Buenos Aires has no fewer than 48 official neighbourhoods or barrios. We visited a handful of these and picked a few to highlight some of the flavour of the city.

San Telmo….This is an old historical neighbourhood with cobblestone streets and low-story colonial buildings. It is the land of street art, antique shops and a cool old market dating back to 1897. On Sundays, there is an additional outdoor street market that goes on for blocks. We were really impressed with the quality of goods in the market – lots of handmade items from clothes to pottery to jewelry to leather goods. We even found pieces of art created from old vinyl record albums! There are clearly a large number of very creative and talented artisans in Buenos Aires. We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon snacking and browsing our way through the market.

La Boca….One word says it all – futbol! La Boca is home to the famous and much-loved (or much-hated depending on your allegiance) Boca Juniors. They play at the impressive La Bombonera Stadium. The neighbourhood around the stadium is definitely blue collar and rather gritty. It was not recommended to wander too far off the beaten path in this hood due to petty crime but it is colourful and has a lot of character.

Puerto Madero….Once the old port, the waterfront of Puerto Madero has become one of Buenos Aires’ newest and ritziest neighbourhoods. This area is home to high-rises, high end hotels and some very expensive real estate. More importantly for us though, it has become our favourite place to run. The sidewalks are wide, the traffic is light and it is attached to a large nature conservation area with lots of riverside pathways. Perfect when you want to get away from streetlights and pedestrian traffic on the city’s sidewalks. On Sundays, you will see this area well used by families playing in the parks, food trucks on the boardwalk and even dancers strutting their stuff.

Palermo….Palermo is a lovely neighbourhood with large grassy parks, shady lanes and lots of funky bars, cafes and restaurants. There is also some good shopping and cool design studios here. We spent an afternoon here learning how to make and taste Yerba mate at an artisanal mate shop in Old Palermo. Can’t say I am a convert but it was interesting to learn about the ritual that is mate.

Microcentro….This neighbourhood is more or less centred around the Plaza de Mayo. On one end of the plaza is the Case Rosada which houses the president’s office and is where Evita famously addressed the people of Buenos Aires from her balcony. The other end of the plaza is home to the Catedral Metropolitana, where Pope Francis hung out before he got promoted and moved to the Vatican! From the outside, the cathedral looks very un-cathedral-like. It has a triangular facade perched atop neo-classical columns….almost Greek in appearance. The inside, however, is much more what you would expect to see in a Catholic cathedral.

We made a special trip to the Plaza de Mayo on Thursday afternoon to witness the ongoing protest march of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo. These women gather every Thursday and have been doing so since 1977. Originally it was a form of protest against the ‘disappearance’ of their children during the Dirty War in the 1970s and 80s. They would gather and walk two by two around the monument in front of the Casa Rosada. They are famous for the white scarves that they wear on their heads. The white head coverings were originally diapers – used to symbolize their children that were taken by the government and never heard from again. Currently the march supports a variety of human rights causes but continues to be quite moving and emotional to witness.