We’ve spent the last couple of days hanging out around the Palermo and Recoleta barrios of Buenos Aires, both very close to our friend’s apartment where we’re staying. Well one day we did seek out the IMAX to see Avatar (which I actually really liked), but let’s be clear that that screen is not exactly in Buenos Aires. Although it’s called Center Norte Buenos Aires, we had to take one subway, one bus, and two taxis to finally get ourselves there. The first taxi driver wouldn’t take us (he said it was lejisimo, super far away) and the second was able to connect our subway with a bus route. Since then, we’ve mostly just been sticking close to home. An interesting discovery we have made is how early the subway stops running; the last car leaves at 10 pm. This is in a city where the earliest dinner is served at 9:30 pm, even on weekdays, and generally lasts for at least two hours even if one only orders a main dish. The only reason I can think as to why the subway closes so early is taxi unions.
A Subway Mural
Trains are the Fastest Way to Move Around the City During the Day
Our first stop in Palermo was the US Embassy, where Garret got more passport pages added to his nearly full passport. The last time we went through Immigration, I was afraid they weren’t going to let us in because they had to stamp his passport in a margin. Immigration and customs officials do NOT like this, as stamping is a very important job duty, taken seriously, and they do not like to have to crowd their stamps together. So I made it a priority to look up the embassy and visit. It is much easier to visit the embassy here than to have to visit the one in LA, or pay for expensive shipping to mail it somewhere back home. Plus, we are going to Uruguay in a couple of weeks, and I want them to let us in! The embassy was very close to the Plaza Italia stop on the subway, and the entire process took just under an hour. It felt like a little piece of home, from the security screening (where we dutifully gave up all liquids, gels, and electronics until our exit) to the very cold air conditioning, to the very organized lines and numbered windows. Other stops in Palermo included the Japanese Gardens, the Rose Gardens, and an organic vegetarian restaurant called Bio.
The Rose Gardens in Palermo
Characteristic Japanese Gardens in Palermo Make for a Pleasant Stroll
Bio, an Organic Vegetarian Restaurant in Palermo
One afternoon, we took a walking tour of Recoleta from BA Free Tours, and explored some of the more ritzy and aristocratic parts of the city. Highlights included seeing some of the nicest buildings in the city (including one that was made entirely of French materials), the most expensive hotel in the city, and people watching for those that had had plastic surgery (Buenos Aires is reportedly one of the top destinations for “Medical Tourism”).
Statue to San Martin, Hero and Liberator of South America (meeting place for BA's pm free tour)
The English Tower was Renamed After British Relations Declined Following Falklands-Malvinas War
The Posh Park-Hyatt Hotel in Recoleta
The Recoleta Church
We returned to Recoleta to see the amazing Recoleta Cemetery, an amazing cemetery hosting the remains of many of Argentina’s most influential people from artists, philosophers, writers, presidents, scientists, and of course, Eva (Evita) Peron. I had no idea that her body was in such demand– but it was apparently embalmed, buried, recovered, transferred between Argentina, Italy, and Spain, and stored in attics, dining rooms, and other odd places before she was finally buried in the family vault in Recoleta Cemetery beneath many steel plates more than 20 years after her death. Read this fascinating article about Don Peron’s and Argentina’s obsession with her body after her death; totally fascinating and creepy! The mausoleums of the cemetery are huge- wandering among them feels as though one is walking through a city street with towering buildings on either side. It’s almost as if they were still competing in death as to who had the nicer dwelling. But they are beautifully crafted, and make for one of Buenos Aires’ top attractions (and they have no admission fee).
Walking Inside Recoleta Cemetery
Some of Them Were Large Enough to Live In!
A Pair of Lions Adorn This Family Tomb
Detailing on a Tomb Entrance
The Family Tomb of the Duarte's (Evita's Tomb)
A Loved Dog is Part of One Family Tomb
We still have more that we would like to see, including a Tango show, and some more restaurants and museums to visit. But we’re going to Cordoba, Iguazu Falls, and Uruguay for a couple of weeks first. We’ll be back for a couple of final days before we fly home at the end of the month.
