San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo

San Pedro Gonzalez Telmo, or one of my favorite neighborhoods of the city.

Surely you must know that San Telmo is the oldest barrio in Buenos Aires. During the 17^th century this district was inhabited by dockworkers, and now the beautiful colonial houses, are the homes of artists and artisans.

The bohemian air of this Argentinean jewel is kept untainted even today, due to the street artists, antiques vendors, and tango and milonga shows.

Sundays, due to the Feria de San Telmo, Plaza Dorrego, the oldest square in Buenos Aires, is invaded by tourists and locals, who are on the hunt for some bargain shopping. If you decide to venture in this trial, you’ll discover hundreds of street vendors lined up on Calle Defensa, selling anything from jewelry, leather purses and shoes, to silk scarves. It’s a colorful, vivid experience which can’t be missed in your next Buenos Aires trip.

The narrow cobblestone streets are home for some of the best art galleries, antiques shops, cafés and restaurants in the city.

Brasserie Petanque (Calle Defensa 596) located in the heart of San Telmo, is an authentic French Bistrot, which I’m sure, you’ll adore not only for the exquisite cuisine, but also for the crowd.

Each visit to San Telmo is like a journey in time, exceeding unimaginable frontiers, and arriving back in the Colonial days, when the upper classes of the Argentinean society still lived here in peace, not knowing that in 1871 the yellow fever epidemic will hit them hardly.

Carlos Gardel circuit

Although I’m highly allergic to maps and guided tours, there are a couple of itineraries which I wouldn’t miss for anything in this world.

One of those is the Carlos Gardel circuit in Buenos Aires. 

It’s intriguing to walk around his beloved city, continuously finding traces of his legacy, being astonished by how the Zorzal Criollo influenced the life of the Argentinean capital.

Gardel, exactly as Jorge Luis Borge, is a legend in Buenos Aires, and sometimes, while having a drink in Café Tortoni (Avenida de Mayo 825); you might have the impression that he is present not only in spirit but also physically. Café Tortoni is the oldest bar in Buenos Aires, and during the Roaring Twenties, this was the meeting place for the bohemians, intellectuals and artists; a place much adored by Gardel himself.

The next stop of the tour was Palais de Glace (Posadas 1725), where again my mind was transported back in the twenties. Imagining a dashing Gardel, surrounded by sensual Flappers, or dancing the night away with some glamorous divine female. 

From there we went on to the Hipodromo Argentino (Avenida del Libertador 4101). Gardel’s love for the horses was not a secret during his lifetime, so this beautiful Belle Epoque building has to be a stop on your route.

Bring to an end your time trip with a visit to Carlos Gardel House-Museum (Jean Jaures 735) where the bon vivant has lived. There you can admire photographs and documents which belonged or feature the great Gardel.