Reading this post via email or mobile version? Want to read comments and enter your own? Want to see posts from other years or even previous posts from this year? Just click on the post title to access our full web page.
Leaving Santiago, a city we had grown to love over our several stops there, I remember thinking how bizarre it felt listening to British musician Adele's music full blast at the airport. I love her music but it was the last thing I expected there and then! We had read that Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, was described as "a rough-hewn mix of Paris' architecture, Rome's traffic and Madrid's late-night hours, all spiked with Latin American flavor." With such a description, we were excited to be there for the next four days.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel:
The water of the Rio Plata was thankfully free of trash and the modern yachts provided a lovely backdrop, with old sailing ships providing a sense of history. The old cranes also gave an indication of the work which took place here in the past.
For some, the Puerto Madero neighborhood was a controversial place as some people believe it's new and sterile and therefore like any other city's neighborhood that's new and vibrant. Others point out that there was a population of working class people there that were relocated so the waterfront could be reclaimed and developed. I could understand both points of view but I must admit to enjoying such a pretty area as opposed to the grime, graffiti and trash of the downtown we'd seen the day before.
In the distance was the Puente de la Mujer or Women's Bridge that was unveiled in 2001. Though it resembled a fishhook or possibly a harp, it was supposed to represent a couple dancing the tango!
The bird of paradise flower:
Before we reached the unusual bridge, we stopped for a few minutes in the Queen of Holland Plaza but I was at a loss to understand The Netherlands' connection to Buenos Aires.
We didn't know until about a week ago that we'll be in Amsterdam at the tail end of our four-month plus trip this fall and will be visiting Anne Frank's house in mid-December! I hate to think how long it will take me before I write that post!
The barrio's Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and Convent of Santo Domingo played an important role when British troops, at war with Spain, invaded the city in 1806. British forces advanced up the narrow Defensa Street but an impromptu militia drove the British back to their ships after some had sought refuge in the church's east tower.
Sadly, the church was in disrepair with peeling paint and nets to catch falling debris.
As we were curious to check out the street's famous Sunday market and fair, we and hundreds of others strolled along Defensa for at least twenty blocks until having to retrace our steps as we had reserved tickets for a tour of the Pink House at 12:30.
We both love street fairs but we couldn't do this one justice as we had meandered along the waterfront for too long. The rain that had been threatening all morning finally began in earnest so we were relieved we had an inside activity planned soon!
Leaving Santiago, a city we had grown to love over our several stops there, I remember thinking how bizarre it felt listening to British musician Adele's music full blast at the airport. I love her music but it was the last thing I expected there and then! We had read that Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, was described as "a rough-hewn mix of Paris' architecture, Rome's traffic and Madrid's late-night hours, all spiked with Latin American flavor." With such a description, we were excited to be there for the next four days.
Our hotel was smack dab downtown just across a lovely park from the impressive Teatro Colón that could seat 2,500 spectators and provide standing room for another 500 spectators. We had hoped to buy tickets for a tour the next day but it was closed so we vowed to return as our travel guide considered it one of the top three opera houses and performing arts venues in the world.
It was fun watching guys popping wheeelies and doing all sorts of other bike tricks in the plaza by the Colon Theater.
A few blocks away on the widest boulevard in the world, was the city's unmistakable landmark, the Obelisco, which soared 67m above the Plaza Republica. It was dedicated in 1936 on the 400th anniversary of the city's first Spanish settlement. I read that following major soccer victories, boisterous fans circle the Obelisk in jubilant, honking celebration! We found out the next day from our walking tour guide that the Obelisk was used for important celebrations because it was a 'party place.' On World AIDS Day on December 1st, 2001, a red condom covered the Obelisk. It was great publicity as it was talked about for months!
The unusual statue in the median was of Commandante General Andres Guacurari y Artigas who played a pivotal role in Argentina's liberation from Spain.
It was sad seeing what could have been beautiful statues and fountains along the massive median desecrated with graffiti, litter and water less fountains. We were left in my mind with a pervasive sense of filth and ugliness instead of beauty, charm and pride on behalf of the citizens. Perhaps the dreary day contributed to our initial discontent with Buenos Aires?
