Our arrival in Buenos Aires was delayed a little because of an aeroplane change in London. We flew on a bigger version of the Boeing 777. Our disembarkation was even further delayed because of an illness being experienced by a passenger at the very front of our section of the aircraft. Masked medics attended the scene and isolated people seated near the ill person. We had to wait for disinfection and completion of contact forms in case this is an example of “The Virus”.
Our hotel is located opposite the very big and grand English-built railway station of Retiro. From our room window we see the Victorian-style clock tower known then as the British Clock but now known as The Task Force Clock following the Falklands/Malvinas War of 1982.
Also visible are the restored brick mercantile buildings alongside the restored older docks.
Our mission this afternoon was to eat Argentine steak at a restaurant that we had visited the last time we were here, opposite the Recoleta Cemetery. This is a labyrinth of streets, narrow alley ways and mausoleums of the famous, military generals and important families of Argentina. The walk to and from the restaurant provided us with a snapshot of the history of the city. In 1536 the Spanish explorer Pedro de Mendoza led an expedition to the River Plate. He built a settlement and named it Nuestra Señora Santa Maria del Buen Aire. Hundreds of years of influence and domination by other colonial powers is witnessed in the architectural styles of many buildings we passed. We saw Spanish colonial, French chateau, Art Deco and German Bauhaus on just a few streets.
