Last summer in Barcelona, droves of unwitting tourists were squirted with water and told to ‘go home” by mass tourism protesters. The post COVID years have seen thousands of Australians rush to spend a few weeks having a hot Euro summer but it seems we are not all that wanted. So my suggestion to you is to ditch Europe and go to Argentina instead. It will cost you half the price and half your travel time. You’ll have friendly ‘portenos’ welcoming you with open arms. The Argentinian economy hasn’t been in the best of shape but that had added a layer of greater happiness to see tourists arrive to their sunny shores. A week in Buenos Aires will have you marvelling at the architectural wonders that make you feel like you are actually in Paris or Rome or Barcelona. The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes has its fair share of Rodin, Van Gogh, Rubens, Renoir, Rembrandt and Goya as well as a collection of magnificent Argentinian artworks from antiquity to 21st Century. And the museum was free. There were tree lined, expansive boulevards for miles, glorious parks and diverse neighbourhoods to meander through. We enjoyed a regular la hora de vermut at a local Recoleta bar called Radiante and ate some top notch food each night. Most two course meals were around $100 for two with a great accompanying Malbec from Mendoza. I felt completely safe everywhere we went and just loved the parks and plazas that were dotted everywhere. It was a great city and it was a shame we only had 4 days because I’m sure we only scratched the surface.
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