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Cruise Guide > South America > Argentina > Buenos Aires | |
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Buenos Aires Time Zone GMT - 3 (GMT - 4 summer). Currency Peso (P) = 100 centavos. Language Spanish; English is widely spoken, as are French and German. Sightseeing Buenos Aires is literally littered with museums and magnificent mansions and buildings. The pink Presidential Palace, or Casa Rosada, was originally a fortress but was remodelled as a palace when Buenos Aires became the Capital of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata in 1776; it has a world-famous balcony, from which General Galtieri, Diego Maradona and Evita Peron have addressed the crowds at various stages in Argentina’s history. The neighbourhood of La Boca is best known for its football team, Boca Juniors, for whom the legendary Diego Maradona played, but also for its coloured wooden and corrugated iron houses. La Recoleta Cemetery is the final resting place of Maria Eva Duarte Peron or ‘Evita’ as she is also known. Located on Plaza Lavalle, the Teatro Colon is regarded as one of the greatest opera houses in the world and is an essential visit even for those not usually interested in classical music. The Italian Renaissance-style building highlights the city’s European feel. Shopping Leather, shoes, polo- and horse-related products, tango CDs, wine, and colonial painting. Mate, Argentina’s national drink, has a whole ritual surrounding its drinking, with a special vessel and stirrer. Buenos Aires is a shopper’s paradise – quite simply the best shopping city in the whole of Latin America. Items are expensive but the range and quality of goods are excellent. Eating Out Popular local dishes include empanadas (minced meat and other ingredients covered with puff pastry) and locro (pork and maize stew). Beef is of a particularly high quality and meat-eaters should not miss out on the chance to dine at a parillada, or grill room, where a large variety of barbecue-style dishes can be sampled. Argentinian wines are also very good and inexpensive. Country Argentina Region South America |