San Telmo’s Fire

San Telmo is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires.  It’s an amazing place full of great cafes, bars, restaurants, antique shops and some cool sights.  The architecture in San Telmo, like a lot of parts of Bs As, is amazing.  I hope to add more about San Telmo in the future, but for now I want to give everyone a peek at “La Feria de San Telmo”.  Every sunday, Defensa street in San Telmo is jam packed with vendors, food, and street performers.  Looking down the street at the throng of people, it seems like it goes on forever.  There are a lot of tourists here from all corners of Argentina and the world.  The people, the food, the buildings, the trinkets…the energy is amazing.

The vendors sell everything from cachivaches (trinkets, knick knacks, junk), to t-shirts, to amazing handmade works of art and leather goods.  A person could spend all day (and all their money) trading with the locals.

Vendors line both sides of the street for blocks

A typical vendor's table selling mates, drinking vessels for the traditional drink, yerba mate

Just when you think you have come to the end of La Feria, you come upon the semi-permanent Feria de Antigüedades where you can find a million tiny pieces of the past.

You break it you buy it...

Even if you are not interested in buying anything, there are still many reasons to visit San Telmo.  One of these reasons is the people.  As if the variety of different races, cultures and languages you can find there weren’t enough, there is also a host of street performers.  From the intriguing to the talented to the strange and unusual, San Telmo has more than it’s share of interesting characters that will have you stopping to stare, take pictures and, if you are gracious, to drop a coin in their hat or guitar case.

A living statue in San Telmo; resist the urge to push him over

One of many amazing musicians on Defensa street

The Invisible Hombre

As a general rule, the architecture in Buenos Aires is amazing.  The eclectic mix of European, Latin, old and new will have you wide eyed and light headed as your neck swivels back and forth trying to take it all in.  San Telmo is no exception.

The buildings send your imagination on a joyride through what might have been

Cienfuegos, 100 fires, a cigar shop that caught my eye in San Telmo

A shop in San Telmo with the Argentinian flag draped over some antique steamer trunks

If the noise of the crowd were to quiet down for a moment, I’m sure you could hear whispers from the past tempting you with the secrets that lie around each corner.  San Telmo is an amazing place, and there is so much more to see than what I have shown you.  I will add more photos to the photo gallery when I have more time.

Until the next installment…..Chau!!