A 2 day stop over in Buenos Aires gave us a chance to catch our breath and enjoy the leafy cafe culture of trendy Palermo, amongst other delights – giant otters anyone?!

Buenos Aires was like coming home to a more civilised world. Staying in Palermo Soho, a leafy residential area, I suddenly realised what I had missed in New York: the cafe culture! The area reminded me of Sydney with good coffee and stylish cafes, on uncrowded streets at a fraction of New York prices.

After an overnight flight on the pedestrian American Airlines, we were happy to have a quiet afternoon so strolled around the corner for an excellent lunch at Rita, a smart cafe with pavement seating near our hostel.

“This is just like Byron Bay!” Simon exclaimed, the ultimate accolade, as he was presented with a bowl of chia and greenery as I dined on smashed avocado!

Afterwards we visited the Eco Park (free) which actually has an interesting history, having been built as a zoo in 1888. Most of the large animals have been moved on since its closure in 2016 and it is now run more as an educational and rehabilitation facility, albeit with a lot of free range mara and peacocks.

It is an interesting mix of tall trees amidst lush gardens and lakes, and old zoo architecture which displays a range of styles, from the Moorish giraffe house to the heavily carved temple-like elephant house. A Roman arch embellishes the entrance and the lion house is now a jolly cafe behind bars.

There are scattered sculptures, some of them quite fine. I particularly liked the charming bronze of two little boys struggling with an octopus which was shown at the Chicago Exhibition in 1893 – it is just inside the northern entrance.

Birdlife is diverse amongst the trees and there are enough birds and animals remaining to make it quite interesting. The giraffe and hippo looked a little marooned but there was a beautiful puma who previously had been kept as a pet.

Most entertaining of all were the giant otters – the breeding programme was obviously going quite well as there were the original pair and four youngsters – plus two very tiny cubs. It was quite moving to see the mother curl herself around them and pull them closer with a protective paw.

We were lucky enough to coincide with feeding time so all the otters were quite active; we spent an enjoyable hour just watching their various antics before heading home for an early night. En route, we saw one of the famous Buenos Aires dog walkers – he must have had at least 12 dogs straining at the leash!

The Japanese Gardens

The following day we extended our exploration to the Japanese gardens (A$13,500) which were suitably bijoux and quite busy. Laid out in 1969, the red and gold fences and bridges set off the miniature landscapes, lakes and bonsai trees beautifully and there is even a tea house style restaurant if you want to eat sushi! There was an exhibition on kimonos on our visit which were wonderfully colourful.

We preferred to lunch at the stylish Fulgor Cafe on the giant Avenida del Libertador, just up from the American embassy where the flag was flying at half mast for Dick Cheney.

Afterwards we crossed the avenue into the Tres de Febrero park, checking out two handsome feline sculptures, one a tigress with two cubs and a peacock in her jaws and the other a fine lion standing on an ostrich.

The one time president of Argentina Domingo F. Sarmiento is also honoured nearby with a bronze statue on a carved marble plinth by Rodin.

For light entertainment, we took a pedalo out on the Lago del Rosadal which was surprisingly hard work (A$12,000 for 30 minutes or A$18,000 for 1 hour). It was an alternative and peaceful view of the rather muddy waters which support a huge geese population. They are obviously used to getting fed as they trailed in the boat’s wake enthusiastically.

The adjacent giant rose garden (some deadheading needed!) has some 1000 varieties – it is a popular spot for wedding photos.

Later we stopped at the Benigno Cafe where the chatty young waiter was keen to talk about his upcoming trip to Australia. Buenos Aires has one advantage on Sydney in its coffee shops – they stay open all day whereas it can be hard to find one open after 2 pm in Australia!

That evening we explored the busy hub at Plazoleta Julio Cortázar where there are plenty of jolly places for drinks and supper – there is even an Irish pub, O’Sullivans, if you must!

We finished the night at Tienta, a trendy ice cream shop where the 70% cocoa and the Dubai style raspberry with pistachio were to die for – a 250 g portion cost A$8000!

Museo Evita

Our final morning in Buenos Aires; our flight was put back an hour so we nipped down to the Museo Evita, covering the life of Eva Perón (1919-1952), one time first lady and Argentine icon (Entry A$9000).

This is in a 1920’s town house which was once used as a women’s refuge for one of her charities and gave a brief overview of her life which was basically girl from the sticks comes to town, becomes an actress, meets the future president of Argentina, marries him, does lots of charity work then dies of cancer. Her body then ended up having a very peripatetic existence but that’s another story – it is now in the Duarte family crypt in Recoleta Cemetery.

There were some nicely cut 1940’s dresses and she bought her shoes in Paris, but the whole thing only took us an hour – which was good as I had time to return to the Ecopark and watch the otters again! The museum restaurant is actually highly recommended and has a leafy garden and set menus for about A$23,000, including some of Eva’s favourites.

We ended up going back to Rita for lunch and coffee before getting an Uber to the handy Jorge Newbery airport. It was quite hard to tear ourselves away from the colourful streets and great cafes of Palermo, especially as we were headed to the cold at the end of the world!

NOTES

We stayed at the Malevo Murana Hostel which has simple twins – ours came with a little roof terrace – for about £20. It was in a great location, and included a basic breakfast which we ate in their small garden area.

There are heaps of good cafes, restaurants, boutiques and bookshops in the area – just walk and explore! There are quite a few murals around too so the streets can be quite colourful. It is even possible to do a Graffiti and Street Art Tour of the area.

The Ecopark is about a 20 minute walk. The Botanical Gardens are next to it, the Japanese gardens a little further.

Also in the area if you have more time, the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA) includes work by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.