Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Buenos Aires Photo of the Day - Seltzer Bottles

One of the many, many charms of Buenos Aires is that it is still a seltzer culture.

I grew up with a glass bottled, metal-capped siphon of "Jewish champagne" in my grandparents' fridge. I still seek out "water with a kick," as my nephew used to call it, whenever I can. Most travels abroad I'm just happy I can get my water with bubbles in a regular water bottle, but in Buenos Aires I discovered in many cafeterias (a term they seem to use for cafes that also serve food) one could order "soda" and get a personal-sized plastic siphon of soda water (seltzer) all to one's self! (More on that later)

These classic siphons were for sale at the Sunday fair/flea market at Plaza Durrango in the San Telemo district. Prices were about $30 to $150 each, depending on the rarity and condition of the bottle.
Buenos Aires Tourist Tip: This Sunday market was one of the largest and best street flea markets I've ever been do. Do plan on being in Buenos Aires over a Sunday so you can take it in, bring lots of pesos (although some dealers will take dollars) and leave lots of time. The fair is huge.

5 comments:

Sean said...

How incredibly cool! Were you able to procure a seltzer bottle or two to bring back stateside? You could make a few bucks off them I'm sure. I know I'd buy one. :)

FJKramer said...

Sean,
They are heavy! And the nicest ones are no longer as inexpensive as they once were. My friend bought one, but I just took pix.
I did however drink as much seltzer as I could hold whenever there was an opportunity.
Faith

Cassie said...

What a fantastic picture. Even the seltzer bottles down in Buenos Aires are vibrant!

FJKramer said...

Thanks. It's one of my favorite photos, too.

Anonymous said...

nice photo. it is Plaza Dorrego. I just got back this morning. Fabulous!