Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo. No signs Evita surprisingly
My feet ache just thinking about all the walking we have endured. Buenos Aires is a huge city with penty to see and do. Art galleries, museums, shopping malls and grand architecture gracing almost every street. The locals seem to be extremely passionate about politics as demonstrations or protests are performed almost daily and usually take place in Plaza de Mayo. Behind this plaza is Casa Rosada which features the famous balcony where Evita once stood to address her crowds. Puerto Madero was a welcomed escape from the nauseating smog and eternal noise of the city. The old docks and nearby wetlands were only a 30 minute walk from our hostel but it felt like we were a million miles away. Needless to say it was popular with the locals and tourists alike. One of my favourite sites however is worth a more detailed description...
On Saturday afternoon Ali and I took an intriguing stroll around a cemetary. This wasn't any old collection of tombstones. It was Cementerio de la Recoleta, a huge walled necropolis containing hundreds of marble tombs and ornate sarcophaguses. Literally, a city for the deceased elite. Every tomb had a sub-level which stored caskets containing generations of past family members within. It was fascinating to say the least and we spent hours wandering around the "streets" studying the many different styles of architecture and enscriptions. Every turn presented yet another eye-catching tomb to investigate. I was addicted to the dead. It was difficult for Ali and I to stay together as we are huge photography fiends and usually way too engrosed in what's behind the lense of our camera than each others whereabouts. We eventually followed the crowds to Evita's grave where I had to practically crawl between the legs of 20 or so Japansese tourists only to catch just a glimpse of her family's tomb.
Yes. Another "architecture shot"
On Friday night we enjoyed dinner with our friends from Spanish school. The seven of us went to a popular Parilla (steak house) in San Telmo which was a very enjoyable experience. The majority of us ordered the same thing. Steak. And lots of it! For less than two pounds a steak you can't complain really and we had no reason to either. The food was delicious. The eight of us probably consumed as much beer and meat as was humanly possible before heading off to the nearest bar to wash it all down with.
View of the city from Plaza de Mayo
These women at Peurto Madero amused me to no end. Especially the deranged Betty Davis look-alike
Because Argentinians don't speak English (obviously), I have been forced to speak Spanish regardless of whether I can string a proper sentance together or not. Most of the time my efforts are successfull but there are times when people completely misunderstand me. Like the time I ordered tuna stuffed tomato for instance and got three drinks delivered to my table instead. Then there are times when I misinterpret what people tell me. Like the time Ali and I walked into an icecream shop thinking it was a laundrette and lifted my bag of dirty clothes towards his scales. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed. To be fair though, his shop did look very much like a laundrette. We purchased an icecream to eradicate any bad feelings.
In short, I have enjoyed my time in Buenos Aires but I am looking forward to moving on. It will be interetsing to see if their obsession with wafer thin sandwiches, tasty empanadas and that tea which they drink through a metal straw (they absolutely can't seem to live without it) continues throughout the rest of Argentina.
Next stop...the most spectacular set of waterfalls in the world!!!
