Buenos Aires Part 1!

Lonely Planet describes Buenos Aires (BA) as an electrifying city but one that "acknowledges the city's riches coupled with the despair of not realizing its full potential."  We heard to "be careful" but were mostly just eager and ready to settle in and get to know this city for the next 10 days.  We stayed a few nights in San Telmo, the historical heart of the city, which is lined with cobblestone streets, cafes and plazas and is really close to the microcentro (downtown). To understand the city's history better, we toured an interesting archaeological site close to our hostel called El Zanjon de Granados.  The site was a rich Spanish family's mansion until 1870 when yellow fever hit the neighborhood and the rich moved to Recoleta.  It was then an immigrant tenement house for over 100 people for the next 75 years and then completely abandoned and fell in to disrepair.  A man bought it in the 1980's and during the repairs, discovered old tunnels, sewers and water wells dating back to 1730 which he meticulously reconstructed.  Historians now believe this was the site of some of the earliest settlement of BA dating back to 1536.  

The rich look funny but they're drinking their mate from a bombilla, just like all the locals do now!

Hard to imagine big BA this small!

This was where the famous river once was tunneled.  Now the museum owns this property from underneath their neighbors. 

On Saturday, we joined a free walking tour.  We started at the Congress building which was modeled after the US Congress Building and completed in 1906. In is across from the Plaza del Congreso which was filled with beautiful sculptures and pigeons.

The Congress building (L) and a famous old cafe (R) which is now boarded up (but houses homeless).  Demonstrates the proximity of wealth and poverty in this country. 

Cotton candy seller. Everyone's just trying to make a living

An original 'The Thinker' sculpture by Rodin. 

We walked through the widest avenue in the world, Av. 9 de Julio (the date of independence), which is not actually the widest (Brazil has one twice as wide) but Argentineans will tell you the one in Brazil is a highway and thus, it is still the widest avenue in the world.  

Indigenous protesters live under those blue tents and have been protesting to the government for months. 

Palacio Barolo (1923) was designed in accordance with the cosmology of Dante's Divine Comedy.

The beautiful historic apartments (like Palacio Barolo) of the 1900's line Av. de Mayo which also was hosting a special market and dance show, right in the middle of the street.  I loved the colors of the vendors and these young girls about to perform folklore dances.

Soon we were at Plaza de Mayo, the heart and soul of BA. Casa Rosada is the presidential office building on the east side and the Catedral Metropolitana is on the opposite side.  This is where Pope Francis served as Cardinal for decades.  I included an old photo of the Catedral from 1887 as well.

More protesters outside the fences surrounding Casa Rosada. 

The Capildo was a government house back in the 1600's.

We left the tour here to tour Casa Rosada which offers free tours on the weekends.  Christina Kirchner is the current President and from what we've gathered, she isn't very popular (elections are in October so I expect a new President will be elected).  Demonstrations frequently take place outside the Casa Rosada too.

The rose hue is due to original paint mixtures that contained cows blood but also could symbolize historical respect between two past political groups: the reds and the whites (= pink). 

Casa Rosada in 1900

Still it was interesting to walk around and see the different rooms.  We even were filed through Kirchner's actual office (and saw little kid drawings on the wall behind it, etc).  I highly doubt any free tour will EVER go through the US President's actual office!

The guard in the main meeting room.

The Women's Room highlights women's contributions in politics (note Evita's photo) and is used for press conferences.

This room is used for swearing-in and official musical presentations. 

I liked hearing more about Eva Peron, the wife and First Lady of President Juan Peron back in the 1940's and early 50's.  She worked tirelessly for social issues like education and voting (women were only finally able to vote in Argentina in 1947!) and the entire country was devastated when she died of cervical cancer in 1952 (she was the first Argentine to ever receive chemotherapy, which was still in its infancy as a treatment method).  More on her later when we tour her tomb in Recoleta.

The famous balcony overlooking Plaza de Mayo where Eva "Evita" Peron, the beloved First Lady from the 1940's, would give her speeches.  We tried to sing like Madonna from the movie (also filmed here) but it didn't go over well. 

After the tour, we ventured back to the famous Cafe Tortoni, the oldest coffee shop in the country.  Opened in 1858, it has hosted intellectuals, politicians and artists to relax and enjoy their famous coffees.  We tried the Submarino which was a hot glass of milk and a piece of chocolate, shaped like a submarine, that you drop in the milk.  Soon, it's delicious hot chocolate.

