Buenos Aires

We are in Argentina and have spent our first week in Buenos Aires. A beautiful city full of contradictions. Even though we were warned about crime, we never felt unsafe, and the weather was consistently fantastic.

Of course, we took in many of the sights, such as Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, Teatro Colon, and we also visited a few museums (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes come highly recommended).

But one can also simply wander through the streets and admire beautiful buildings from the late 19th/early 20th centuries (in very varied states of renovation), modern skyscrapers, or cheap, hastily built apartment blocks. However, do not look too dreamily upwards, as the sidewalks are severely sunken in many places and littered with countless dog waste traps. Everywhere, construction is happening, loading is taking place, and there is a rush of activity. There is a sea of shops, and it seems everyone is indulging in a shopping frenzy (a contradiction for us, see below). There are many parks where people relax and sip mate tea.

Particularly striking for us was the visit to Cementerio de la Chacarita, the largest active cemetery in Buenos Aires. Unthinkable for us, there are parking garage-like buildings for the dead, where you can take elevators to different floors, which again have countless rows of burial niches (the low-budget version). The stately mausoleums of the wealthy, however, have not been safe from decay, looting, and destruction over the decades. You can already find the occasional open coffin - along with the sweetish smell of decay that rises from the ventilation shafts and refuses to leave your nose for hours, really morbid!

Beforehand, we had been following Argentine politics a bit and had accordingly prepared for higher prices. Still, we were shocked at HOW expensive everything is; the price structure is similar to or more expensive than in European cities. And we thought everywhere would be cheap coming from Munich...

Also, the food which is often praised in travel reports can unfortunately be entirely forgotten. At least when you are a spoiled European who knows how pizza and ice cream taste in Italy and that culinary arts consist of more than just grilled food and greasy sandwiches. So, we mostly cooked for ourselves, which wasn't always easy! In Germany, we can be thankful for how affordable, diverse, and good our food offerings are. The quality of food here is mostly shockingly poor, especially regarding fresh vegetables and fruits.

Now, as tourists who can leave at any time, we might not mind in the end of the day. But you find yourself constantly thinking about how the Argentinians can cope - with a poverty rate of over 50%. This poverty is not immediately obvious. On the one hand, there seem to be very many wealthy people who, despite the high prices, are consuming non-stop. There is much less begging than in German cities. Maybe it just has to do with the high police presence? Upon a closer look in the side streets, you can spot some homeless people, others collect cardboard, aluminum cans, or search through trash bins. In the suburbs, the conditions and building structures are noticeably simpler. Sometimes a window opens in a side alley, and it seems there is some kind of soup kitchen.

When you think about the extent of the price increases, the cutting of subsidies (the universities don’t even know yet if they will receive funding next semester) and what that means for the people, we wonder why not everyone is protesting and turning the city to rubble. The Argentinians seem to be very resilient! It is true that something had to change in the country, and the economy appears to be recovering slightly with Milei's extreme measures, but this is entirely at the expense of the common people. And whether the situation will be better for them one day is hard to imagine. Hopefully!

What else have we observed and learned: Tango is probably not our thing, and we just didn't feel like a weird show. You can talk to Argentinians about anything, but it's best to avoid the topic of the Falkland Islands. The bus system along the main roads with dedicated bus lanes is excellent and well-timed - but be sure to line up properly when you want to board and do not push! It’s a shame that the indigenous roots seem to have been completely erased and are denied. Dog walking seems to be a common job. Crime in the city seems to be somewhat exaggerated in certain areas and feels like part of a folklore, as you could observe in La Boca (caution, super dangerous!). All tourists have properly paid for a bus tour or a tour guide to get home alive. Diego is alive and stands on par with the Pope and Messi. And our Spanish needs to improve, good grief, we are stringing nonsense together!

It was nice, onward we go! Merry Christmas!