We are now in BA, what a city! It is beautiful, busy and completely overwhelming! The weather here has been hot (30C) and sunny, so the shade from the thousands of trees and parks is very welcome. The only way to tackle the city is to break it up into the neighbourhoods or barrios. We are in Recoletta, right beside the Recoletta cemetary where Eva Peron (Evita ) is buried. It is a city all unto itself, you could easily spend a day there, we spent several hours looking at all the different architectural styles of the mausoleums, anything goes, gothic, art nouveau, modern. Lots of angels and stained glass. Most only have two coffins on the ground floor and the rest are underneath. There are lots of ex-presidents, generals and famous families buried there, along with "ordinary" but rich citizens. Some tombs are in immaculate condition, while others are falling apart (the city is supposed to take care of them if there is no family left).
We have been enjoying the fine Argentine wines and great steaks, most restaurants list the cut and then the size, 400g and 600g are the common sizes! The average Argentine eats 1 pound of meat per day, not much in the way of vegetables. I don't know how they stay so thin.
We visited La Boca, which is the area famous for the coloured houses and tango, not too much to see, lots of cruise ship tourists. You don't want to wander off the beaten path there or you could be in trouble. We visited Colona, Uruaguay yesterday. Its a colonial town/fort colonized by the Spanish and Portuguese. Its just a one hour fast ferry ride across the Rio Plate, so lots of people make the day trip. Lots of old cars and houses.
We have spent a lot of time walking around the neighbourhoods and admiring the architecture. It is a real mix. One building can be a beautiful French neoclassical building with rounded balconies and intricate wrought iron railings and the next can be an ugly concrete box built during the time of the dictatorship.
You have to look up as there are beautiful balconies and cupolas everywhere. Some buildings are in great shape and others are falling apart. There are hundreds of beautiful little parks, most have a statue of someone or another. The Argentines love their statues and monuments.
We saw many of the dog walkers. They can handle 10-20 or more dogs at a time. They are very well behaved and all walk well on their leashes. No pulling, barking or stepping out of line. It is quite a sight to see.
The streets range from the 22 lane Ave of July 9 (independence day) to skinny little side streets. They paint lines on the roads, but we are not sure why as the cars drive whereever they like! Some straddle the lines, others fit two in a lane, most do not drive in a straight line! It's crazy. They turn right from the left lane or the right, and left from the right or whatever they feel like. Surprizingly, there are very few accidents. The drivers have nerves of steel and they could drive anywhere, hopefully not in PEC.
We visited the Colon Theatre which was built in the early 1900's in the grand French style and was just restored, it took 4 years. It was the place to be seen in the early 1900's in BA. They also have a metro which dates back to the early 1900's, they still have some of the trains from that time. The inside is all wood with leather straps. some of the stations are not been refurbished since then either.
Off to do some shopping, Dan can't wait!
Kim and Dan
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