I loved the historic photos they displayed in the back like this one showing the Cafe in 1901. 

That evening, we moved to our airbnb in Palermo, a newer part of the city, and met up with Ravina, our Canadian friend from our Mendoza airbnb for dinner in the fashionable Palermo Soho district. After a great dinner, we ventured to Frank's Bar, a trendy speakeasy where we needed a code and a special number to enter the bar through an old (and working!) telephone booth.  

On Sunday, we found yoga in the local park and a local flea market where Mark found a functioning Remington Portable typewriter from the 1920's for a great deal.  Sunday is also the big San Telmo Market which runs for many blocks and includes thousands of unique art, jewelry and gifts.

After the vendors break down their stalls, Plaza Doreggo turns in to a molanga where tango music and a makeshift dance floor allows anyone who wants to partake.  We let the experts do their thing and just enjoyed from the sidelines.

Buenos Aires Part 2!

Our full week in BA started with daily Spanish classes for Suzy and time for Mark to study and look at jobs etc. I met with a private Spanish teacher at a local cafe for 3 hours a day.  María has a Masters in Language Studies and I enjoyed the chance to practice past tense verbs and pronouns.  Language is like a key to a big beautiful house that's filled with culture and people and right now I'm still peaking through the door, watching everyone have fun on the inside.  Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo with her.

I like this interesting ad that shows the Argentinean love affair with Fernet (like Jager) and Cola

We've also spent mornings running around Palermo or chatting with the Belgium cousins also staying at our AirBnB.  On Tuesday, we toured the famous Recoleta cementario. The free tour made the tombs come alive so to speak.  Recoleta is actually quite small since it was founded in 1820 (less people living and dying back then) and now is famous for its eternal guests which include past presidents, artists, wealthy porteños and the most famous resident of all, Evita Peron.

'Requiescat in pace' is Latin for Rest in Peace

Cemeteries are the best places to play with the B&W camera features

The top sculpture is an angel pointing heavenward to direct the women leaving the casket.

Eternal resting in Recoleta is very expensive which is weird since many tombs are in such disarray like this one.  Little caskets are sad too.

The tomb below shows the sculpture of a 19 year old woman named Rufina who collapsed suddenly in 1902.  Her devastated family buried her here but when the caretakers went in after the funeral, they found the casket had moved.  Fearing graverobbers, her family ordered it to be opened and they found scratch marks on the inside.  Apparently, she suffered from 'catelepsy' and woke up later only to die of suffocation.  I read it could be an urban legend (though supposedly people buried in caskets after this were buried with a little bell just in case) but this tomb and casket are one of the most beautiful in the cemeterery.  

Another sad story involves 26-year old Liliana who died in an avalanche in Austria on her honeymoon in 1970.  The same day, her childhood dog Sabu died in Argentina.  Her devastated father elicited this piece that shows her on her wedding day with her childhood dog and wrote a very sad poem in Italian which is written on a plaque (translated here).

The story of Evita Peron's body is seriously just crazy. Here's the quick summary (more here):  She died in 1952 and was embalmed.  Husband/President Juan Peron was kicked out by a coup in 1955.  Her body was taken to Italy in 1957 and buried in Milan under a false name (since the coup leaders didn't like the Perons).  It was exhumed and flown to Spain in 1971 where Peron and his new wife Isabel were living in exile.  It was returned to BA in 1974 and briefly was on display (when Peron was re-elected as President).  She was finally buried in Recoleta in 1976 with her sister and her husband who was wealthy (aka- that's why they had a spot in Recoleta, not because of her notoriety). Her casket is 17 feet underground and fortified like a nuclear bunker.  

Seriously, this is a tomb complete with a huge cupola and sitting area!  In the basement, there is room for up to 40 coffins.  These spaces at Recoleta are very expensive and require annual payments from the families.  If the payments stop, the coffins are moved to another cementery and the spot is re-sold.

After the cemetery, we caught an Argentinean documentary at the renowned BIFICI (international film fest) about Tita Merello, a crass and funny singer/actress whose career spanned 6 decades until her death at age 98 in 2002.  I only wish we had more time to see others like the renowned 'A Schoolgirl's Diary' from North Korea.

