September 13, 2018

September 13, 2018

This morning we got our coach tour of the city. Our first stop was in the posh Recoleta neighborhood to see its cemetery. It is small but jam-packed with elaborate mausoleums. The main attraction is the tomb of Evita Peron. She is not buried with the Perons but rather in her father’s Duarte family mausoleum. Eva died young of cervical cancer, and Juan Peron remarried. Evita was an ambitious actress from a humble background who married a future president. She became a spokesperson for women, the poor, and the working class in Argentina.

Our next stop was downtown at the governmental Plaza de Mayo. At one end is Casa Rosada. This Pink Palace is the executive mansion of the Argentine President. The balcony is where Evita used to give her rousing Socialist speeches.

At the other end of the square sits the Metropolitan Cathedral with its Neoclassical Greek Temple facade. Rebuilt many times, the interior is ornate. As Archbishop of BA, Pope Francis used to perform Mass here. The cathedral contains the tomb of San Martin, the George Washington of southern South America. It is guarded by two ceremonial sentries. Outside the church is an eternal flame.

Our next stop is the southern neighborhood of La Boca. Whereas Brazil has a mixed ancestry, Argentina was populated by great waves of Italian immigrants. They mostly settled in BA arriving first in this neighborhood. Today, it is famous for its brightly colored buildings, artisans and souvenir shops.

Near the hotel we had a pizza lunch and then gave ourselves a taxi tour of some of the city sites that make BA so interesting and such a great place to live.

One is the El Ateneo bookstore. It is considered one of the most beautiful in the world because it sits inside an old Opera House. How is that for re-purposing old buildings!

Aimee didn't believe me when I told her I wanted to next go to the Gallerias Pacifico mall. It is an indoor shopping center in an old Beaux Arts building with a beautiful ceiling Fresco. After getting some pictures I had to follow behind while she browsed the stores.

Down the street is San Martin Plaza with a monumental equestrian statue of the Argentine liberator.

As a break from our power tour we stopped at Cafe Tortoni, the oldest coffehouse in BA. After waiting twenty minutes outside for a free table, we had hot chocolate and milkshakes.

We made it back to the hotel in time for our group Tango lesson. The two instructors taught us very slowly the moves and steps of this very intricate dance style. Eventually Aimee and I were able to do a basic dance albeit clumsily. Fortunately they gave us an instruction sheet so we can practice it at home.

Since Portenos (BA residents) eat dinner late, restaurants don't open until 8PM. We taxied to an Argentinian Steak House called Parilla Pena, featured in a 2017 WSJ article. It is a non-descript joint packed with locals. Aimee and I had Rib-eye and mashed potatoes with a bottle of wine. Delicious! We are stuffed so we decide we need to walk back to the hotel.

The bill was outrageously inexpensive because the Argentine Peso has tanked compared to our strong dollar. Like many countries today, Argentina is borrowing too much to maintain overly generous welfare policies.