After watching several futbol matches today, we made our way to Plaza San Martin for the 5:00 Buenos Aires Free Walking Tour. This company was started by a fellow who went to Germany and went on a similar tour, and decided to bring the concept to BA so passionate Porteños can show off their city (they just work on tips). Our guide was Macarena, a 23-year old native, and yes – she said she was tortured by the song “Macarena” in her youth.
We went on a 2-hour walking tour of Retiro & Recoleta where she gave the “real story” behind the area's sights and architecture. She first explained the importance of General Martín, the one person (besides Maradona) that every Argentinean loves. He won a huge battle which secured Argentina's freedom from Spain by using a sneak attack from the northern part of the country, and is considered one of the Liberators of Spanish South America. You frequently see his name all around BA.
Macarena then told the story behind 2 castles which are located right across the plaza from either other. The lady who lived in one had 17 kids, but only 3 boys. The oldest & the successor did not get along with his Mom, and she threatened to cut him out of the fortune. Drunk one night, he stumbled across the plaza to the other castle and courted the daughter who lived there and then married her so he could live off her fortune.
We also learned her version of the story behind one of the tallest buildings in BA. According to the guidebooks, it is supposed to look like a ship. However, Macarena told us the story of 2 rival society women from the early 1900's. One wanted to make sure that all of the other society people would be able to see her final resting place, so she purchased land next to Plaza San Martin and built a 4-story church. Years later, the other woman got back at her by taking advantage of the fact her family owned the land next to the church, and built the tallest building in BA – completely blocking the view of the church. Hence, if you look at your hand and you look at the building, you can see what message one woman was sending to the other through it's design (see above photo for further clarification). It is also interesting to note that there are 33 floors in the building and there are 33 elevators – a separate one for each floor.
We also looked at other buildings where all of the materials used were direct from Paris. We learned that as ships went over to Europe to deliver cattle, the Europeans started to think of things they could use to fill up the empty ships on their return. People decided to send over materials which would allow them to literally build entire structures in BA with Parisian style and remind them of home. Hence why there is such a heavy European influence in the look of the city.
One story I liked in particular had a very “Golden Rule” premise. A wealthy BA man saw a lovely palace in Paris and decided he wanted to duplicate it back home on Arroyo Avenue. He commissioned an architect to recreate the palace, then went back to Europe. He came back to BA to check on the work and thought it looked nothing like the Paris palace, so he took the architect out onto the street and publicly shamed him and announced he was hiring another architect to finish the work. Ironically, 3 days later the wealthy man became very sick, and ended up going blind. So even when the palace was finally completed by the new architect, the owner was never able to see his Parisian-style palace.
Macarena also indicated that the mix of Italian, French and Spanish decent has caused Porteños to have a rather pretentious attitude to anyone who isn't from here (her words, not mine!). Apparently, everyone is quite obsessed with their looks (they ARE very stylish) and instead of an obesity problem like the US, this city has a problem with anorexia. Also, BA is apparently the world leader in plastic surgery. I think she said about 100 sets of boobs are done every day. Specifically, Recoleta is the capital of plastic surgery, and there is a very distinct look to the women who have had their nose or necks done. As we crossed the line from Ritero to Recoleta she said, “we are going on a safari, and instead of referring to these woman as 'cougars', let's call them 'lions' and I will call them out.”
Sure enough, as we walked down Alvear Ave.(the Rodeo Drive of BA) Macarena loudly announced “LION!” as we walked by several very obvious examples. I don't think these woman knew what we were talking about, but I still felt a bit guilty (even though it was damn funny, and accurate!). One final interesting tid-bit. She pointed out that on the same corner, there is the most expensive hotel in town, a Cartier store, and a mysterious building above with black windows. Ladies, just know that if your man ever goes to BA and stays at the Alvear Palace Hotel and brings home a piece from Cartier, he might just be making up for the guilt he feels for visiting the most expensive strip club in the city – located right above the store!
After the tour, we went to have a beer at the brewery that Macarena recommended, and found another couple from the tour – Bec and Michael. They are from Australia and similar to us, they are traveling the world for 8 months. They have already been to Japan and the US, and now we are following a fairly similar travel pattern. After enjoying beers with them at Buller, they invited us to join them at a restaurant that is regarded as one of the best steakhouses in BA. La Cabrera specializes in offering several different toppings and sauces for your steak – one order is more than enough for 2 people. We really enjoyed talking to other travelers (our first couple-friends!) and hope that our paths will cross again on our journeys.
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