Welcome back!
San Telmo is one of the oldest barrios in Buenos Aires, and used to be considered pretty unsafe. It has undergone a big revitilization though, and is definitely a fun spot now. In fact, my Bridge TEFL class was in a building on calle Defensa, the main artery running through the barrio. The whole place is criss-crossed by cobblestone streets, little antique stores, and quirky shops.
Every Sunday Defensa is completely overtaken by a massive crafts and antiques fair. It’s awesome. Tons of crazy old antiques, hand-made jewelry, art, photography, books, pretty much whatever you can think of. I scored a great hand-woven alpaca wool sweater for the equivalent of $20 at the fair yesterday. It actually fits great and is softer than any shirt I own. My new friend Alana also got some jewelry for herself. I love spending an afternoon checking old knick-knacks and brick a brac.
After our wanderings we tried a restaurant my guidebook recommended, and it turned out to be a pretty nice spot. It was named Lezama for any of you locals or fellow travelers. Menu big as a textbook and portions to match, but still cheap. You can find it at Avenida Brasil 359. Food can hit or miss down here, but so far my guidebook hasn’t let me down. If anyone is thinking about traveling to Buenos Aires, the Time Out guide is perfect for young people.
I should have pictures posted up here soon to accompany my posts, but this dang flickr widget keeps giving me trouble. Stay tuned!
