As soon as I exited the subway station, I found myself swept away by this acoustic spectacle. We all know that Buenos Aires is a very noisy city, but on this Sunday, things were different. The city was still.100, 000 people sitting in lounge chairs sipping mate as they quietly listened to the magical sound of the distant bells.

I was lucky enough to find a spot to sit on the steps of the Cathedral. From here I could observe and take photos of the bells of the Siemens Building, city hall and the Cabildo. It was 630 pm and the city lights were starting to light as the sun slowly shined away from La Reina Del Plata (the queen of  plate (silver)).

It was so quiet because the audience were so hypnotized by the sounds.  At one moment a kid skated by on his board and people shushed him to get off as if he were making noise in the Colon theater. Next to me there were a couple of students from the states that were fascinated. One was from Montana and the other one Californian. Like most foreigners I talk to, they adore Buenos Aires and as I, they had never heard of a bells concert. This was a first for us.

Suddenly a really really scary sound reminiscent of the days of the Malvinas War came to life to haunt the memories of the spectators, an anti air raid siren at full blast. This combined by an awesome show of first class fireworks. Suddenly everything started to tremble and the sky filled with lights, explosions and yes, frightened pigeons fled in terror as their early evening was interrupted. I can’t remember when was the last time I saw so many pigeons, more than I saw at Trafalgar Square in London on my last visit.

The show culminated with a deafening spectacle of intermixed sirens, bells and expiations adorned by our superb architecture and the incandescent lights of the rockets. It was one unforgettable hour of amazement and awe. Two hundred cities round the globe have experienced this entertainment round the globe since 1988. Come back to Buenos Aires soon, this is something that should be repeated after evening mass on a Sunday during the summer – it would be a smash hit!

By order of the mayor, the rectangle formed by the avenues Alem, Paseo Colón, Belgrano, Lima, Cerrito and Corrientes were turned into a haven away from cars and urban noise. The night  belonged to the clanging of  bells from the centenary towers of the  Parroquia de San Ignacio de Loyola, in  Bolívar and Alsina; the five   bells of the convent of  San Francisco, in Alsina and Defensa; the former Prensa building ,in  Avenida de Mayo 575; the  Cabildo, in  Bolívar 65, the bicentennial  convent of San Juan Bautista, in Alsina 820; the clock tower of the city  legislature, in  Perú 130; the chapel of San Roque, in Bolívar and Defensa; City Hall , in Bolívar 1; the Basilica of Santo Domingo, in Defensa and  Belgrano,and  the church of  San Miguel Arcángel, in Mitre and Suipacha.

You could be standing on any corner of the historical district and thanks to the peace and quiet; you could hear the concert, even the most distant bells. At the end, I walked up the middle Diagonal Norte towards the Obelisk with no traffic. The only noise was the footsteps of the thousands of portenos and Buenos Aires visitors that surrounded me as they literally marched home with great smiles and a quiet and reflective mood.

Bravo Buenos Aires, Bravo Señor Macri – obviously he does have his moments and gets it right – let’s praise our beleaguered mayor, when he deserves it of course!!

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We head back to the port around 5pm to 6pm and then take a leisurely drive to Buenos Aires City. It is possible to arrange a boat to take you back to the city, arriving at Puerto Madero early evening. We needsuch instruction at least 14 days in advance.

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