#39 Buenos Aires – Tango and meat

Nope, we didn’t dance Tango. My fault, I’m rubbish at dancing. But we did watch a Tango show, that must count for something.

I am not usually giving unsolicited travel advice but if you ever end up going to Argentina: bring a decent amount of Argentinean Pesos or US Dollars with you! There are functioning ATMs but the fees are high and credit cards are not accepted everywhere.

We spent eight nights in the city, more than enough time to explore it properly without a rush. Our hotel was located in the city center, an eight minute Uber ride away from the famous tourist district Palermo but very close to a ton of other restaurants, bars, shopping and sightseeing opportunities as well as the modern and relaxed Puerto Madero. And although the city is huge, many of the more interesting sites can be reached on foot depending on where you are located and for the rest there is always Uber which in Buenos Aires is readily available and very affordable.

Our first walk around was in Puerto Madero and Plaza de Mayo. The weather was beautiful during our stay and made exploring the city very easy and enjoyable.

Puente de la mujer – Puerto Madero

Casa Rosada – Office of the president

Plaza de Mayo – popular for demonstrations in front of the president’s office

The famous Café Tortoni

Another part of the city worth losing some hours to walk around and explore is Recoleta, especially on Saturday when the whole “barrio” turns into a street market. In the midst of it, there was some loud music coming from a small backyard. Of course we stepped in, and we didn’t regret it. Argentinean barbecue, beer and Rock’n’Roll, a good day had just become awesome.

Great tunes…

…and great food

Devouring a classic Choripan

Located a little further from the city center, the poorer neighborhood called La Boca invites locals and tourists alike to watch Tango dancing and stroll through El Caminito, a handful of streets lined with small bars and colorful houses.

El Caminito

And of course, no visit to Buenos Aires would be complete without spending some time in Palermo, a district full with shops, bars and good restaurants. We walked around the Japanese Garden and neighboring parks before enjoying and aperitif in one of the many bars. A little later, we got a table at one of the city’s most revered steakhouses: Don Julio. The service was excellent (we were served a glass of complimentary champagne while waiting for our table) and the meat was delicious. So was the rest of the food, but who cares about the sides when you have a perfectly grilled, 350 gram Bife de Chorizo in front of you.

Barbara’s lamb racks

While still in the city, we also met up with Luciano, a friend we made back in Cartagena. We got together for afterwork drinks, well, after his work. He showed us a few bars around where we were staying.

If the picture isn’t good, the beer surely was

On another day, we took a speed ferry from Puerto Madero and crossed over to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. The sailing time is only an hour and fifteen minutes and if time permits, it’s a nice daytrip to do.

Always searching for a good steak, we found Santos Manjares, a small restaurant only about a ten minute walk away from our hotel. It only opens for lunch hours and it’s usually very busy. We were told to wait twenty minutes for a table. We did, and we surely didn’t regret it. The cuts were tender, well prepared and very affordable. Here is a picture of my main:

The main dish

As I had some space left, I also had dessert. Here is a picture of that, too:

The dessert

I had to order the second steak twice because the waitress thought I was joking. I wasn’t. It was delicious!

And last but not least, I said in the beginning that we went to see a Tango show. We did, and we had dinner there, too. “Underwhelming” probably describes our overall impression of it best. But when in Rome…, right?