Sleepless in Buenos Aires

I am only sleepless because there is so much to see in this amazing city!

Today I went to the most amazing bookstore - El Ateneo.  It is located inside of a very old theatre.  It has 4 stories and balcony seating where you can sit and read.  This store could very well be the best bookstore in the world.  I thought of my sister, Judy, and all my book loving friends...it is a thrilling place!  A big thank you to Michelle for suggesting it.



El Ateneo, a book lovers heaven.



The stage of the theatre is now the bookstore café - you can sit on stage and sip your Coca-Cola Light while reading a good book.  The Diva in me loved it, I almost broke into a monologue.



The stage cafe - you can still see the old equipment for the stage behind the curtains



After the bookstore I walked to the main square.  I stopped for lunch at my favorite restaurant, McDonalds (I am on a budget!)  The first McD's was too busy so I went to a second McD's about 3 blocks away.  It was also so busy I barely found a seat.  Wow - these people love their McDonalds as much as I do.  I enjoyed my cheeseburger "Cuarto de Libra Con Queso", fries and water. The line up for the $1 ice cream cones was out the door otherwise I would have had one of those too.

Looks almost the same as in Canada!

After McDonald's yummy gastronomic treat I walked to Plaza de Mayo.  This central square is  heart of Argentina's political scene.  Mothers, who's sons were killed in by the military government in what is knows as the "Dirty War", march every Thursday at 3:30 pm.  They are called the "Madres de Plaza de Mayo".  At first there were only 5 marchers.  The mothers wear white kerchiefs that have blue needlepoint on them .  A white minivan pulled up, and 15 more Mothers came out in their kerchiefs and marched.  People clapped in time with the marching, and were chanting in Spanish.  It felt very political!

Statue with the symbol of a tragic past.

Mother's March.  In the background is the Casa Rosa where the president lives.  It is from the balcony of Casa Rosa where Evita addressed the crowds.

Another district in Buenos Aires that has a lot of history is "La Boca", which means The Mouth.  It is a very old area by the river where Italian immigrants built a community.  They used the leftover paint from the shipyards to paint their houses - it was very colorful and reminded me of St. John's, Newfoundland.  It was also very sad to see how tough their lives were, and still are.  Multiple families live in one small row house.  They do have a famous soccer team - the Boca Juniors.

Corner house in La Boca.

Entranceway, La Boca.

After all this walking and exploring I am certain I will not be sleepless in Buenos Aires any more.

I don't see dead people...

It is very, very humid and 27 degrees today.  Cloudy and muggy...what a perfect day to view the Recoleta Cemetery.  There are almost 5000 crypts and mausoleums that make up the cemetery.  Each mausoleum can hold up to 30 family members.  That's a lot of dead people!

Recoleta Cemetery



Narrow lanes in between mausoleums of beautiful marble, granite and bronze sculptures.  Very crowded.

This cemetery is famous as this is where Evita rests.  When Evita passed, her body was stolen and was hidden in Spain, and then Italy.  16 years later, a group of Argentine rebels stole the body of a prior Argentine president from the cemetery.  The rebels would not return the president's body to the cemetery until Evita's body was returned to Argentina.  What an amazing woman to inspire so many Argentinians.

Duarte was Evita's maiden name.

There was one tomb of a young girl who died on her honeymoon.  The young couple chose to ski in Switzerland for their honeymoon, and she died in an avalanche.  She was only 19 years old.  Her family created a bronze statue of her and her dog; she is wearing her wedding dress.  I found the statue very moving, it was beautiful.  It is good luck to rub the nose of the dog in the statue...so I did. 

The puppy's nose is glimering from all the good luck rubs.

Another story was of a young daughter who died, and had a very quick funeral and burial (16 hours).  After the funeral they put her in a marble tomb.  The next day the top of the marble coffin was slightly open.  The body was covered in blood, especially her fingers, and her clothing was ripped.   It turns out the girl was accidentally buried alive.  Now people believe that her ghost roams the cemetery.  There is a marble statue of her opening a door to symbolize her attempt to get out.  What a sad story!  The tour guide had us all captivated.

