Buenos Aires- La Boca

 I went for a long run in the morning and really noticed the lack of water fountains in all the parks—or at least my inability to find them.

This afternoon, we had our last walking tour of the year. Since we had no other plans, we decided to walk the 5km to the starting point. The kids loved it, as there were Dulce de Leche tasters along the way, a very colorful park, and even some baby parrots in a nest. Overall, it was a fun walk.

Our tour took us through La Boca, (working class suburb) a vibrant and colorful neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Every street was filled with incredible artwork, celebrating the immigrants who started their lives here and the contributions of Quinquela, the artist who enriched the community. La Boca even attempted to gain independence from Argentina in a brief 1882 revolution calling themselves the Republic of La Boca, and seeking assistance from the Italian empire as most were immigrants from Genoa (Genovese). Though unsuccessful, they still consider themselves a unique group.

We ventured into the less touristy side of the neighborhood, where we saw a large mural of Maradona, who is revered as a god here. Next, we viewed a sculpture of Quinquela, featuring symbols representing the neighborhood. This was near the large sand sieves by the old port. When the new port opened elsewhere, jobs left La Boca, leading to increased poverty and crime, which gave the area a bad reputation.

We stopped at Argentina’s first volunteer-run fire station, also located in La Boca. True to the neighborhood's obsession with Boca Juniors, the firefighters' uniforms are blue and yellow, just like the football club.

Next, we learned about one of Argentina’s most famous football clubs, Boca Juniors. Their stadium, La Bombonera, is a major attraction for football fans. The streets are lined with blue and yellow, reflecting the club’s colors. Our guide, Pedro, explained that five friends, aged 15-17, started the club (hence the name “Juniors”). Unable to decide on colors, they went to the port and agreed to use the flag colors of the first ship to pass by. A Swedish flag came into view, and the iconic blue and yellow colors were adopted.

Then we visited Caminito, a vibrant open-air museum celebrating the conventillos—the homes of the immigrants. These houses were originally built from leftover shipyard materials, with residents using any available paint, resulting in the famous multicolored facades.

We ended the tour at the mouth of the river (which is what “Boca” means). The multicolored streets are lined with buildings Quinquela helped construct, including a cultural center, a pediatric hospital, and a primary school. From here, we also had a view of the historic bridge, now out of use but preserved as a symbol of the neighborhood, with locals refusing to allow the government to demolish it.

Afterward, we chatted with our guide about Maté, and he kindly took us to a friend so we could finally try it before leaving Argentina. While waiting for our Uber, we had the chance to watch a street artist sing the famous Caminito tango song, with a tourist joining in. Tango originated in La Boca and has become a symbol of Argentina.

We wrapped up the night at Pizza Data, where Savik did his school spelling test while we laughed at the reality of juggling it all.

Overall, it was a fantastic day!