Buenos Aires (Argentina)
The
‘Proposal’ – Part I – a place to call my own
17 NOVEMBER – 25 NOVEMBER 2016
Argentina and Buenos Aires has
left an indelible mark upon me. No other place in the world, other than the city
I grew up in (Sydney), and the city that I associate with my family, and where I lived for
a few years (Belgrade), has allowed me to feel as at home, feel as comfortable and be in my place as Buenos Aires. Ever since I fell for this city back in 2010 all I ever wanted to do was to carve out a piece it and have it for my very own. Somehow that opportunity
had now arrived. This was now my time.
First stop Rio de Janeiro - Brasil - just a transit port this time
This is exactly the feeling you have after 14 hours in the air
Rio Gallegos Airport - Brasil
Sometimes when your stars start to align or when your plan starts to
come together, you begin to see reasoning behind how the pieces of the
puzzle actually managed to fit. You see what was once disparate reasoning, which never truly made sense, all of a sudden form that needed single view, that picture of complete clarity.
I’d been within Inga for 18
months at this point and had known for quite some time that I wanted to ask her
to marry me. Now, as any man will tell you when they’re faced with the various facets of this scenario, your mindset immediately goes into planning mode, Where will I ask? How will I ask? What sort
of ring would she like? ...there are in fact endless questions to which answers need to be found.
In the weeks where these questions formed and started to turn over in my mind there was a point in time where most of those unknowns became clear. My first requirement was that I needed to set the premise, or the proposition to Inga about the location. This step I’ll
call laying the foundation. There had to be a logical reasoning for wanting to head to the deep south other than the notion of just wanting to go for the sake of it. That in itself would bring up more questions that I wanted to answer in a situation where I needed to be as clandestine as possible.
San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Cafe con leche - Plaza Dorrego Bar - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Plaza Dorrego Bar - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Plaza Dorrego Bar - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Plaza Dorrego Bar - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Inga of course knew that I'd always had a goal of buying a place in Buenos Aires. The time for simply wanting and forlornly looking through real estate advertisements was now over. So what
better way to get serious and make the idea a reality than being on the ground in your destination city, to get a look and feel
of a place and particular location in the city that we're both very fond of. Of course it was obvious in the end and my reasoning to her made it obvious, we just had to go to Buenos Aires...of course we had to go to Buenos Aires...in order to propose
and buy an apartment – wrapping it ALL up into one unforgettable
memory. Now that would be something that just couldn't be beaten.
In my planning therefore I started to consider what
I’d like to call, the sweetener. What
could I do to elevate the entire experience into something even more unforgettable? To me, in order to heighten an experience you need to be able to share it. It gives the experience a different perspective, energy and degree of
excitement. So, I threw out the option to Inga. Why not ask her brother Davis to come down to Buenos Aires with us? We could show him around the city that we love, have him experience something totally different to Europe and of course get his feedback on
our potential apartment purchase.
….so the plan was activated and
put into action – on the 17th of November, 2016 it was due to commence
Landing in Buenos Aires on 17 November 2016 made it my 7th
time in this wonderful city since my first time in 2010 .Not bad for a Sydney boy with absolutely no
affiliation to the country other than his love of meat, Malbec, Messi and
football.
That feeling I have when driving from
the airport in Ezeiza is always the same. Excitement, energy, anticipation,
only that this occasion it felt like an arrival on steroids. Overwhemling anticipation that would lead to a proposal,
potentially an apartment purchase and also Inga’s brother joining us for the whole adventure, well, this was going to be epic.
Typically Inga and I find
ourselves hiding out in the barrio of San Telmo when we stay in Buenos Aires. This is the
oldest barrio in the city, the most atmospheric and the one that has the most
character. It’s colonial buildings, cobble stoned streets, antique shops, parrillas,
tango parlours and cafés all combine to make this part of the city truly
special, but also, Inga and I have a lot of great memories that have been
banked away from occupying this corner of the world at various times.
San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Brigada Parrilla - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Cafe Tortoni - Avenida de Mayo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Walking in San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Walking into Plaza Dorrego Bar one morning we were greeted by the smiling face
of a waiter that we’d gotten chatting with on previous occasions. Plaza Dorrego
Bar is an old school café across Avenida Defensa from Plaza Dorrego itself. The
waiters are all male and have the standard black tie, black vested uniform that
makes you think of a bygone era – a classic, evocative, old school space with
traditional Argentine style chequered floors, a weathered wooden bar and wooden tables. It has that old
musty smell that just melds perfectly with this section of the city, and I have
to say, is a favourite morning spot for me in San Telmo. My order is always the same, a cafe con leche y tres medias lunas. Our waiter already knew, it was saying my order to me at the same time that I was.
Davis flew into Buenos Aires the
next day. His arrival added a totally new dimension to our time here. It almost
felt like we were showing him around our home town. I felt the same way I’d
feel if I was guiding someone around Sydney, of course, you want them to like
your town and you feel its your job to show it off to the best of your
ability…which is what we absolutely did, and in spades.
