Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Day 2

We got to the shuttle to the cruise terminal and met our guide Paulo for our second day in Buenos Aires. We left the port heading south we stopped in the oldest neighborhood in the city, San Telmo near the Buenos Aires Transporter Bridge. The San Telmo area is dominated by antique shops, cafes, and street art.  Continuing further south is the La Boca neighborhood. Paola parked the car and we made our way through the streets of La Boca. We made a quick stop to see the original equipment of the La Boca Volunteer Fire Department, the first unit in the country. Next, we stopped at La Bombonera the home stadium of the La Boca Juniors soccer team. La Boca is the old port neighborhood through which, between 1870-1930, 6 million European immigrants arrived to make Argentina their home. As they settled in tenements called conventillos, the houses were made of wood or corrugated zinc and painted in bright primary colors. We visited the home and museum of Marjam Grum. The museum is a multi-floor renovated conventillo built in the 1880s. Like many buildings in La Boca, the museum is very colorful. Various rooms housed the work of both Marjan and his wife Beatriz's paintings and Marjan's sculptures. Both are very talented artists. There was also a room that displayed Marjan's family's immigration story from Slovenia (former Yugoslavia). La Boca is still a working-class area with a cluster of attractions near the Riachuelo River. Steakhouses and street artists surround the pedestrian street known as Caminito. Before leaving La Boca, Paola took us to the El Gran Parisio restaurant just off the main Caminito for lunch…we had another excellent meal of Empanadas and Provoletta...good choice! Next, we went to the Barracas district of the city. Barracas is an industrial area that has been revitalized by painting of colorful murals. Our main interest in Barracas was to see the longest mural in the world painted by a single artist. The 2,000 sq meter masterpiece is the work of artist Alfredo Segatori. The mural includes portraits of real people, their pets and local factory workers. Next, we stopped and walked along Lanin Passage…Marino Santa María a plastic artist, decorated his home on Lanin Passage with colorful mosaics of shapes and varieties. Many neighbors joined in on the initiative and the passage has over 40 facades full of shapes and colors that make it an interesting street. Our final stop of the day was the area of Puerto Madero, the latest modern revitalized waterfront area of Buenos Aires. Today was another great day of touring this beautiful city with Paola.