished reading your entire blog. you are such a beautiful writer. i’m loving it. xx
warm places with horses, train and boat rides, and where people speak Spanish! I ❤ synchronisty…am going to spend the rest of this procrastination break doodling mandalas and pretending this means my 1-week in Cuba this year can be 1 year wherever I feel like next year b/c the dissertation will be DONE!!! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