We also had so many delicious and lovely evenings with family friends. María and Eduardo meet up with Mark's parents Dale and Astrid every October in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On Monday, they were so kind to pick up up and drive by some interesting parts of the city like the Polo fields and the beautiful US Embassy building.  We then enjoyed a relaxing dinner with delicious local Malbec wine at their beautiful apartment in the newer part of town. 

On Tuesday, they picked us up again to head to Sergio and Carolina's apartment. They are another couple who travel to Florida every year too. Sergio is a surgeon and an asado (BBQ) master.  We arrived to a flaming grill filled with many different kids of meats and vegetables. Their kids speak excellent English so we had a fun evening of Spanglish and delicious food.

Sergio, the 'asado-master'!

Their apartment has a wonderful BBQ spot in the backyard, complete with the big grill!

Enjoying a delicious meal with new friends!

On Wednesday, the brother of Xavier and also a friend of Mark's Breck coworker Eric, Gustavo, picked us up for dinner as well. I think you see now how amazingly kind, welcoming and generous Argentinians are! Gus is a colonel in the Army (their other brother was AF so all the brothers served long military careers). It was a wonderful evening! With his wife Lili, we enjoyed a delicious parillada (mixed grill) of chorizo (sausage), morcilla (blood sausage) and chulines (intestine).  Yes, intestine.  Mark was very kind to finish the many items off my plate that I just couldn't but nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed this very authentic dining experience!

Closed door dining is also really popular in BA. Chefs welcome you in to their home for an intimate dining experience. We thought this would be fun but compromised on the cheap vegetarian option in San Telmo. Turns out one of the chefs is from Colorado and has lived here for 5 years. Her partner from Costa Rica and her dished up delicious Costa Rican inspired dishes like mushroom soup and potato tacos. We finished with fruit and homemade chocolate and enjoyed conversations with people from the US, Israel, Australia and even two locals who come every week because they love it.  Funnily enough, as we walked away, Mark decided he was still hungry and so we found a local brewery and chicken wings.  

The next day we spent walking around San Telmo and Centro to see the Casa Rosada by night.

 We also swung by the magnificent Teatro Colon, which we would tour the following day. It is considered one of the world's great theaters.

A fire juggler in front of Teatro Colon who told us that he works as a baker during the day.

We also had another great evening with Maria, Eduardo, Sergio and Carolina and ended up drinking vino and talking until almost 3 in the morning!  As we walked home, the clubs were just getting busy but alas, my party all night days are over.  This truly is a city that never sleeps!  

On Saturday, we visited two local markets.  They are huge here and I really wonder if the venders actually sell anything.  Many of the items were very artistic, hand-made and creative but alas, I couldn't buy it all.

After seeing SOO much street art (and graffiti), I finally saw someone in the act!  Looks like he was covering old tags with a cool colorful design.

While Mark dined, I visited the Evita Museum because it's hard not to be captivated by the history Evita, her husband and Argentina in the mid-1900's.  The museum is in a beautiful old mansion that the Eva Duarte de Peron Social Aid Foundation purchased in 1948 and it served as a home for poor and transitioning women until 1955 when the coup expropriated the Foundation's assets.  Her life, work and death were detailed in pictures, video and artifacts. I may have to actually see that Madonna movie when we're back now!

Wedding photos and a very interesting quote.

"I am the wife of the President of the Argentine people, but presidencies expire and in the end history does not remember a simple marriage bond, but rather an unselfish heart and an upright conscience." (1947).  She was absolutely correct.   

Evita also opened an Escuela de Enfermeras (nursing school)

The main hall where the sheltered women joined together

The mansion is once again 'home to Evita'

President Roca wasn't likeed by the indigenous population so they successfull petitioned to have Evita grace the new 100 peso bills!  The old still work of course but its interesting to have two different ones.

We also met up with Christy, our wine guru friend from Mendoza and Santa Cruz.  It's been a lot of fun to meet up with other travelers along the way.  I especially applaud solo women travelers and we've met many (Fio, Ravina, Fio, etc).  While I've traveled on my own in Europe and Asia, South America could be a little riskier at times and I felt those concerns as I walked cautiously back a few blocks alone in a shady shopping area at night to meet back up with Mark after saying good-bye to Christy.  I'm grateful for my travel buddy but still love that so many women travelers don't let the lack of a travel buddy get in the way of seeing the world!