Refuel completed I headed out again to one of the known ‘safe’ ATM’s over on Colón for some ready-cash via the glorious 19th Century Mercado San Telmo, with its Italianate arched beams, glass windows and abundant market stalls. Here you’ll find fishmongers, veg and fruit stands, butchers, bakers, deli’s and bars, serving morning nips of vermouth…
Author: paulandanthony
Living the dream – life as a Porteño
For as long as I can remember I’ve always dreamed I’d end up living in Buenos Aires, I have no idea why, just a thought I had when I was eleven or so. Then along came the Falklands War with threats of conscription, Thatcher’s crazy ‘mad woman’ aggressive rhetoric and The Sun’s grotesque headlines such…
Palermo Primavera
After the wintry grey of the past two days, this morning broke to warm sunshine – lovely! We thought we’d wait for the rush hour to pass, so we ventured out around 11am. But, as we had been warned, it still wasn’t exactly ‘off-peak’. It was teeming with commuters, with long lines for buses and…
Food glorious (cheap) food!
As you may know Argentina is world-famous for the quality of its beef and you can have an incredible steak here for just a few dollars. The steak will be cooked to melt-in-the-mouth perfection, served with a fresh green salad and a bottle of local Malbec for A$28 (£15) for TWO PEOPLE! Similarly, grocery shopping…
Is it fake?
Fake money has become a real problem in Argentina, particularly in Buenos Aires. Even before we landed we were warned to watch out for fakes – to check each note by holding it up to the light to confirm the watermark and NOT to exchange money at the airport, a known purveyor of fake notes!…
Hola from “Ciudad Real de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre”
Thankfully we don’t have to use the original 16thCentury name, now a much snappier, Buenos Aires. And it’s glorious! Meanwhile, it’s a rather damp and cold Sunday (but good air) here in BA so apologies for the lack of photos – but rest assured, once the sun comes out on Monday, you’ll get a good…
Ode to Valparaíso
As I sit here in the apartment looking out of the window, the cold fog is slowly sliding down and enveloping the cerros, covering everything in a white block out. There’s an increasing chill in the salty air. The seagulls are swirling in the thermal rise and the pelícanos are heading home towards Playa Ancha…
That siren again…
It’s been a cool, cloudy, foggy couple of days so we’ve made the most of it and stayed at home, writing away, watching the occasional Netflix drama and generally taking it easy. I nipped down to El Plan to the local supermarket during a brief sunny break – a walk down steep steps (yes, steps,…
Pasaje Farley – nuestra casa en Valparaíso
We’ve spent almost 3 glorious weeks in our apartment high up overlooking this tipped out paintbox of a city. We found this place on Airbnb with Gabriel as a Super Host (TIP – you seem to get a heightened and more reliable experience with a Super Host who rely on good reviews to sustain their…
Two Bars
We have been to two bars here. And back several times. Because they both have what makes a bar: regulars. Bar Ingles is marvellous for the generosity of the free pour and its complete lack of Englishness – red phone box toilet doors and Diana snaps aside. Two regulars we met playing dice as we…