Day 60: San Telmo and La Boca
On our last day in Buenos Aires, we explored the San Telmo barrio to see the street markets. We headed to Plaza Dorrego first and tried to catch mass at the San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo Church. I thought that there would be mass at 10 but it was only at 9 and 11:30.
So we decide to walk around Plaza Dorrego and the nearby Calle Defensa and come back for mass later. The stalls in Plaza Dorrego were selling mostly antiques.
Tried some mate, which was actually really good. Also perfect for the cold morning we were having.
We didn't realize how long the street was. We just kept walking down and the market never seemed to end. We ended up near the Convento de San Domingo near 11, and heard mass there instead.
After mass we had lunch at one of the spaces nearby. Had some choripan and wine...
...and we got to watch a free tango show!
We walked back up Calle Defensa, this time the streets were packed!
Found El Caminito ("little street"), famous for its colorful houses. Stories go that La Boca was the neighborhood of Italian immigrants who couldn't afford buying paint for their houses, so they asked the port authorities for leftover paint (from the ships). There was never enough paint, which is why all the houses are of different colors. Caminito gets its name from a tango song, and the street is likewise full of tango dancers. La Boca is also supposedly where tango originated.
The area was so lively with tango dancers, local street vendors and restaurant goers at the numerous parilla eateries.
After dinner we wanted to catch a tango show, but we didn't want to pay the expensive entrance fees at the restaurants. Instead, we went back to Plaza Dorrego for some more authentic street tango. At first, the stage was open and anyone who wanted could just join in and dance.
Then the stage cleared and these two dancers danced some impressive tango. What a great way to spend our last night in Argentina. :)
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| San Pedro Gonzales Telmo Church |
Tried some mate, which was actually really good. Also perfect for the cold morning we were having.
We decided to walk down Calle Defensa were they were selling a bigger variety of things -- books, shoes, bags, posters (lots of art!), signs, keychains, jewelry, etc. The streets come alive on Sundays, when the market happens.
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| Mate gourds |
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| Lots of leather bags |
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| Books |
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| Tango CDs |
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| These signs were super popular |
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| So pretty |
We didn't realize how long the street was. We just kept walking down and the market never seemed to end. We ended up near the Convento de San Domingo near 11, and heard mass there instead.
After mass we had lunch at one of the spaces nearby. Had some choripan and wine...
...and we got to watch a free tango show!
We walked back up Calle Defensa, this time the streets were packed!
Lots of tango dancers just performing in the streets.
Including this cute old couple.
We continued walking up Calle Defensa and made our way to La Boca barrio. It gets its name from the spanish word boca meaning mouth, as it is situated at the mouth of the river, since it was an old port area.
Found El Caminito ("little street"), famous for its colorful houses. Stories go that La Boca was the neighborhood of Italian immigrants who couldn't afford buying paint for their houses, so they asked the port authorities for leftover paint (from the ships). There was never enough paint, which is why all the houses are of different colors. Caminito gets its name from a tango song, and the street is likewise full of tango dancers. La Boca is also supposedly where tango originated.
The area was so lively with tango dancers, local street vendors and restaurant goers at the numerous parilla eateries.
The area was very pretty, but full of tourists. Walking back we spotted La Bombonera, the stadium of famous football club Boca Juniors (the great Diego Maradona played for this club). The stadium is nicknamed La Bombonera its shape like a candy box.
Back in San Telmo, we hunted for an inexpensive restaurant to try some parrilla, which is a style of grill used for cooking asado (barbecue). We ended up eating at Gran Parrilla del plata (Av. Chile 594, San Telmo). Ange and I shared steak, chorizo, and a bottle of Argentine wine all for ARS 300 (a little under 40 usd). Not bad at all!
After dinner we wanted to catch a tango show, but we didn't want to pay the expensive entrance fees at the restaurants. Instead, we went back to Plaza Dorrego for some more authentic street tango. At first, the stage was open and anyone who wanted could just join in and dance.
Then the stage cleared and these two dancers danced some impressive tango. What a great way to spend our last night in Argentina. :)
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