Hop On Hop Off - 2. Tag: Recoleta, San Telmo & La Boca

Today our second day started with the HoHo bus. We actually walked to our first stop. I had seen a park from the bus yesterday and I really wanted to stroll through it. Unfortunately I was wrong and the park was somewhere else entirely. But no matter, we found ourselves in front of a fenced botanical garden, or so we thought. But it quickly turned out that it was a zoo. Admission is apparently free on Sundays. But to be honest, after a holiday in South Africa, looking at animals in captivity was not what we wanted to do. So we quickly got out and hopped on the bus.

Our next stop was Recoleta. An upscale district with a very old cemetery. The graves are huge and really impressively designed. When Daniela told me she wanted to see an old cemetery, I just thought, what's so special about a cemetery? I had thought of our cemeteries at home. But I was proven wrong. These huge graves are just unbelievably impressive. We were both amazed. One grave was more beautiful and impressive than the next. Wow. You can see it in the pictures. We also found the grave of Eva Perdon (Evita). It was the grave with the most tourists in front of it ;-)! From the cemetery we strolled through a very large arts and crafts market that was spread out over a large lawn in Recoleta. Here you could buy pictures, jewelry and much more. Some of the things were really great.

Back on the bus, the journey continued to San Telmo. San Telmo is an artists' district. That's how we were greeted. A woman took off her skirt and ran across the street half-naked. I thought she was crazy, but Daniela thought she was an artist. Well, we'll never know. We visited an old market hall. There are tons of restaurants in the lower area and it smelled fantastic of grilled meat. Unfortunately, it was so crowded that we left very quickly. Of course, the district was particularly busy on a Sunday. There was also a market on the street, with almost identical stalls to those in Recoleta. Here, too, we walked past a few stalls. In San Telmo, we ate delicious empanadas and watched the hustle and bustle on the streets. It was crazy how many people were out and about. But there were also police everywhere. That gave us a good and, above all, safe feeling. On the way back to the bus, we were able to watch a couple doing the tango. They were simply dancing in the street and having fun.

The bus journey continued to our last stop in La Boca. This district is known for its colorful houses. The Boca Juniors football stadium is here. What can I say, today the "superclasico" Boca vs. Rivers was played. You can't imagine what was going on there. The atmosphere was unbelievable. There was a lot of partying going on everywhere in the streets. Daniela knows Schalke or Dortmund when they have their home games. But what was going on here in La Boca is unimaginable. The houses are painted with football idols and there are life-sized figures on the balconies. Grills were set up everywhere and people sat on camping chairs on the street and did public viewing. There were also countless stands where you could buy jerseys and other football accessories. In front of the stadium there were also figures of Messi and Maradona. For a small fee you could have your photo taken with them. I'm still shaking my head, the atmosphere there was so unimaginable. We spent a while walking around the neighborhood and soaking up the atmosphere.

We then took the bus back to the apartment. On the way we passed the area where the Rivers have their territory. The atmosphere here was great too, but not comparable to that in La Boca ;-).

The game ended 1:1. We're going to enjoy the evening now and think about what we're going to do on our last day in Buenos Aires tomorrow. Maybe just chill :-).

Best regards Anke and Daniela