So, not taking the time to plan ahead may have not worked so well in my favor. The plan in my head was to head to Uruguay the day after I arrived in Argentina. Unfortunately the universe had other plans.
All of the hotels in Colonia where I had decided to stay (on the plane) were booked. And Montevideo didn't look that awesome...Punta Del Esta seemed great on paper, but seasoned travelers had all said it was very "meh." So I decided to make Buenos Aires my home base and checked into the the Savoy...I figured if it was historically good enough for Eva Peron and Einstein, well it must be good enough for me. Then off I went on a self-guided walking tour in order to get my bearings. I found myself in the Recoleta neighborhood and near Evita's grave, (which is rather humble considering its surroundings). Then off to the Belles Artes museum (which was wonderful and free!) then past the giant silver blossoming flower (it opens and closes with solar energy), over to the Plaza de Mayor...where I saw the Casa Rosada AND joined in on a lively protest...from there I wandered to the San Telmo neighborhood to hunt down the Mafalda sculpture, interesting markets and some cool graffiti (randomly, I wandered into an old library that had been converted into a theater and was invited to watch rehearsals...if only I better understood what they were saying). Then shopping at the central market for dinner and back home via the subway...all in all I walked over 10miles and still managed to swing by the grocer on my way home for a bottle of Malbec from a Mendoza farm. I'm hoping tomorrow I'll make it to Uruguay for the day at least...but if not, I am quite happy watching the city from my balcony and wandering old neighborhoods.
Eva Peron's grave site
Floralis Generica, the aluminum flower sculpture that "blooms" daily in Buenos Aires.
Mafalda is the most famous cartoon character in Argentina. She's 6 years old and through her lens, she reflects on the politics of the middle class and youth empowerment in Argentina.
Even covered in graffiti, I love the bones of this old building so much.
A fruit stand found in one of San Telmo's markets.
San Telmo has many antique and junk shops along with fun art galleries. Since so many tourists flood the cobblestone streets in this area, there are also musicians everywhere playing tango, and occasionally dance performances. Over the weekend, this area closes down for a giant street market, with artisans and more junk/antiques.
A lively protest broke out against the government in front of the Casa Rosada. People were dancing and singing and children were playing drums, if it weren't so serious it would almost seem like a party.