More Paris than Paris

A description of Buenos Aires by some random traveller we met. If it really is like Paris but much better then it sounds good to me.
First off there's a 12 hour bus ride from Mendoza to get over. Argentinean buses are excellent. There's no National Express crap here. Well in fact there is, much cheaper and more crammed buses are everywhere but when it's this cheap I think we'll travel first class. The bus even has a stewardess who supplies us with good food, steak obviously, and great red wine. A couple of movies and a bit of wine later and I slide back on my fully reclinable leather chair. Not bad.
Still, arriving early morning in Buenos Aires I'm knackered. The city is huge, 13 million people live here in the capital of Argentina and it's no surprising that it's heavily built up from a long way out.
The centre looks really good, akin to photos I've seen of New York and there's a resemblance to Paris, mainly in our hostel. We stay in the chic San Telmo area, famous for it's tango shows, art, music and romance. The hostel itself looks straight out of a French romance flick. High glass ceilings, checkered floor and ornate metal adorned doors. The croissants in the included in the breakfast are yet another nod to the French connection.
We head out for the Sunday market in San Telmo. The cobbled streets are pedestrianised for this flea market selling antiques and arts and crafts. It's crammed and rightly so. The colonial buildings make the place feel like it hasn't changed for years and the great street music create a relaxed colourful vibe. There's the standard street tango coupled with fantisticly fleet fingered Spanish guitarists. We watch an orchestra type tango kind of band on the street. They'd even dragged out an upright piano for the day. The music was soo good we bought a cd and considered going to their gig that night.
We'd heard about a newly renovated dock area that was similar to London. Not really. Not at all. It was a few renovated warehouses next to a brown and murky water setting. Not ideal. Plenty of overpriced restaurants but non had the appeal of the dimly lit stylish places in San Telmo.
Back there we went and as dusk arrived a large group of drummers filled the streets in a slow but constant march picking up people like the pied piper. The beats were a bit ramshackle though.
We bumped into a couple we'd met in Mendoza a few days earlier and mentioned the gig that evening. We met them later on and ventured into low lit back street club. Tango lessons were going on when we arrived so we hit the bar. It was a funky place that could've easily been featured in films like Amelie or Delicatessen. First up was a drum troop. These guys were amazing, and amazingly loud. Displaying samba to dance, to what was almost metal, beats. All following the lead conductor with expert precision.
When the band we'd came to see arrived on stage people were itching for a dance and began tango-ing imediately. Not for me, I can't dance. Fact. But it was good to watch people just doing it for the love of it rather than going to one of the many Tango shows on offer here.
The band were excellent. Who thought beardy accordian, upright bass and piano coupled with over the top Spanish vocals could sound this good? Very rock and roll.
This could be Europe. I love it.
Not bad for a first day.