Buenos Aires - a multi-cultural melting pot pulsating with a kaleidoscope of colour - is the birthplace of tango and among the world’s most dynamic capital cities.

Famed for icons including Eva Peron and Maradona, it is lovingly called the ‘Paris of South America’ with a rich cultural tapestry and vibrant arts scene to match London and the finest European capitals.

Our Lifestyle and Leisure Editor, Sharon Cain and series photographer, Steve Hare, squeezed every minute into a 48-hour exploration of the legendary capital which embodies the essence of Latin America.

Making Waves On The Argentine Sea

After a smooth 1,700 nautical mile sea voyage from Valparaiso in Chile, we arrived in Buenos Aires to the wonderful mayhem I had expected from Argentina’s high-octane capital city and last leg of our South American travels.

Docking in the grimy water of the Rio de la Plata estuary amid the cacophony of Argentina’s biggest and busiest port, we battled to find our cases amid elbow jostling passengers oblivious to the concept of queuing. Every second counted and I was impatient to start exploring.

Our month-long South American adventure had taken us down the Amazon - and to the heady heights of Machu Picchu in Peru’s Sacred Valley where we had fed llamas. We had lovingly photographed Paddington Bear’s delightful statue adorned with the Union Jack in Peru’s capital, Lima, avoided being mugged in Montevideo's capital Uruguay - and were fired up for our final destination.

Floralis Genérica: A Symbol of Hope

With just two days in Buenos Aires before flying to London, we were on a mission to pack in as much as possible. The first stop was Floralis Genérica, a towering 23-meter-tall, 18-ton steel and aluminium flower sculpture signifying hope and rebirth.

A gift to the city by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano, the arresting artwork in United Nations square showcases six petals which unfurl at 8am each morning and close at sunset every evening.

The flower is a synthesis of all the flowers and, at the same time, a hope reborn every day at opening.

The enormity of the sculpture made the aeroplanes flying between its leaves on their airport descent appear like diminutive toy models. We were among 1.5 million visitors annually to be awed by the artwork.

City Of The Dead: Eva Peron’s Mausoleum

The legacy of Eva Peron - Argentina’s first lady who championed and campaigned for a better life for the poor by whom she was revered - continues to shine bright.

Born in poverty, Eva Duarte left her rural village outside Buenos Aires at 15 to find fame as an actress in the capital. She became a legend after marrying Argentinian President Juan Peron against a politically charged backdrop.

A mausoleum at La Recoleta Cemetery, which is hailed as an architectural masterpiece, is Eva Peron’s final resting place. A cultural and political legend, her multitude of achievements in a short life include setting up the Ava Peron Foundation to help the underprivileged with housing and healthcare.

Despised by military who deposed her husband and stole her body, she was finally interred in La Recoleta in 1976. Awarded the title of ‘Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina’ by the Argentine Congress, Eva Peron died at just 33 years old from cancer. My visit was a profound experience, eliciting respect and admiration for a remarkable woman.

Colonial Jewel

Another famous and architecturally stunning landmark - the Basílica Nuestra Señora del Pilar (Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar) - is situated next to the Recoleta Cemetery.

The oldest church in Buenos Aires,the Basílica was consecrated in 1732 by the order of the Recoletos Monks when the city was a Spanish colonial outpost. In 1942 it was named a National Monument of Historic Importance.

Featuring original artefacts and ornaments, the standout feature is the main altarpiece with lavish Inca ornamentations and Peruvian silver. While the Basílica's plain, whitewashed, exterior gives an impression of understated simplicity, its opulent interior drew an involuntary gasp of amazement.

Tango: The Heartbeat of Buenos Aires

The Argentinian appetite for tango is insatiable. No sooner had we emerged from the Basílica, when, to my absolute delight, a sultry young couple in simple black attire launched into an ad hoc performance. Attuned to each other’s movements and breathing patterns, no music was needed as they made it look effortless.

Combining a fusion of cultures and traditions among immigrants from wide-ranging communities, tango was born in the city’s port neighbourhoods of La Boca and San Telmo at the end of the 19th Century.

Transported to Europe and the US in the early 1900s, spontaneous displays of the art form, which demands discipline and precise timing, can be enjoyed daily in streets and market areas.

The city's bars, nightclub and popular theatre culture offers a host of tango shows for visitors. Steamy, sensual, and sensational, I relished every second of the spectacular El Viejo Almacén performance in a cabaret style setting.

Timeless and ageless, the art of tango is taken up by children as young as six who perform in local milongas (dance events) while celebrated milongueros (social dancers) are strutting their stuff well into their 80s, 90s and even past 100.



Fanatical About Football

Football is a national religion and intense cultural obsession in Argentina, bridging social classes and instilling national pride and fervour.

A country renowned for clinching a hat trick of FIFA World Cups in 1978, 1986 and 2022, the most revered footballer to hail from Buenos Aires is Diego Maradona. Never forgetting his roots in the favelas, he is famous not just for his soccer dexterity but for his defiance against rich institutions.

Maradona’s legendary performance against England in the 1986 World Cup cemented his legacy as a football immortal - scoring 259 goals in 491 official club appearances over an illustrious 21 year career.

Buenos Aires has highest concentration of football stadiums in the world - and Maradona's legacy thrives and survives in murals, graffiti and street art throughout the city

While exhilarating in so many aspects, the pulsating vibes of Buenos Aires, its high-octane lifestyle and high-on-life residents belie a tragic underbelly which reveals itself after dusk.

A sustained economic crisis has seen homelessness and poverty spiral - driving more beleaguered people to scavenge in waste bins for anything that can be recycled and sold. Known as the ‘cartoneros’ after the Spanish word carton, meaning cardboard, they toil through the night, rummaging through bags and dumpsters.

The financial challenges have also seen a sharp rise in the number of homeless, believed to be at over 12,000. It was heartbreaking to see the stark polarisation between the city’s affluence, glitz, and glamour and the desperation of families who have lost their homes and living on the streets.

A lasting and haunting memory is of an undernourished, olive-skinned girl no more than six or seven. Forlornly foraging in a waste bin in the upmarket theatre district, her tired, sunken eyes and sad expression were bereft of hope.

TRAVEL FACTS
British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires via a short stop in Rio de Janiero, Brazil (no plane changeover, total flying time 16 hours 40 minutes)
For options from London via European stopovers visit Skyscanner
Turismo Buenos Aires English website
El Viejo Almacen Restaurant and Tango Show websiteFor information on Floralis Genérica