Casa Rosada plus 5-star dining

(Katherine) Today we made it our mission to make it to a new part of town that we failed to see yesterday – Puerto Madero, which is a former dockside area of the city which has undergone a major renovation. Many of the old warehouses have been converted into bars and restaurants, and huge skyscrapers have been erected which contain both offices and apartments. Yesterday we got too frustrated on foot to continue the journey, but today we were determined....


We set out on the Subte system and took 2 different lines to the Playa de Mayo, which let us out right by the Casa Rosada, Argentina's version of our White House. The original house was built in 1713 and then rebuilt in it's current majestic format in 1898, and contains Argentina's presidential offices. This is also the site where Eva Perón addressed crowds of porteños years ago, and is one of the most photographed building in the entire city. Luckily, we were also able to witness about 10 guards who came out dressed in full milatary attire and performed a formal removal of the national flag at sunset – I would liken the experience to the changing of the guard in London.

We walked round Avenue de Mayo, which was purposefully designed very similar to a Parisian boulevard – I would say they succeeded, as there is definitely a European feel to the entire area. After a big of confusion over which direction to go, we finally followed a crowd of people which lead us to Puerto Madero. I would equate this area to South Beach or Mission Bay in SF – everything is extremely new and modern, with just a hint it's the former dockside past. We had a couple of beers for happy hour at a well pointed restaurant called Tres Quarts with Asian-inspired décor. We then set out to find the Faena Hotel + Universe, which is a 5-star hotel known created by Argentine fashion impresario Alan Fena and French architect Philippe Starck. A long, tall hallway greets you at the entrance, with side rooms that lead you to a series of restaurants, lounges and a pool. We weren't planning to dine at a 5-star restaurant that night, but hey – we're on our honeymoon, and we decided “what the heck” and walked into El Mercado.

I'm so glad we committed to this establishment, because it actually tops the meal I blogged about earlier this week! We both enjoyed steak again (of course) although mine was more of a tender pot roast dish with a ridiculously delicious marinade. We again enjoyed a bottle of wine, El Malbec de Richard Santos 2008 by Las Madres Vinyards from Mendoza. Upon mentioning that we were honeymooners, our waiter presented us with 2 glasses of champagne at the end of the meal. While it was a bit out of budget, this truly was a honeymoon dinner to remember!