BOTTOM LINE:
Buenos Aires tour
NOTEWORTHY:
The President of Argentina has to be Catholic!??
BACK STORY:
We took advantage of a leisurely morning, eating a yummy breakfast that was provided by the hotel. Every detail in service had been considered. I felt like I was having a private "tea Party" first thing in the morning! This is on the opposite spectrum from the Hostels of New Zealand that we stayed in for a month and believe me, I am appreciative beyond words!!!
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| breakfast bar |
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| my little feline friend |
We were to be picked up at the hotel for a personal city tour by Stella our guide at 2pm. I had a little time before her arrival and decided to walk around the immediate neighborhood. We had been warned to NOT carry our passports or any large sums of cash or jewelry out in public. There are thieves and robbers who openly pick on tourists, so I was on the defense.
I started with a little kitchen shop across the street. I found it odd that when I tried to enter the store a woman had to unlock the door from the inside. I had the same thing happen in two more shops. I later found out that there is a real shop lifting problem so stores with a lot of small items keep their shops locked so that they can monitor who comes in.
I visited an interior design shop and had fun talking with the young owner. I then entered a clothing store that was advertising their new fall 2014 clothing line. It's so strange to think that we are going into spring and summer back home, but here the shops are filled with sweaters, coats, hats and cold weather necessities.
Our driver showed up at 2pm sharp with our guide, Stella in tow. It was to be a four hour tour and believe me, every minute was filled with historical, political and life facts of the city.
The country of Argentina has approximately 35-40 million people. Buenos Aires (the Capitol) has about 3 million in the city proper, but 12 million in the sprawling surrounding areas. Being in nature for a good portion of this trip, it was a bit of a culture shock to be back in a large city. It was a bustling metropolis!
The city was divided into districts, each having a distinct specialty, appearance and feeling. Where we were staying was the Palermo Soho district, filled with designer shops, boutiques and outside cafes regarded as favorite dining spots for that perfect Argentina steak and regional wine. Palermo also has a sub-district of Palermo-Woods.
The drive to our first stop took us along a busy boulevard that abutted the Airport (Aero Parque Buenos Aires) where national flights are made in and out of the city. The larger airport where international flights are made is about an hours ride out of the city. The national airport sits on the banks of the Rio de la Plata (Plata River) which is large enough that you cannot see the other side! We not only passed the airport but also a planetarium, a huge horse race track, plazas and a large Mosque.
We reached our first stop and were dropped off in La Boca District. La Boca (the mouth) is home to the first port and where immigrants arrived on ships. Most immigrants were from Italy, Spain and France...hence the architectural influences through out the city. Between 1880-1920 three million immigrants made their way to Argentina.
The immigrants had nothing...no jobs, no money, etc. so their first homes were built of scrap wood and corrugated metal. They created multilevel tenement apartments where there was a small central patio and doors off the patio lead to small flats or apartments. The patio was shared by all residents to socialize and exchange information about their new country.
As they could afford paint, they began coating the exteriors of the buildings in whatever colored paint they were given at a bargain price. The paints were bright in color with contrasting door and shutters. The vibrant display was undoubtedly uplifting to the spirits of the poor immigrants experiencing hard times. The neighborhood today continues with the bright display of color.
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| La Boca |
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| Vivid colors |
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| La Boca district |
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| local bar |
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| old tenement |
As wealthy Europeans arrived, they built large mansions away from La Boca in what became known as, San Telmo. Many of the poor were hired to serve the wealthy in a variety of jobs. In 1871 a Yellow Fever epidemic broke out in La Boca. The wealthy abandoned their mansions to move even further away establishing some of the largest Estancias (ranches) in the area. One particular mansion was taken over by 32 families from La Boca giving a visual contrast to the lifestyles of the rich and famous!
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| tenement turned into shops |
While in La Boca we were able to see one of the preserved tenements that are being used to live in today. Next door was a cafe with outside seating. A platform was built and a man and woman were dancing the Tango to music. This is the area where the Tango was believed to originated. With serious and seductive music and moves, the poor immigrants were able to express their lives through dance.
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| wall painting |
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| La Boca plaza |
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| Tango dancers |
Our driver swung by to pick us up and we were off to the Recoleta or "Little France" a district where European culture, buildings and homes were duplicated. To get to Recoleta we drove through the San Telmo district to see the mansions that had been abandoned by the wealthy.
Montserra district was next and home to many cathedrals such as Santa Domingo where the current Pope Francisco had been a Priest.
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| the Pope |
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| Cathedral Santa Domingo |
St Mayo Square is where the "Pink House" built as the first Spanish fort was located. The structure is to be the home of the President, however the current President (Christine) lives elsewhere. The color of the mansion has been treated for preservation purposes with a mixture of blood, grease and lime.
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| Presidential Palace |
St Mayo Square is where public demonstrations are made for a variety of reasons. Every Thursday a large group of Mothers and women quietly march in commemoration for the missing men/boys from the military dictator Jorge Rafael Videla in 1976. 40K males disappeared never to be seen again!!! This is the woman's way of making a quiet public statement "never to forget!"
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| St Mayo Square |
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| Peaceful demonstrations at the square |
The Centro area was crossed when we got onto "Avenue de 9 Julio" which is the largest avenue in the world with eight lanes in each direction...larger than the Champs de Elise in Paris.
The area of Ricoleta is where the Monks lived in Cloisters...a religious center of the city. Today it is known for the Recoleta Cemetery. The cemetery began as one for the men of the cloth in the 1700's. In 1822 the cemetery became public and opened to the wealthy of the city who bought large plots to build huge mausoleums and structures which would hold caskets or urns. The place took up a huge city block. A person could easily get lost in the jardin. The diversity of styles, intentions and size were amazing. As family members die and plots are abandoned, the remains are moved to another location and the sight is then open for purchase.
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| Recoleta Cemetery |
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| Duarte family with Eva Peron |
In 1811 Argentina Had its war of independence and separated from Spain. In 1911 Argentina celebrated its first centennial. Countries around the world shipped gifts to the President for the celebration. Britain sent a beautiful clock tower. Odd how in 1976 Argentina waged war against Britain for the Falkland Islands. Locals call it the "stupid war" which wasted the lives of 600-800 young men and women.
On the way back to our hotel we drove by the Embassy area to see the United States building. We called it an early evening as we had an early flight in the morning.
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| US Embassy |
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