Blog

By Jennifer McAllister, Class of 2004
Photos by the author

As docents – have you considered how our approach compares to other guides around the world? I am always interested to take tours whenever I travel, keeping this question in mind as I observe the tours. During this past February, I took several tours when my husband Larry and I visited South America, with stops in Santiago, capital city of Chile; Buenos Aires, capital city of Argentina; Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Ilhabela, Buzios and Santos, the largest South American port which well-serves Sao Paolo, most populated city of Brazil), and Uruguay’s Punte del Este and her capital city of Montevideo.

General impressions: Mainly, perhaps due to my American-centricities, I was surprised at how seldom I encountered other Americans and what little direct American culture I sensed. I found the cities to be more sophisticated and developed than I had anticipated, especially Santiago and Montevideo. Yet their development had been strongly impacted by European immigrants. Our limited Spanish fluency did not prevent us from comfortably exploring these venues, due to the hospitable, service-oriented people that we met.

I had the opportunity to follow four special, excellent “Free Tour” guides, each one provided by a native resident who was a fluent English speaker.

In Santiago, I took a wonderful three and a half hour walking tour led by Santiguan Felipe of Free Tours Santiago. A working actor and screen playwright, Felipe was wonderful! He was enthusiastic, organized, informative, engaging, and a great storyteller, which he facilitated through his facial expressions and body movements.

After we toured the Plaza de Armas and some surrounding buildings, we walked through Nuevo York street and the Cultural Center Palacio de La Moneda, which included the Presidential Building (which I toured later, but with a Spanish-speaking guide). We continued past the Universidad de Chile, with a stop at the street vendor for mote con huesillo, a traditional Chilean drink of barley and sweetened tea, and then at the machismo “coffee on legs” vendor. Then we continued around Santa Lucia Hill, to Lastarria area where we stopped for strong coffee at Mulato’s. We continued our walk, along Rosal and Merced and the La Barra of Bella Artes neighborhood to the beautiful Beaux-arts Palacio de Bellas Artes. We continued along the edge of the Parque Forestal, through a convoluted street maze that resulted from construction for the upcoming motor (Formula E) races that weekend. We walked through Bella Vista neighborhood and the trendy restaurants and bars complex of Patio Bella and Constitucion. We concluded near La Chascona, the museum house of Pablo Neruda, which is near the park at the base of San Cristobal Hill (which itself is tour-worthy).

In Montevideo, I arrived at the wrong plaza at Plaza Constitution, but explored its weird antique flea-market stalls. Fortunately, Larry and I made it in time to take the two and a half hour Montevideo Free Tour walking tour. The guide was personable, engaging and controlled the large crowd well. He explored various historical and political topics, and did not shy from expressing his egalitarian opinions and some of his anti-money politics to the mostly-cruise-going-tourist group. Our tour began at Plaza Independencia, which was surrounded by various buildings, including the refurbished but closed Solis Theater and the Eclectic-style Palacio Slavo (Buenos Aires has its twin, Palacio Barolo). We finished at the touristy Mercado de Puerto near the port.

Sites along the walking tour included exit from Plaza Independencia through the Puerta de la Ciudadela, a remnant of the Citadel Gate at the Plaza Constitucion, and the 1790 Spanish Neoclassical Catedral Metropolitana. The Old Town was very pedestrian-accessible, and enchanting. However, we missed going along the extensive pedestrian/biker walkway Ramblas along the beachfront and also missed the opportunity to take tours led by women architects Marta & Silvana, especially to see the Art Deco gems. Another good reason to re-visit!

In Buenos Aires, I took two excellent Buenos Aires Free Walk Tours, which were based on voluntary tips ($10-$15). The day before morning tour, Larry and I had walked through the Recoleta Cemetery, in part to discover, unsuccessfully, Eva Peron’s gravesite. I was able to find it at the end of my morning tour, with help from the tour guide.

The morning tour took three hours and began at Plaza Estado del Vaticano. The guide was excellent and managed his group of ~50 tourists very well. In the way of the porteño (person of the port, as Buenos Aires natives are known), he carried his mug and hot water container to make the traditional verba matte tea; he had a charming rustic persona. He spoke about BA as the “Paris of South America”, and  and that while she failed to (initially) impress Paris, she succeeded in impressing everyone else by becoming the cultural capital of South America.

