Buenos Aires: Cafe Tortoni (February 2012)

My spouse and I and our tour guide stopped for a short break and some refreshments at Cafe Tortoni, in February 2012. The Cafe Tortoni epitomizes the "porteno cafe", but little is known about its origins. A French immigrant named Touan decided to open it at the end of 1858, and took its name from an establishment on Boulevard des Italiens, where the elites of Parisian culture used to meet. The cafe was frequented by a group of painters, writers, journalists, and musicians. In this cafe, time seems to have stood still like an old photograph, when people used to come here to play billiards, cards, or just to share a coffee with friends. With each day that passes, the place becomes an ever more indispensable part of the history of Buenos Aires.

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