The detail in the statues is amazing, and the cemetery is an amazing collection of artwork, history, and dead people.



This statue of a mom and her baby is amazingly lifelike.



Take off, eh!

 

I made it!  I am safe in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The flight from Calgary was ~1 hour late due to the blizzard (good riddance!).  The Toronto flight was 3 hours late.  The toilets on the plane weren't working and had to be fixed (Otherwise, that could have made for a really shitty flight).  I didn't read or do anything to pass the time during the 3 hour delay.  My mind was so thankful not to be cramming, planning an excel spreadsheet or visualizing a powerpoint presentation.  I truly enjoyed sitting, watching and being in the moment.  What a gift! 

I was concerned with all the warnings regarding being in BA alone.  In fact, the family that sat behind me on the flight was shocked I would come to BA alone.  Not very comforting…

All turned out well.  I met another female traveller which really helped the transition from airport to hotel.  Her name is Ashley.  She is studying at UBC to be an ophthamologist.  We exchanged some US cash for Argentine pesos, hired a remis (chauffered car) and split the cost.  It was nice to have someone to chat with.

I went out for dinner in the hotel lobby restaurant.  It was really exciting to have my first official South American "cupa de vino tinto".  Nothing extravagant or fancy, but symbolic nonetheless. The first of many, I hope! The most interesting part of eating solo was when my waiter asked: "Dos yourrr husbeend let you eat deener by yourrrself?".  Ummm...yup, I guess he does?!?

Monday, January 10, 2011

A sunny morning that turned into full rain for 30 minutes, then into a beautiful sunny day again.  Neat!

I explored downtown BA - the Microcentro.  I walked around until my feet could not take it anymore.  I walked all the way to the Retiro Terminal de Omnibus (bus station), which took about an hour.  Likely wouldn't have taken this long if I didn't keep going down the wrong roads.  (In my defense, there are multiple 5-way intersections with big parks in the middle).  When I got to the ticket booth, I needed to have ID to make the purchase.  I left all my ID in the safe in the hotel.  So, I trekked back to the hotel, only to find that my drivers license was in my bag.  Duh!  So, back to the ticket office to buy my ticket on the Via Bariloche bus to Iguazu.  I purchased SuperCama which includes a fully reclining bed/chair, dinner and breakfast.  Not too shabby!  I leave on Thursday.

Retiro Station

Plaza Fuerza

Wow, you can social network historical sites!

I was excited to walk Florida Street.  It is a pedestrian street with shops and restaurants. There was a great mall but it has the stores we do in Canada (Nike, Adidas, Puma, Estee Lauder etc.).  The streets are all filled with people, but Florida Street was shoulder to shoulder.

Florida Street - is that dude taking my picture?

After Florida Street I found the Obelisk.  It is on the largest avenue in the world (9 de Julio).  I counted at least 14 lanes of traffic, with an 8 car turning lane!  The buildings are all very old, and many are sandstone and about 10 stories high.  The balconies all have the traditional Spanish wrought iron railings.   There is so much history here that as a Canadian - I really recognize how young our country and cities are.

Count 'em - 14 lanes of traffic, not including the 2 side streets!

Obelisk and tree.

I had lunch in the famous Café Tortoni.  The café was built in  1854 and is where many artists would hang out.  The bar inside was dark wood with brass and there was stained glass and marble throughout.  I had my first "borderless sandwich", and Argentine classic.  It was a grilled cheese with ham and tomato - with the crusts cut off.  I felt like a spoiled 8 year old and loved every minute of it!

Streetside entrance.

Amazing ceiling in Cafe Tortoni.

I walked to Teatro Colon - the famous theatre in BA.  Unfortunately it was closed.  The sad thing is that it has been closed for renovations since 2004 and the mayor promised it would be open in 2010 for the centennial celebration.  Oops, guess he missed that one.

Teatro Colon (theatre).