Link to photos: http://perryinbuenosaires.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5
Album 1: Mendoza (Published 7/11)
Mendoza is the 5th most populated city in Argentina. Situated 14 hours from Buenos Aires it is most popular to travel by bus or plane. With close to 1000 vineyards and spectacular views of the Andes it is definitely worth the trip.
Album 2: La Boca (Published 7/25)
La Boca is a barrio (neighborhood) in Buenos Aires well known for its brightly colored main street- El Caminito. Situated on the water, La Boca used to serve as one of Buenos Aires' main ports. In the 19th century it became filled with Italian immigrants who decided to introduce vibrant colors so no two houses were painted the same color. La Boca is also home to the Boca Juniors soccer team and their stadium- La Bombonera. Today it is a big tourist spot on the weekends where you can find tango dancers, street vendors and painters.
Album 3: Uruguay- Colonia and Montevideo (Published 8/10)
You can get to Colonia Uruguay in under an hour by boat. This charming cobblestone-ladden town is situated right on the water and features an old bull ring, picturesque views, and the 'must-do' for tourists- golf cart riding. With the golf cart you are able to explore the stretch of roads along the water and explore the houses atop hills. Montevideo is 2 more hours from Colonia by bus and although a city, is definitely more sedate than Buenos Aires. There are some beautiful plazas and churches and here too you can cut through the mix of antique architecture and medium-rise corporate buildings to reach the water. Word to the wise- if you're looking for the most flexibility when it comes to museums you probably shouldn't spend all your time in Montevideo over a Sunday or Monday...
Album 4: Japanese Gardens and Museum of Popular Art (Published 8/14)
The Japanese Gardens feature everything 'authentic' from ponds full of coy fish to samurai statues and of course an abundance of Asian inspired plants and trees. A beautiful place in the winter and definitely bound to be even more beautiful (and colorful) in the warmer months. Though rather small and underwhelming, the Museum of Popular Art is still a pretty neat find. Utilizing two rooms of an large, antique home there is one room dedicated to modern metal work and another (located across from a quaint and charming patio) featuring artwork inspired by children. Although maybe not the most exciting museum we've been to it's hard to say no to the 1 peso entry fee ;)
Album 5: Botanical Gardens and the Zoo (Published 8/16)
Located just across Avenida de Santa Fe the Botanical Gardens are an extensive enclosure of plants, trees, fountains, greenhouses and statues inspired by everything from Greek mythology to Beethoven's symphonies and the Argentine culture and heritage. Designed by Carlos Thays, a French architect who was named Buenos Aires's director of Parks and Walkways in 1891, the Botanical Gardens were opened in 1896 and are free and open for the public to enjoy. They were declared a national monument in 1996.
The Zoo (referred to as el Jardin Zoologico) features dozens of different animals. Everything from your typical zebra and giraffe to the handful of unidentifiable animals that I honest wouldn't know what to call. Aside from the cheaper entry fee (about 15 pesos) there are a few other differences between el Jardin Zoologico and US Zoos, the main one being that there aren't too many animals in cages...in fact some are just roaming around... As long as you're fine with maybe getting spit on by a llama or rubbed by a giraffe it's a really neat opportunity to get close and personal with the animals.
Album 6: Chinatown and CABJ (Published 8/30)
Located in Belgrano (just a few subte stops from Palermo) is one of Buenos Aires' best Chinatown. Although it may not be big (it only spans about 4/5 blocks) it wins points for authenticity with its food, supermarkets, entry arch and trinket shops. May not be a full day trip but a great place to head when in need of some Chinese cuisine or some great Asian ingredients for a good price.
CABJ- Club Argentina Boca Juniors- is one of Argentina's club futbol teams representing the neighborhood of La Boca. Housed in La Bombonera stadium there is never a shortage of team spirit or enthusiasm on game day. Surrounded by blue and gold, ferocious chants and rowdy fans it was an experience to witness CABJ win their first match this season against Velez Sarsfield ( a Club Argentina team hailing from the western part of Buenos Aires).
Album 7: Salta (Published 9/16)
Salta is located about 20 hours from Buenos Aires, in the northwest part of Argentina. Argentina's 8th largest city, it is situated in Lerma Valley in the foothills of the Andes mountains at 1,152 meters above sea level. It offers a charming main square, great views and is a great jumping point for Las Salinas, the colored mountains of the Andes, Cafayete and the vineyards, and plenty of indigenous villages.
