Nature in the City

I set out for a long hike into the Reserva Ecológica Costanera del Sur, a massive park and nature reserve situated in between central Buenos Aires and the vast Rio de la Plata. The "River of Silver," so named because it was the main means of transportation for the incredible wealth that came from the Andean mines of Potosí, is wide and broad by the time it reaches Buenos Aires and opens up into the Atlantic Ocean. It could be better described as a bay at this point, an expanse of water so wide that the opposite shore cannot be seen.

The park really exceeded my expectations, with extensive interpretive exhibits and information about the native flora and fauna of the region. It was an amazing sight to look out across the riverside wetlands to see the skyline of the city rising up in the distance. This park is a rare place where natural beauty can be found so close to the urban core of a great metropolis.

I found myself fascinated with the spring wildflowers, the flora of South America that was so unfamiliar to me. At one point, I stopped to observe a wildly beautiful flower that captivated me with its exotic beauty. A local jogger stopped as she saw me photographing the flower and she too was amazed. She said she had never seen this flower before and was not able to identify it for me. I later saw it described on an interpretive sign and found out that it is blue passion flower (Passiflora caerulea), known in Spanish as pasionaria.

After walking about a kilometer, I came to the wide open expanse of the Rio de la Plata. It looked more like a big brown ocean than a river, with gentle waves lapping up against the shore. By the time I finished the hike, I had covered about four kilometers of trails through wetlands, forests, meadows, and riverfront.

I hiked in a big loop, all around the park, coming back into the city in the Puerto Madero area. This is an old port district that has been transformed into a funky, hyper-modern area of renovated warehouses, towering highrises, and quirky waterfront shops and restaurants. I crossed the Puente de Mujeres, the "Women's Bridge," over the Río Dársena Sur, a small waterway that separates central Buenos Aires from the ecological reserve. Then I was back in the center of Buenos Aires, right below the Casa Rosada. I walked up the hill to the Plaza de Mayo, then down Calle Defensa into San Telmo.

That night I sat out on my balcony, listening to the sounds of the barrio under the beautifully lit towers of the Iglesia de San Pedro Telmo. Down in the street, a group of pícaros, straight out of a 16th century novel, were shouting and strutting around, waving a bottle, stopping traffic. From the corner came a deafening noise of percussion, as a group of musicians gave a raw and passionate performance through the streets of San Telmo. This was a prelude to the next day's Feria de San Pedro Telmo.

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