From another angle, the statue looked gorgeous, especially framed by the same purple flowers that we had also seen blooming by the Theater.
The huge mural of Evita Perón on the Ministry of Health & Social Development building caught our attention. She's still seen as a very controversial figure in the country as half the people love her and the other half, of course, hate her according to our walking tour guide the next day. Please excuse me for jumping ahead a bit.
The guide told us that Eva (Evita) Duarte met Juan Perón when he was the Secretary of Labor in the military government and she had arrived in the capital at just 15 to be an actor. After becoming his second wife, she was seen as a very public figure and was the first person many lower class citizens could identify with because of her poor upbringing. Her Eva Perón Foundation built schools and hospitals which brought her closer to a certain strata of society. She was, however, hated by the upper class elites who considered her as an intruder and didn't feel she belonged as the country's First Lady.
This north-facing mural of Evita Perón depicted her giving a combative speech to the country's elite.
The mural on the south side depicted her smiling face as she faced the poorer people who lived in that part of Buenos Aires. There'll be more on the Peróns in the next post as I describe our tour of their Casa Rosada or Pink House.
Even though we'd only been in the city for a couple of hours, we had already noticed Buenos Aires had a much larger collection of monuments and statues than most cities! This marble and granite monument was to Julio Argentino Roca, an army general who served as President of Argentina for two terms in the late 19th century. It was difficult for me to appreciate why he was honored as, while in the army, he applied ruthless measures to subdue or destroy some Indian communities.
Most cathedrals we'd seen in Latin America were the European style buildings with tall bell towers and stained glass windows. When we reached the Metropolitan Cathedral, the very unusual exterior looked more like a Greek temple, though its 12 columns represented the 12 apostles. I had wanted to visit the Cathedral especially as it was the home to the then Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio, currently Pope Francis.
I did not initially think much of it when I looked from the outside as the barricades were covered in graffiti and revelers were inches from the entrance. We arrived just as the 6 pm Mass was ending; what a difference it was from the previous Sunday when we had gone to the local church on Easter Island and heard hymns sung in the Rapa Nui language!
It was built on the site of the original colonial church and not finished until 1827. The inside of the cathedral was astounding with exquisitely painted ceilings and upper walls, stained glass windows and a massive main altar.
There were numerous small alcoves dedicated to various saints.
It was so peaceful just sitting for a while and taking in the details.
Scenes from 12/3: Throughout the downtown core were a lot of what I would have sworn were upholstered seats and ottomans. Steven insisted they had to be stone seats and, of course, he was right! They were strange but a novel way to encourage people to rest when needed.
The next morning we walked east toward Puerto Madero, the city's revamped and very upscale dockside area. We needed to buy tickets there for the water bus that would take us in a few days over to Colonia del Sacramento just across the bay in nearby Uruguay. We discovered once at the Buquebus office, though, the tickets would be $50 less online than at the office so that was a bit of a bust! The cobbled walkways, though, along the waterfront looked like a great area for a stroll. Since it was the weekend, there were plenty of people out walking and running and others out enjoying a coffee and a bite to eat at the many cafes on the water. I had read though, that if we chose to eat outside, there would be people coming to our table asking for money and even asking for the food we had left on our plates. That was enough to convince us not to want to stop.
The Presidente Sarmiento was a museum ship originally built as a training ship for the Argentine Navy in 1897 and named after the country's seventh President. The frigate went to the Antarctic and other voyages around the world and is considered the last intact training ship from the 1890s.
The bridge gave Puerto Madero a beautiful modern contrast to its brick industrial buildings which had recently been re-purposed to house restaurants, shops and lofts. Ironically the Women's Bridge most visible part - the huge arm - was actually male tango dancers!
We crossed back over to the city side of the river so we could stroll through the city's famous San Telmo Barrio or neighborhood as it was known as one of the city's most attractive and historically rich barrios.
Next post: More on the Peróns and the city's troubled past.
Posted on May 6th, 2018, from Littleton, Colorado.
No comments:
Post a Comment