From the day that he joined us on
Defensa with the traditional Sunday afternoon markets, we guided him to all of
the spots that were both known and loved by us.
Starting in San Telmo, post market day, we showed him the Che mural on Pasaje
San Lorenzo, walked around the old antique stores and cobble stoned streets,
ending up at the famous Parrilla La Brigada in the evening for a round of
Malbec and steak, their famous moniker being that their steak is so soft ‘that you can
cut it with a spoon’.
Cafe Tortoni - Avenida de Mayo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Cafe Tortoni - Avenida de Mayo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
El Ateneo Grand Splendid - Avenida Santa Fe - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Bar El Federal - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Bar El Federal - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Avenida President Roque Saenz Pena - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Buenos Aires - Argentina
Of course, we also spent some
time down in the colourful barrio of La Boca. An historic and proud barrio of
Buenos Aires located next to the city’s port where the Riacheulo River meets
the Rio de la Plata. This area has always been known as poor part of town. In some
ways bleak, very industrial and rough, the barrio can be intimidating if you find
yourself strolling into its unsafe areas. Tourists are constantly warned not to stray off the well trodden paths for the sake of getting robbed. The main area of Calle Caminito however is rather
kitschy and largely touristic. Filled with cafes and open air tango shows it’s
the typical tourist trap that you'll find anywhere in the world. Of course you can get off
the beaten track but perhaps not best down in a solo manner. Still, for what it
is, it’s worth showing, even from an historical aspect of the city and in terms of photography. The colours and the theatre just make this area stand out in photos.
Retiro - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Retiro - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Four Seasons Hotel - Calle Posadas - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Brigada - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Calle San Lorenzo - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Feria in San Telmo - Defensa - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Feria de San Telmo - Avenida Defensa - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Feria de San Telmo - Avenida Defensa - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Brigada - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Poesia - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Brigada - San Telmo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Our path through Buenos Aires on this occasion was largely dictated by my apartment hunting. I’d orchestrated my search was
with the assistance of a well known BA consultant, Michael Koh, who’d put me in touch with an
agent he trusted and had worked with previously. I found Michael online after a
fair amount of research. Essentially, in his role as a consultant, he assists foreigners like me, who are
interested in real estate investments either in Buenos Aires or Argentina, to go through the
‘discovery’ and contract process. A process, which without prior knowledge, can be
quite complex and being Argentina, inevitably takes many twists and turns. He
was, without question, the consummate professional and made himself available
to answer my queries at all times. Absolutely phenomenal guy I have to say.
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aries - Argentina
La Boca - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Michael’s recommendation of
looking outside of my favourite barrio, San Telmo, therefore extended our
search out to Palermo, Palermo Viejo and Palermo Soho. These areas are typically known as
the trendiest parts of the town, so coupled with real estate viewing we took to
showing Davis parts of the town that were within our search zone. So aside from the old staples like Café Tortoni and Recoleta cemetery, we also took in a
dinner at Don Julio in Palermo, which incidentally in 2018 made it to #6 on the
list of Best South American restaurants, https://www.theworlds50best.com/latinamerica/en/the-list-2018/Don-Julio.html currently #55 in the world.
Another evening we were back in
Recoleta and took to seeing the wonderful Fuerza Bruta (Brute Force), a
post-modern theatre production that incorporates music, theatre, light shows,
water, smoke and a plethora of interactive engagements in a setting that completely
surrounds you. As a member of the audience you effectively stand in the middle
of the stage as the performance takes place above your head, on the walls, on
the front stage, everywhere. It’s so completely immersive, mind blowing in its
action and free flowing, it pushes and pulls you in all directions. I’ve only
ever seen the show in Buenos Aires, and even though it can now be seen in
cities around the world, the concept and production originated in this city.
Cemetario de Recoleta - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Buenos Aires - Argentina
Cemetario de Recoleta - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Don Julio - Palermo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Don Julio - Palermo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Cafe Tortoni....this guy....'Siiiiiiiii'
Cafe Tortoni - Avenida de Mayo - Buenos Aires - Argentina
Of course the hits just kept
coming in terms of experience as post Fuerza Bruta we hit the Hard Rock, the
Four Seasons for drinks and then went to Floreria
Atlantico, another Buenos Aires highlight, ranked #14 in a list of the World’s
Top 50 bars, http://www.worlds50bestbars.com/fifty-best-bars-list-2018/?ist=11,
this place is one of those cool, interestingly hidden places, where you could
easily walk by on first passing. From the outside it’s just a florist shop, and
indeed during the day that’s all at is, but this late night florist holds the
coolest secret. Through a non-descript door you descend the stairs into a very
cool Latin American speakeasy. Admittedly it’s not my favourite bar in Buenos
Aires as it gets packed quickly and early here, and really, there’s just better
set-ups around, but with that said, the drinks here are on point. The
bartenders now what they’re doing and the drinks are special.
