San Telmo and Puerto Madero

I went to San Telmo and Puerto Madero, two new barrios (neighborhoods) for me. San Telmo is one of the oldest barrios and Puerto Madero is one of the newer. San Telmo was the home of the very wealthy until the 1877 outbreak of yellow fever caused many to flee to newly developing areas north of the city center. This is also the area where Tango developed (and the area where the Bush twins were robbed). On Sunday the heart of the area, Plaza Dorrego, is taken over by an Antiques Fair, which actually spreads down Calle Defensa with street musicians, puppet masters, magicians, clowns twisting balloon animals, and more. It was a wonderful atmosphere and there was also some fascinating architecture, wrought-iron balconies, and murals on street walls. It was a wonderful place to visit.

Plus, I had a really delicious lunch. I ate at Bar El Federal, which is one of the barres notable, which is an historical designation tagged on a number of the bars that are around. This bar was constructed in 1864 and has a marvelous atmosphere with very old wood trim, and other decorative items that lead you to feel you have stepped back in time at least 60 years. I had a pollo sandwich Federal (which was a large chicken breast, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, grilled red pepper, bacon, and a fried egg! all on a french baguette.) It was huge! But I ate it all (and then walked off all those calories the rest of the afternoon.) An interesting thing occurred at lunch. There was a painting on the wall of the bar of a man and I recognized it at Carlos Gardel, one of the most famous, old time Tango singers. The joy of the moment was to realize that I have been here long enough and become immersed in the culture to the point where I could recognize his picture without reading a label.

After enjoying the street fair in San Telmo, I walked over to Puerto Madero. This is the newest barrio in Buenos Aires. In fact, it is still under construction. This is the Miami Beach of Buenos Aires! It was once a dilapidated port, the area is now filled with an abundance of restaurants (very high priced) in renovated warehouses. New construction is also going on building high-rise office and apartment buildings. Besides the very modern construction, the major highlight of the area is the Bridge of Woman, a pedestrian walkway across one of the port canals. It was designed by Santiago Calatrava, who is said to have designed it after the silhouettes of Tango dancers. It is a stunning piece of engineering and design.

It was a most enjoyable day. Wherever I walked I saw many, many portenos out walking with family and loved ones, especially many families out with their children, enjoying the warmer weather, the sunshine, the sights, and the chance to be relaxed and out enjoying the day with the ones they loved. If you want to check out more pictures of San Telmo and Puerto Madero, here are the links you may use to go to the Kodak Gallery albums I have created. Use this link to reach pictures of San Telmo: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.529ot3oa&x=0&y=m543xa&localeid=en_US

Use this link to reach pictures of Puerto Madero: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.3edn2f2y&x=0&y=jgy96j&localeid=en_US