2025_26 Oosterdam, Buenos Aires, Argentina...

I was up early and out for the sail into Buenos Aires.   We got the shuttle to the cruise terminal and meet our guide Paola for a tour of the city. Buenos Aires is known for its murals and Paola took us to see some different art in and around the La Boca area. We walked the streets of La Boca past the soccer stadium, the original and still today home of the first volunteer firefighters in the world established in 1884. To really experience the area, you need to walk the streets of La Boca to feel and understand the profound drive of the residents. Like many oppressed communities, La Boca was sometimes left out of history. Yet this neighborhood has fierce pride, and that pride extends far beyond its famous and revered soccer team. Some of the murals in La Boca depict scenes from its history. History sometimes glosses over the sacrifices of laborers, immigrants, women or the common people…street art in La Boca commemorates these untold stories. The streets of La Boca are adorned with murals that tell stories of the community, its struggles, its triumphs, and its vibrant cultural heritage. We stopped for our third visit to the Museum of Paola’s friend the famous Buenos Aires artist Marjan Grum and his wife Beatriz Corvalan. Marjan is now 86 and escaped from Slovenia in 1948 at the time of the Communist takeover and settled in Buenos Aires. The museum is a multi-floor renovated conventillo (tenement) built in the 1880s. Like many buildings in La Boca, the museum is very colorful. Various rooms house the work of both artists: Beatriz's paintings and Marjan's sculptures. We were served Mate the famous a popular caffeinated South American tea drink from the yerba mate plant, known for its energy boost! It was a pleasure to see Mr. Grum again. Just off the Caminito we stopped at the El Gran Parisio restaurant roof top garden. Next, we proceeded to the Caminito Alley in La Boca’s most vibrant port neighborhood, famous for its colorful corrugated zinc immigrant era houses, birth place of tango, street artists, and soccer passion, with Caminito or Little Path being La Boca’s iconic, museum like street, a major tourist draw, especially lively during the day. Leaving La Boca we drove to Plaza De Mayo and we visited the Metropolitan Cathedral before we walked to Gallery Guemes and up to 22nd floor viewpoint for stunning views over the historic Florida Street area and city domes. We spent some time strolling along Florida Street and made our way to the city's oldest church, St. Ignatius of Loyola built by the Jesuits between 1686 and 1722. We went into another gallery to a 2nd story viewport overlooking the church…what a view! Our last stop before returning to the ship was the oldest pharmacy in Buenos Aires where we picked up a few things. What a great day we had in Buenos Aires…such a beautiful and vibrant city…I have visited Buenos Aires on many occasions and it is always a pleasure to tour with Paola once again. She did not disappoint!  She took us to many new areas and sites. 
Tomorrow, marks the end of this cruise and the beginning of the next. Pretty excited!  We will be heading to Antarctica….