"In the early part of the last century the vast quantities of meat and grain that Argentina exported to the world made it a country of colossal wealth. Completed in 1908 and occupying an entire block of the city's gridiron street layout, the Teatro Colón was conceived on a scale to symbolise that wealth, a jaw-dropping manifestation of the phrase heard back then from New York to London and beyond: As rich as an Argentine."

I recently visited the Teatro Colon twice in two days, the first was a guided tour in English with my new friends Ramiro and Meghan. The teatro is truly spectacular and should not be missed but... at a cost of 60 pesos the tour showed us a limited amount and the commentary was nothing you couldn't learn on google in 2 minutes.

However, the beauty of travel blogging is that you all get to learn from my mistake. After the tour I went to the ticket desk and bought a 10 pesos ticket (less than €2) for the Ballet Temporada - El Corsario the next evening. Granted, I was in the standing gallery on the 7th level but it meant seeing the teatro from a birds eye view as it was intended to be experienced. Apparently the best sound is on the top level where I was standing in what they refer to as the Chicken Box.

I saw the well-to-do ladies in their dresses, I saw the lights dim, the curtain part and heard the orchestra pierce through the silence and anticipation of the crowd. As tightly toned men and women pranced and danced across the stage in sequined leotards and flamboyant costumes I compared the two experiences in my mind. The tour was was a sheep-herding tourist trap that ticked the box whereas at the show I felt the colossally decadent Teatro Colon come to life as it breathed and heaved with creative human expression.

After the show I walked down Avendida Corrientes, one of the main streets in BA that extends 69 blocks and is intimately tied to the tango and the porteño sense of identity. It's also home to Güerrin, one of the oldest pizza places in town. I ordered a slice of Mozzerella pizza and ate it at the stand-up bar. It's a lesson in cheesiness as you dig around looking for the crust beneath the melted goo. In the end I gave up the search and ate it with a knife and fork, enjoying every last stringy biteful.