Copa America - Part Two
A bleary-eyed start to the day spend recovering by the pool before crossing the border into Argentina once again and onwards to Puerto Iguacu bus station. I’d pre-booked a 20-hour road trip through the north-east of the country to Buenos Aires. I’d hoped for a few stops along the way visiting characterful rural food stops. This was not to be, it was raining and we were on empty highways through thick forest for most of the day, and a fitful nights sleep. Dawn saw us hitting the outskirts of Buenos Aires, another huge SA city of 14 miliion. After being deposited at Retiro station we taxi’d to our hotel in St Telmo to dump our bags, the hotel and staff were really helpful, a recurring theme over our entire trip. After our overnight travails we felts a little second-hand but it was Sunday, the day of the famous St Telmo street market.
It was still early and the stalls were just being set-up. First impression of Buenos Aires were favourable, the streets were handsome and tidy with an energetic buzz about the place. It was also very European, we could have been in Paris or Madrid. We took a quick coffee to perk us up then headed into the restored covered market, offering a collection of food and drink outlets, all of which looked appealing. We stopped at Choripaneria al paso for a Choripanes, the classic Argentinian street snack - essentially a posh sausage sandwich. It was delicious. Suitably fortified we continued to wander along the length of Rua Defensa browsing the stalls and up to the main square at Plaza de Mayo. I picked up a souvenir football penant (more of this later) as we retraced our route southwards. We headed to a place i’d read about, El Gauchito, a hole in the wall empenada joint with a couple of small tables. We enjoyed a selection of their superb pasties washed down with a Quilmes. It was close to time to check-in at the hotel but not before one more stop at Bar El Federal, a charming Barres Notables nearby. Buenos Aires has a wonderful selection of old-fashioned bars and cafes dating back to the previous century and the glory days of the city. We’d visit many during our stay.
