Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - La Plata

La Plata is the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires not more than 60 clicks away from the city of Buenos Aires. It was designed and built around 1882 to rival the capital city.

Unfortunately it has not grown much since its origins and is mainly a burocratic city with many elegant government buildings and a majestic cathedral.

Worth wile visiting I must say and easily accessible by train, bus or car.

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - Zarate

Now, Zarate is definitely one of the mayor cities in the northern part of the Buenos Aires province with a life of its own and a gateway to the province of Entre Rios though the Zarate-Brazo Largo bridge.

Among its amenities you will see a small area fashioned in the same style as the Mercado de Maschwitz where you can fine restaurants and cafes.

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - Campana

Campana is a City in its namesake Partido in the Buenos Aires Province wich sits 80 clicks from the City of Buenos Aires.

You can get there either by car, bus, train and also through the Parana River. Campana is mainly an industrial city which houses some important factories like Techint which makes oil pipes and Toyota.

Never the less it has its charms like its river side walk (Costanera) and some emblematic buildings 

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - El Mercado de Maschwitz

Definitely worth visiting not just for its shopping amenities and restós is the "Mercado de Maschwitz" a small shopping mall made of rescued materials from demolitions and full of interesting nook and corners to explore and make some nice insta shots.


Smack in the commercial area of Ingeniero Maschwitz you will find this market whose stores are small and fashioned in a resemblance of country barns and some of the "conventillos" you might see in the neighbourhood of San Telmo in Buenos Aires.

I normally loathe this places made of scrap materials, but have to say that tis one changed my opinion, since everything is very proportionate and picked with good taste.

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - Ingeniero Maschwitz

Ingeniero Maschwitz is a small city in the "Partido de Escobar"built in the early 1900s around its namesake train station.

Recently reinvented as a gastronomic stop, where you can find a variaty of restos with unique offers like this "Parrilla" right out of a cars body, called "cabeza de Toro".


and many other cafe´s and various small shops, most active during weekends.

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - Paseo Mendoza - Ingeniero Maschwitz

Entering "Paseo Mendoza" takes you away from the average architecture in the Buenos Aires province, Ii´s more like small towns in the Atlantic coast of Argentina or Uruguay.

This small strip mall is quite picturesque, built in modules with underpasses and staircases, it sports a lot of vegetation on its roofs and is quite beautiful in spring and fall.

 

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - Granja Don Benito - Ingeniero Maschwitz

Another cute place in Maschwitz is the "Don Benito Farm"right at the edge of town.

An abandoned farm turned petting zoo and community farm where you can stroll and watch enjoy nature in an area that is being rapidly urbanized.

 

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - Torrepueblo - Benavidez

Not more than 45 clicks away from Buenos Aires in Benavidez there is a very nice place to visit called Torrepueblo.


I have to say that it is not entirely accurate of an imitation but the proportions are quite right and it does have the looks and ambiance of a small italian village.

Actually this is a hotel with shopping mall complex designed to look like an italian village.

Bares Notables - Cafe La Poesia - San Telmo

I have mentioned before what here are called the "Bares notables" a variant of the cafes in Paris.

There was a time where you could find a Bar in every intersection in all the neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires, where mostly men gathered on a daily basis to talk about politics, soccer or any other hot topic of the moment.

Today those left are half nostalgia bars, half tourist traps, but among those you can find "La Poesia" at the intersections of Chile and Bolivar streets in San Telmo.

They do have a varied menu from which you can choose from coffee, beer or main dishes for lunch or dinner.

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - San Vicente - The Lagoon

So here we are again at a "Laguna" this time in San Vicente, if you come from Ontario where there´s more than a million lakes in the province, you will not be impressed, but if you come from some dry place you will ´probably enjoy the water.

Unfortunately in San Vicente the city planted some water lilies that basically took over the lagoon, but the area around it is surrounded by grass and pic-nic areas where you can relax and have a snack.6

 

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - San Vicente - Museo 17 de Octubre

You might know, or not who Peron was, if you go to Argentina you will hear or see enough of him.

The "Museo historico 17 de Octubre" is located in a farm Juan Domingo Peron owned in the Municipality of San Vicente.

Most of the thing that are in display are objects related to Peron and Evita, besides that his mausoleum is there, there is also the former argentine presidential train used by many presidents and Peron himself.

Besides the political connotation the place is quite nice with very well kept grounds and a small forest.

Exploring the Buenos Aires Province - Domselaar - El Castillo Guerrero

On the outskirts of the town of Domselaar you will find "El Castillo Guerrero" a mansion built in a blend of American colonial and French style.

Currently in advanced state of decay, the house was built by the Guerrero family in the late 1800s, if you visit the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, or Santa Felicitas church you will learn about the fate of Felicitas Guerrero a member of the family who was tragically murdered.

As of today, the house is listed for sale, hopefully it will be acquired by some hotel or resort holding and not demolished.

It has three stories of beautiful rooms and abasement that spans the whole building. several films where rolled here and is a magnificent relic of Argentina´s opulent past.