Buenos Aires never fails to surprise. It’s so diverse. ‘On’ from early morning to late at night, our days were intense and jam-packed. This is the story of one day in BA.

One day we went for lunch in a palace. A smiling young woman greeted us at wrought iron gates. ‘Would you like to go to the second floor, or the garden?’, she asked. Of course we opted for the interior, hoping to catch a few glimpses of high living on the way. We stepped into an antique lift (there are ten in the building) and pulled across the wrought-iron curtain that clipped into place with a magnetic fastening. An ordinary object crafted with extraordinary beauty. We stepped out to face a glass-fronted cabinet, home to guns and ceremonial hats of yesteryear, and walked past a sweeping staircase and coloured glass windows. We continued a little tentatively, expecting every moment to be challenged, but suddenly we found ourselves  between two long, large, light-filled rooms, emitting the clatter of cutlery and the chat of diners. 

We were in Palacio Paz, 12,000 sq metres, three wings, four floors and one-hundred-and-forty rooms – all built for just one family. Maybe they did not like each other very much. It’s absurd of course. Jose Camilo Paz was founder of ‘La Prensa’ newspaper and had served as Argentina’s ambassador to France. He had presidential aspirations and hoped to make the palace his official residence. Sadly Senor Paz died two years before construction was completed and never got to live in his palace. His wife did – and then his son with his own wife, until 1938. Unimaginable. It could never have been a home. They must have rattled around there like peas in a pod. With their sixty servants! Designed to impress, to scream wealth and power, it’s a showcase of marble columns and gilded accents; a Versailles/Renaissance/Louis XIV/Tudor mash-up. But it is a reminder of the glory days of Argentina, a part of its history, so after lunch we joined the tour. 

I admired the beauty, and the craftsmanship and parts of it still have the power to wow. But after two-and-a-half hours I was glad to get out. Back to ordinary life. We got on a bus and headed over to Almagro, and El Banderin. Another Notable, and chalk to the Palacio’s cheese. 

Small, with tables spilling out onto the street on two sides, El Banderin is a down-to-earth bar, famous for its collection of football banners. Sometime in the 1960’s a customer returned from a holiday in Austria bringing back a flag as a present for the football-crazy owner. The trend caught on. And when another former customer went to Spain to play professional football, and started sending back a new banner every month, there was no turning back. There are now hundreds of banners, from the largest clubs in the world, to some of the smallest. One wall is devoted to Argentina and features signed shirts from the national side as well as the city’s two local clubs. (Two from River Plate – the owner is a diehard fan!)

Most locals sat on the outside terraces but I couldn’t get enough of the paraphernalia inside. I had a jug of lemonade for what a glass would cost elsewhere and Jim had a coffee for just under a euro and got into trouble for calling the young waitress ‘senora’. ‘Senorita’, she corrected him, while wagging her finger. The place had oodles of atmosphere, and I wished to be a fly on the wall sometime late in the evening. 

But on this day we had other places to be. We were at El Banderin because it was just around the corner from the C.A.F.F, the home of tango orchestra Fernandez Fierro. Tremendous energy, tremendous volume and very theatrical. The doors opened at 21.00 and just before 22.45 the hipster bartender morphed into bandoneon player. The makeshift curtain fell to the ground as smoke billowed and a dissonant, angry wail exploded from the stage. Wires trailed from the huge bandoneon, and the player lunged and lurched as spotlights pinned him down like a butterfly to a board. This was Frankenstein tango. Somehow, somewhere, something was lost in translation. 

Disturbing. Exciting. Provocative. Just another day in Buenos Aires. 

Practical Stuff. 

Palacio Paz. Av Santa Fe 750. 

To book a tour, go to the palace and speak to a staff member at the entrance. They will show you where to go. We booked in advance, but people turned up and were able to do the tour immediately. There is no English tour, but the lady made a big effort to speak Spanish slowly. Duration 2.5 hours! The palace can only be visited on a guided tour. 

There is a Croque Madame brasserie in the palace on the second floor, and in the garden. Both are lovely places to sit and the food is good, albeit a bit pricey. 

Practically next door to the Palacio is a branch of the wonderful Rapa Nui ice cream. (Av Santa Fe 772). Perhaps the best ice cream ever!

El Banderin. Guardia Vieja 3601. 

Orquesta Tipica Fernandez Fierro. Calle Sanchez de Bustamante 772 (Almagro). Tickets on sale at the door from 21.00 onwards, started playing around 22.45. Set lasted approx 1 hour. Snacks and drinks available at the venue.