Buenos Aires

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We arrived in Buenos Aires around 6 PM and bussed it to the hotel we are staying at, the Aspen Suites. While not as luxurious as the Hotel Saint George in Iguazu Falls it is very well situated in downtown Buenos Aires. We are located in the Retiro district very close to Cordoba Street which has a major shopping mall called Galerias Pacifico. Florida Street is only two blocks away and is a pedestrian street filled with all kinds of shops and crafts. The malls open around 10 AM and most close around 10 or 11 PM although we were told some malls remain open until 2 AM. Bus transportation is very inexpensive. The exchange rate is 3 Argentinian pesos for 1 US dollar. The bus for transportation in the city is less than one peso. The population of the city itself is 3 million with the surrounding areas swelling the population to approximately 12 million people. We were up at 7 AM this morning for our complimentary hotel breakfast and then we are off on a bus tour of the city.

Carolina, our guide on the bus tour, took us to the northern part of the city and explained how the higher-class people moved to the north side back in the 1800´s when there was an outbreak of yellow fever. The city is divided today socio-economically with the affluence on the north side and the lower-class on the southern side of Buenos Aires. The district of Recoleta is where you will find the Recoleta Cemetery. If you notice in the pictures, this graveyard is made up of mausoleums and mini-chapels. The wealthy wanted to show their affluence even in death. This is a very unique cemetery as every occupant is entombed above ground. There is no additional land in the cemetery for any future burials, unless your family has already an established mausoleum.

Evita (Duarte) Peron is buried in Recoleta Cemetery with her father and brother. She died at 33 years of age as the First Lady of Argentina from uterine cancer. The monument to Evita is found in a park where the former Presidential Palace was located. As you can see by the picture, there are always flowers commemorating her. She was loved by the poor and frowned upon by the rich. The affluent referred to her as the Argentinian Robin Hood, as she would take from the rich to give to the poor. Her status in this country is iconic.

The tour also took us to Plaza de Mayo, which is famous as the place of origin of the Argentinian Revolution for independence. At the back of the plaza is the government parliament building where the president works out of. We then continued into La Boca on the south side of the city where we saw the football stadium that Diego Maradona made famous. We were then dropped off near the stadium in Caminito where there were lots of shops and crafts. The last area we visited was Puerto Madero which is home to the original two shipping ports that the city was founded on. Over the last 15 years this area has been completely revitalized and although people do not live in this area, it has many restaurants and offices. The afternon was free and most people went shopping along Florida Avenue and at the Galerias Pacifico.

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Photos

Evita Duarte Peron family mausoleum
Juan Peron, her husband, is buried outside of the city.

Comments

[TEA]

HISTORY VERY INTERESTING
WELL IF THERE IS NO CEMETARY ROOM LEFT?????? INTERESTING