The Oldest Subway In Latin America
We found Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express train in Buenos Aires! - Or something that resembles it. The Subte (subway) in Buenos Aires is the oldest in South America and also in the Southern Hemisphere. One of our favorite things to do was taking the historical Linea A Subte which was built in 1913. Taking a subway? Yes! Subte tickets are very cheap, a one-way ticket costs less than 30 US cents per person.
Sure, the taxis are more comfortable and are cheap too (flagdown rates start at 3 pesos, which is US$1), but we just love taking the Subte, especially Linea A! The carriage cars on this line are the oldest in South America. Inside the train, there are the very old wooden seats, wood-panneled walls, dining-car-like ceiling lights and even mirrors! At the end of each car, we also saw a closed door. Was it a toilet in the olden days?
Lovers kissing passionately on the train (couples are very passionate in Buenos Aires)
Grace and her favorite subway
La Casa Rosada (’The Pink House’) is the official presidential residence and Argentine government headquarters. The first-floor balcony on the building’s northern wing is used by the country’s leaders, and once by Eva Perón, to speak to the enormous crowds that gather below.
The Casa Rosada was built at the eastern end of the Plaza de Mayo, a large square which since the founding of the city of Buenos Aires has contained the top political institutions of Argentina. The current building, however, dates back only to 1873 and was constructed over the foundations of an earlier customs house, post office, and fortress.
Plaza de Mayo
This is Plaza San Martín, in the neighborhood of Retiro, a 12-minute walk from our apartment. You can see the Torre de los Ingleses (The English Tower) in the background. It was a gift from the United Kingdom and is a small replica of the Big Ben.
This botanical garden is a welcome carbon dioxide absorber
Porteños lying on the slope that leads to the fenced and guarded memorial honoring Argentines who died in the 1982 Falklands War
One of the many trees in the park. We don’t know what tree this is, but if you do, let us know!
On the left is the church “The Basilica of the Santisimo Sacramento”. On the right is the Kavanagh building, which was the tallest building in South America in the 1940s.
Quiet downtown street on a Sunday
The European and rich architecture of this neighborhood
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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That tree is a “Palo Borracho” (drunken stick), when those fruits open, they spread wool like seeds which fly around in the wind.
We were suspecting it was the Palo Borracho, so thanks for confirming it!
I think the door you saw on the subway at the end of the wagon is the driver’s cockpit, is like a wooden cabinet. I also love the Linea A subway, you can travel in the first seat and look right to the tracks like you were the driver, even more, if you open the windows you can feel the wind.
Regards from Argentina.
Thanks for your comments. The Linea A subway is really an amazing thing.
We miss Argentina!