Buenos Aires: the calm before the riot
Buenos Aires, Argentina
It is said that travel is down due to September 11. I had made plans before this for a Christmas/New Year’s cruise to Cape Horn and Magellan Strait in South America and darn it all there was no way these people were going to scare me away from my plans.
The flight to Miami was quick and comfortable. And with luck, since I’ve already done my U.S. customs in Toronto, I wouldn’t see my luggage until I got to Buenos Aires. But when I boarded the big, new American Airlines 767, I sat there thinking about the passengers of that fateful 9/11. Eventually I closed my eyes and, surprisingly, slept.
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Obelisk, the emblem of Buenos Aires commemorating 400th anniversary of this as a capital city, built in 1936 |
Buenos Aires is known as “Paris of South America”. I soaked up in the city’s mixture of strong Latin flare and the European feeling in the architecture. I walked down Av. 9 de Julio, the widest street in the world (6 lanes each way). Standing in the middle of the avenue is the Obelisk, 221� feet tall emblem of Buenos Aires built in 1936 commemorating Buenos Aires’ 400th anniversary as the capital. Two days later it would be in the news when riots broke out all over Buenos Aires because of the bad economy. One of the world’s greatest opera houses is Teatro Colon which hosted many performers such as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Maria Callas in this mixture of European styles architecture completed 1908.
On the weekends, much of Buenos Aires town is deserted because the people flock to Palermo taking advantage of parks and lakes to picnic, sun bathe, take a rowboat down the lake. I was here during the week so it was relatively quiet. Dog walkers are popular in Buenos Aires. I saw a dog walker with 8 dogs on leashes. They are hired as dog sitters, if you want to call it that.
It was the first major gateway to trade with Europe in 1880 but by 1910, the city outgrew this port. This riverfront promenade Puerto Madero slowly became run down but was saved in the 1990’s by transforming the warehouses into apartments, offices, shops and restaurants. All business during the day, party time and entertainment at night bounds this fashionable neighbourhood.
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Flowers grace the Eva Peron mausoleum at Recoletta Cementary |
It isn’t cheap to die, especially if you’re buried at Recoletta Cemetery, established 1822. Basically it’s a who’s who of the elite. There are over 6400 mausoleums covering four city blocks. One can get lost in this “city of the dead” but there are maps by the impressive Doric-columned portico entrance designed 1886. However, they have stopped making mausoleums since they began running out of room. A mausoleum can have as many as 18-coffin crypts. It’s the grave of Eva Peron I came to see graced with beautiful flowers. After a coup against her husband, her body was stolen in 1955 then hidden in Italy and Spain until 1974 when she was brought back home. She is buried under 27 feet of concrete to prevent another kidnapping.
It’s hard to believe that I stood at Plaza de Mayo just 24 hours before the riot hit. Amid the palm trees and fountains, people sat on benches soaking in the sunshine. Several important buildings grace this square, including the Banco de La Nacion (1891), the country’s central bank. Down aways is Catedral Metropolitan, designed 1836, where lays the remains of General Jose San Martin, who fought for Argentina’s, Peru’s and Chile’s freedom, and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
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Pink House, where the president works but does not live |
In the center of this plaza is Piramide de Mayo obelisk, erected 1811 to commemorate the anniversary of 1810 May revolution. The obelisk faces the impressive Casa Rosada (Pink House), where the president comes to work but doesn’t reside here. The balcony is famous for Eva Peron’s speeches to the workers of Argentina. Plaza de Mayo is known for people to voice their opinions. If their country, say, won a huge soccer match, the plaza would be crowded with celebration. But if, for example, the economy goes drastically bad, well, I just missed the riot that happened the next day. Talk about perfect timing!
Like September 11, this riot won’t stop me from coming back to beautiful Buenos Aires. I left so many areas unexplored. We chuckled when I told someone I hope I didn’t jinx the place.