Day 5....January 12, 2016
Tigre, Argentina
Tigre sounded like our kind of place. Our visit today would also be a "scouting" trip of sorts since we plan to return to South America next year and take the ferry from Argentina over to Uruguay.We were told that the ferry ride from Tigre to Montenegro, Uruguay is the way to go.
Today was another spectacular summer's day in Buenos Aires. Crystal clear blue sky and a high of 88 degrees.
We walked from our hotel and took the subway to Plaza San Martin. From there we walked to the train station, bought our ticket and hopped aboard.
The train was spotless and comfortable! It's primarily used by the executives who commute to work in Buenos Aires from the gorgeous suburbs adjacent to Tigre.
Between stops, vendors would board the train hawking their wares. Forgot your fingernail file? Not to worry...there's a vendor who just boarded and is walking down the aisle selling huge fingernail file Emory boards which are in every florescent color imaginable! Don't leave home without them! Immediately after she got off, another vendor got on selling candy.Then the musicians boarded the train between stops. Never a dull moment. Our favorites were the wonderful Peruvians who played their flutes and sang. It was such an enjoyable and relaxing 50 minute train ride thru the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The cost was $12.00 Argentinean pesos which was approximately 85 cents US.
We got off the train and who should we see, but a fellow Seahawks fan in Tigre, Argentina!
As we walked down the dock we saw that the tour boats were filled to the brim with tourists and their tour-lunch was in coolers on the roof!
Tigre's name is derived from the name "tiger" which is what the early European "settlers" thought they were hunting here, when in fact it was jaguars which roamed this area. The European's started farming this once wild area and produced fruit and harvested timber selling to ports upstream on the Parana River. Tigre soon became a thriving, popular port. Today, many of the old buildings proudly remain and the old fruit port market is now a riverside craft's fair.
These vintage mahogany canal boats and other expensive motorized boats are the favorite way for folks to travel thru the labyrinth of interconnecting streams and rivers that surround Tigre island..
We spent hours walking along the lovely tree lined promenade above the river's bank.
We passed multiple banners advertising rowing clubs and upcoming regattas. There were lots of boats!
Stunning mansions lined the streets.
They call these "humble" homes which are actually lovely waterfront properties.
There are few dilapidated "fixer-upper" homes
on the river's edge.
There was a beautiful french style garden across the street from the famous
Argentinean Naval Museum.
Make no mistake about it, the repercussions of the Argentinian invasion of the 1982 Islas Malvinis, know to us not as the Malvinis Islands but as the Falkland Islands, is very much a pulse point with the Argentians.
We ended our journey at the riverside restaurant Maria Lujan. It had both a stunning interior
and beautiful outside dining. We ate a scrumptious meal on the deck overlooking the river.
We checked out the ferry to Uruguay and accommodations for future travels and then took the train back home to Buenos Aires. We walked over to Florida Street and stopped in the Florida Garden Cafe to say good-bye to our favorite waiter and dessert!
Back to the hotel to pack for we leave Buenos Aires very early tomorrow morning to fly to
Ushuaia, Argentina.