As predicted, it is bucketing down today so again I grab the parka, umbrella and head off leaving the sunnies behind.
Where to? Hmmm where can I go where I can keep dry? I thought of a shopping mall and flagged that deciding to go to San Telmo on the underground instead.
It stayed dry long enough for me to get to Retiro station and from there I jumped on the train getting off at Independencia where it was buckteing down so I dashed to the closest cafe for tostada and americano ( coffee and toast). Nothing special but an OK start to my day. Being used to the excellent coffee in my part of the world I have found the coffee very underwhelming. Certainly lacking in strength, but apart from that flavour wise OK’ish, but its the structure that is weird. I haven’t seen many espresso machines, so wonder if they use pods as my espresso comes out with a heap of light golden froth and no substance to the coffee underneath. My hotel room has a filter coffee maker, but it needs special pre packed coffee bags. Of course, everyone carries exactly that specific type of coffee bags with them and so the hotel does not provide any. I’m glad I threw a bag of my short black into my bag and at least get hot water from the perc.
By the time I had finished the rain had stopped and a short walk took me into the neighbourhood of San Telmo where I felt heaven bound. This is more like I was just expecting, colour, soul, markets, street food and a bit more character. There were even a few street performers.
I wandered for hours then found the the building called San Telmo market. Note to self: glad it is not Sunday, the busy day, but this is a must do when I come back. Street food, delis, antiques. Heaven bound. Annoyed that I wasn’t hungry as there were food stalls galore and they sold things other than empanadas and steak. The market not only sells food but also is home to many antique selling booths and the odd touristy hand craft stall. Definitely on my to do list for when I get back. I understand the Sunday San Telmo market runs for about 12 blocks but that sounds horrible. The yum food I have seen today is enough to get me back to the market in this building.
There is also an outdoor Antique market on Sunday’s in the local square which they were setting up as I passed.
The whole area is very pretty, cobbled streets, very attractive buildings; some as narrow and shallow as a pencil, others more grand but all with cute character. Graffiti abounds and every now and then a neat piece of street art, not as good as I have seen in other places, but still colourful and fun.
I found the street of comics, a continuation of the statues I had seen the other day. Frustrated by the rudeness of other tourists who can see you are taking a photo and are more interested in the me, me, me shot than being polite and moving along, I eventually got a few pics and moved on.
I was annoyed that I wasn’t hungry (surprise, surprise) as I passed a parrilla that I wanted to try. What to do but walk till I was hungry, which I did, eventually making my way back to “Antigua Tasca de Cuchilleros”, the place with a beautiful love story attached. See the pic.
Known to have great parrilla I was looking forward to a decent steak that wasn’t over cooked. Just in case I ordered rare hoping to get something akin to rare but more medium rare, juicy and tender. Well lo and behold I get a blue steak. Too embarrased to send it back to be cooked I devoured same, enjoyed it but couldnt help thinking that, had I known that they knew what to do with steak I should have ordered the medium rare. Oh well.
The surroundings of this cute place made up for it. Whitewashed walls, windows out to a courtyard and oodles of character was enough. The staff spoke enough English to understand my mix of Spanish and English although I can now at least order a meal and a ‘cuppa’ of malbec in Spanish now.
Not sure if the other patrons are tourists or not but I was the only English speaker in the place (as I have been at most places) and felt like I was a experiencing the real thing. I’m so glad that restaurants have recently started serving wine by the ‘cuppa’ as otherwise I would be seriously inebriated (or else thirsty) with each meal, having to polish off a whole bottle by myself. I loved the vibe, the smell of BBQ and the warm convivial atmosphere. I felt like I’m home.
I loved wandering round this area, it had a buzz which I didn’t get in some of the other parts of the city. But, as they say all good things must come to an end and eventually it was time to head home. I found my way back to the train for an eventful trip back to Retiro and from there to the hotel.
Tonight I am going to a ‘Milonga’, a tango hall, so a nap beforehand is a necessity; my sleep only broken by the booms of thunder and the sound of rain pummelling my window. I hope it clears up as I don’t want to be traipsing round in the rain tonight.
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