Buenos Aires

February 11, 2008

Wow! I have been to Buenos Aires….a place that I have always wanted to visit. To be sure, I wasn’t disappointed.

Today was one of our three Virtuoso Days….a special day hosted by Chuck and Joan, our Virtuoso hosts. My great travel agent, Judy Brannon, and her agency are “Virtuoso” travel agents, thus I get this perk….and, as usual, this day with them was very special.

We started our exciting day by traveling along the grand Avenue 9th of July. This grand boulevard which is double the size of the Champs E’elsais (I don’t know how to spell it and am not going to take the time to look it up!!!!) in Paris. And what a grand street it is. With countless cafes and buildings and monuments and shops and museums all along…coming to this grand street would be reason enough to come to Buenos Aires.

We soon found ourselves at the Plaza de Mayo – the very heart of the nation. A white pyramid, symbol of peace and liberty stand in the center of this plaza and serves as a gathering place for those wanting to protest any cause. Mothers, for instance, rallied at the site since the “Dirty Wars” of the 1970’s when many of their sons simply vanished, ostensibly victims of a brutal and corrupt regime. Interestingly enough, many say that the conflict in the Falkland Islands was started as a diversion from these infamous disappearances.

At the far end of the plaza, Casa Rosada (a pink building, thus the name????) is the presidential palace. From the balcony facing the squre, Juan and Evita Peron appeared before crowds of supporters in the square. It was from this same balcony that Madonna sang her famous song in the movie, Evita.

We passed by the Theatre Colon which is under restoration and will celebrate it’s 100th anniversary later this year when this work is completed. Traveling through expensive residential areas we traversed through a huge public park that reminded me of Central Park in New York. Many man-made lakes filled with families in small paddle boats, large expanses of green where pick-up soccer games were being played, band stands, street vendors, brilliant-colored umbrellas over fast food stands….anything and everything that one would expect in such a large and public and well-used park.

One of the more colorful stops we made was in the “Roca” district…at least that is what I think it is called. A small “village” of small corrugated tin buildings that kind of stack on top of one another are all painted in a rainbow of bright vivid colors. Teal blue, orange, red, navy and green all covered the SAME building. The area, close to the very large soccer stadium, boast many tree-lined walking streets, open air cafes, street musicians…and TANGO dancers….people that appear to simply be enjoying their afternoon, having a coffee or a drink and enjoying a sensual dance with one another….so colorful. One enterprising couple was posing for pictures with tourists….and my friends George and Rudi both took advantage of the scantily clad dancer, complete with her ripped fish-net hose, wrapping her legs around them and planting a large red kiss on their check. It was well worth the couple of dollars I gave her for the photo.

But without question the highlight of the day was our visit to “El Zanjon”. Some historians point to the Zanjon de Granados Ravines as the site of the first settlement of Buenos Aires in 1536. A section of the old Zanjon was found under an historical 19th century building and a very far-sited couple purchased the property and has, for the last 25 years, spent untold money restoring this treasure. From the street, you think you are entering just an ordinary building, but once inside a whole new world opens up. With meticulous care and attention to detail we were escorted through a series of courtyards, and balconies and even tunnels where this former “city” thrived. The owners were our hosts and spent an hour of so showing us their prize and explaining, through photos, the hard work that they and numerous archeologists, architects, and designers that have worked to un-earth the history. The building is now used as a site for numerous events….what an imaginative way to preserve and restore such an important building. Thanks to Virtuoso we were able to enjoy this great spot complete with a small cocktail party including the most erotic couple tangoing….what a place!

Our day ended with a visit to the Cementerior Del Norte, better known as Recoleta Cemetery, the burial ground that features some of the most opulent tombs you have even seen. Many of the mausoleums were designed by famous artists and no less than 70 are national monuments. Among the most famous is Evita Peron’s tomb. Some members of Argentine society still resent the fact that she, a less than “society” person, is buried in the graveyard. I couldn’t but be reminded of my favorite TV show, Amazing Race, when the little person, (what was her name?) used her size to get a guard to take her to Evita’s tomb for her next clue. It was fun to see it, even if I had to shoo off hoards of cats to get a picture.

So, I have been to Buenos Aires…and I certainly hope to come back. It is an exciting city that bustles with energy and lively colorful people.