ARGENTINA has been in the news a lot over the last year as new former economist president Javier Gerardo Milei steers the country through his own brand of controversial right-leaning reform.
I took the opportunity to spend a few days in Buenos Aires recently en route to a cruise to see how the capital shapes up as a tourist destination. I also uncovered some surprising Scottish connections.
I’m old enough to keenly remember the Falklands War in 1982 between Argentina and the UK. On my British Airways flight down, I’m reassured that I won’t come across any bad blood as a hangover from that brutal conflict.
“That was a long time ago and although many people want the Islas Malvinas back, we don’t hold a grudge against people from Britain. And visitors are very welcome,” fellow passenger Raul smiles, before going on to tell me about the “Scottish Argentines”.
This is news to me, not fans waylaid during the 1978 World Cup, but the name given to Scots living in the country and those of Scottish descent. Scottish roots in Argentina go back until at least the early 19th century and are celebrated today with parades, Burns Night and other Caledonian-tinged events.
We made our mark too in education, having founded the St Andrew’s Scots School in 1838 and Balmoral College a century later. Even controversial Argentine president Juan Domingo Perón was said to have had Scottish ancestry through his great-grandmother.
There are football links too and not just Tartan Army delight at a certain Maradona handball. Buenos Aires Province’s Club Atlético Douglas Haig is named after Edinburgh-born Field Marshal Douglas Haig and still plays in the Argentine Third Division.
The man dubbed the “Father of Argentine football” was a Scottish schoolteacher. Alexander Watson Hutton schooled pupils in the “Beautiful Game” at St Andrew’s Scots School, going on to found the Argentine Association Football League, which I’m told locally was the first football league outwith the British Isles.
The links continue today with Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister claiming Scottish roots around Glencoe and Fife. His older brothers Kevin and Francis have also been footballers and they’ve all played together in Argentina.
I fittingly start my explorations in the La Boca neighbourhood. It’s famous as the home of legendary football team Boca Juniors. Catching a game at their La Bombonera stadium is a quintessential Buenos Aires experience.
They’re not playing when I’m in town so I content myself exploring this lively area, with its striking brightly coloured houses. At night the area has a dangerous edge, though I experienced no issues (other visitors have reported thefts and muggings) wandering around the main streets by day.
My plush hotel, the Sofitel, is in a more salubrious quarter, Recoleta. Grand European-influenced architecture soars around wide tree-dotted streets. There are designer boutiques, classy malls and famous restaurants. Also the remarkable Recoleta Cemetery. The great and good of Argentina are buried here in lavish tombs. That of Eva Perón (nicknamed Evita), the former first lady of Argentina, with her Scottish Argentine husband, is particularly striking.
I could visit Evita Museo to learn more about her. Instead, I channel the excess of the Peróns as I indulge in El Mirasol de la Recova. Argentina is, of course, famous for its steak, so I try a local favourite, the delicious bife de chorizo. Best washed down with a glass of Argentinian Malbec. It’s a joy to sit outside at night in December.
My meal at Mirasol is not cheap, but this is a city of three million with something for all budgets. On my second night, I try Parrilla Peña. For not much more than a McDonald’s back home, I tuck into one of the best ribeye steaks I’ve had outside Scotland, cooked right in front of me. A naughty treat is the provolone grilled cheese. Enjoyed with barely a tourist in sight.
Buenos Aires doesn’t really have an essential sight like the Louvre or Statue of Liberty. That is not to say there isn’t anything to see. My three days are swallowed up checking out the iconic public space of the Plaza de Mayo, where the city and country’s history come alive. There are the cafés and posh restaurants of the tree-lined Palermo district and San Telmo, which is older and more traditional. The city is awash with museums and galleries too.
Buenos Aires may be synonymous with football and so is tango. It’s nothing short of a national obsession and the city has a swathe of venues where you can experience tango first hand. There are even classes if you have more time. Unesco has gone as far as recognising the cultural heritage of the city’s tango.
I leave Buenos Aires impressed with a city definitely worth a few days where you will dine supremely well and have plenty to see. Sublime experiences too if you’re a fan of football or tango. Join me next week as fly to the Rosario “Islas Malvinas” International Airport on the southern tip of Argentina to join the SH Diana, Swan Hellenic’s polar class expedition ship, for a spectacular voyage to the frozen continent of Antarctica.
Robin flew to Buenos Aires with British Airways (www.britishairways.com) via London. Economy and premium economy seats are available, as well as business class beds