With the city’s extensive monuments and neighborhood parks, he suggested we visit these sites: Teatro Colón; La Avenida 9 de Julio (the world’s widest boulevard),  the San Martín and Independence War Memorial; Torre Monumental (the Big Ben of South America); Plaza San Martín; the Malvinas/Falklands War Memorial; the memorial of the 1992 terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy; the Colonial Franciscan Convent; the grand entrance into La Recoleta cemetery, and the posh Buenos Aires, fanciest avenue in Buenos Aires. And of course, we must see the homes and palaces of aristocratic families which were popular among members of the wealthy class of Recoleta to glorify oneself to one’s peers while still alive.

The afternoon tour was two and a half hours and began at the gate of The National Congress (Av. Entre Rios 51). The guide, who spoke English well, emphasized her love of history to our group of about 40 visitors. We began at the National Congress and walked the grand boulevard of Avenida de Mayo, with its architecture and sites, while she discussed the “glorious and terrible periods of our history . . . our biggest achievements and our cultural struggles.” We finished in Plaza de Mayo, heart of BA and city-center since the colonial period, the “place of expression of the saddest and happiest moments of our history.” (Features here include the Congress Building; the Palacio Barolo and its mysterious architecture; the Evita Mural; the Cafe Tortoni its tango show; the Plaza de Mayo (the heart of BA);  the Buenos Aires Cabildo (colonial town hall); the Metropolitan Cathedral and Pope Francis Museum; the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (honoring the women who protested against the  state terrorism and atrocities during the 70s-80s); and the pink Government House where Eva and Duarte Peron spoke from the balcony to the populace below in the plaza.)

Of course, travel has its daily ups and downs. In Panama City, my roller carry-on bag was mistakenly taken by another passenger as he exited security. I did not realize that he had my bag until he already had left security. Fortunately, staff were able to retrieve it after viewing the video feed and tracking down the other passenger. Would that happen here?

And in Santiago, my iPhone slipped out of my bag while passing through the customs conveyor belt. I didn’t realize this until we’d driven away in taxi. Fortunately, Patricio, from our hotel’s staff, telephoned the airport’s lost and found. Can you believe it – someone had turned it in and we were able to get it back by driving back to airport and walking to the customs office. No harm done, other than additional taxi fare and emotional distress!

There simply is too much to see during just one visit to any one of these cities, much less to see them all in one main trip. But visiting these cities was definitely enhanced by taking walking guided tours led by knowledgeable, talented guides.

Buildings of Special Interest:

Santiago’s Gran Torre by Cesar Pelli – at 64 stories, 300 meters, tallest building in Southern Hemisphere (still?), near the HUGE Parque Metropolitano.

Santiago’s Centro Cultural Estacion Mapocho is a former train station adaptively reused as a cultural center.

Santiago’s Centro Cultural Metropolitano Gabriela Mistral is a fun place to engage with the local art and culture.

Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Art Deco Christo Monument.

Buenos Aires’ and El Ateneo, a splendid bookshop in a reconverted opera house; Teatro Colon, the main opera house; and Art Deco National Historic Monument, Kavanagh Building.

Montevideo’s refurbished but closed Solis Theater, and Eclectic style Palacio Slavo, with its “twin” in Buenos Aires at the plaza by National Congress.

Free Walking Tour websites:

Santiago: https://www.freetour.com/santiago/free-walking-tour-of-santiago

Montevideo:  https://www.freetour.com/montevideo/curioso-free-tour

Buenos Aires: www.buenosairesfreewalks.com/

Many more treasures can be explored here:

https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/argentina/articles/the-10-most-impressive-buildings-in-buenos-aires-argentina/

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/20-must-see-buenos-aires-landmarks

https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/chile/articles/a-tour-of-santiagos-architectural-landmarks/

https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/chile/articles/a-walking-tour-of-santiagos-architectural-landmarks/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294323-d12328963-Reviews-Tours_Art_Deco_Montevideo-Montevideo_Montevideo_Department.html