Today we did a 4 hour bus tour around the city. I would not like to have been the driver maneuvering this huge tour bus around the traffic in downtown. First we spent an hour picking up other tourists at a variety of hotels. We are just a few doors off the Avenida de Mayo, a main road in Centro. We are right near a huge obelisk that I read is decorated in jest with a red condom on AIDS Awareness Week! At one end is the Plaza de Mayo where yesterday we went to see the Madres de Mayo, grandmothers who had their sons or daughters kidnapped and probably killed during the military dictatorship from 1973 - 1982. And over 500 of their children´s babies were taken and given for adoption to other families. So the mothers, really grandmothers, march every Thursday. They were driven in a van, have become quite famous for their constant marching. There were lots of tourists and cameras there. They all wear white handkerchief/scarves and hold a sign. One of them spoke for awhile but have no idea what she said. Pins were being sold, as well as a table with lots of Pope Francis I memorabilia. I have heard that this pope was siding too much with the military and so was not popular here. But they all are singing his praises now that he´s the new pope and there is a yellow and white Vatican City flag flying near the obelisk and signs all over. We will go to the big cathedral on Sunday to catch part of the mass/celebration of his ascension.
So on the tour, things we saw, heard and observed:
La Recoleta area: This is where the unusual cemetery that we will see tomorrow, where Evita is buried, where many wealthy patrons have huge, elaborate mauseleums. Flowers are constantly put at her tomb even though she´s been dead for 60 years. She was the second wife of Peron, and was very popular for getting some rights for works and women. There is a museum about her nearby that used to be a women´s shelter started by her. She died at 33 of uterine cancer. He lost power soon after, in 53 I think, and then returned to power in 1973 for only a year before he was thrown out. He was a big fan of Mussolini´s and considered a Fascist. This is when the military took over for 10 years or so and caused so much murder and grief. The current president is Cristina someone who is the wife of a former president for 4 years, then she ran for 4 and was reelected last year.
Palermo: a beautiful area with gorgeous home, wide avenues and beautiful parks! Curiosity - many people here have big dogs and we saw several dogwalkers walking maybe 12 - 15 dogs at once in these parks! I asked if there was a pooper-scooper law and Juan Pablo our guide said yes but many don´t follow it! I can´t imagine!! BTW, I asked if Pope John Paul II had visited here and he said yes, in 1982, the year that he was born - hence, his name Juan Pablo or John Paul! He had the most interesting green eyes! People here are quite handsome, being such a mix of Spanish and Italian mostly, with Germany, French, other European, even some Russian - we passed a blue topped Russian church. This area also is where the embassies are - we passed Turkish, Spanish, French, Vatican, etc. Flags were flying but no guards outside like in Beijing.
We went through Centro again where the Pink Palace, or Casa de Rosada is at one end of the street - where the president works. She is helicoptered in and lands on the roof, because the traffic is so bad! We will peek in here on the weekend when parts of it are open to the public.This has the balcony where Evita spoke to the crowds! Want to watch that movie again after being here. At the other end of this street is Congress - sort of like our Pennsylvania Avenue. One of the wide boulevards here used to be the widest in the world, modeled on the Champs dÉlysees but now it´s been surpassed. They are doing a lot of construction/repair on it.
San Telmo: This area has lots of cobblestoned streets, funky restaurants and shopping. We walked around here yesterday.
LaBoca: This is where the first immigrants would come, near the port. Boca means mouth so it´s at the mouth of a very dirty river port that emptied into the La Plate. The houses were constructed out of scaps of tin and wood, and painted with leftover paint from their ships and boats. So they are multi-colored and many families live in one house. Originally the houses were nice, but then yellow fever hit and these families moved out north and immigrants took over. Here also is La Bombena or something like that - it means Chocolate Box! This is the football stadium of the most popular team here - La Boca Juniors. Its most famous player Maldona played here before in European teams. He starred in 1983 World Cup and is called a ¨god¨, number 10. He´s around 50 now and retired to Dubai, we were told! The new star is Tessi and I bought a blue and white shirt with his name and number 10 on it for Jackson! We walked for 20 minutes around the area but were cautioned to only come back here during the day between 12 and 5 or so as it´s very dangerous for tourists.
We ended at a recently renovated port area Puerto Madero with some upscale restaurants and shops where some of the tourists got off to shop. We met Sharon from Montana on the bus who is traveling on her own, turned 70 in September, and is meeting a group for 4 days of hiking with full backpacks! in Patagonia, then another group for another few days of hiking, ending in Ushuaia. She was pretty amazing and we were all impressed! She may join us for a tango lesson and show tomorrow evening before she heads off. We have met some amazing travelers on this trip. Make us feel like slugs!!! Another guy Ray from New Zealand but lives in Australia for the past 40 years (also turned 70 in Feb.) had spent 31 days on a ship in Antarctica, zodiac and helicoptering onto land to explore!! To the tune of $25,000!! Betty said the first book he ever read was about Antarctica and he had wanted to do this forever. He intends to go back!! He was sitting behind me so we chatted a bit.
There was this woman working with the guide who came around and took photos of each person and he said she´d have a ¨surprise¨for us later, which we knew meant a photo for us to buy! When she showed up at the end, for some reason she thought Ray and I were together so we were in a photo, just our heads photoshopped onto tango dancers! and also in La Boca uniforms!! Neither he nor I bought the pictures (nor Betty or Michelle!) and I told Ray I guess we were now broken up!! It was pretty funny!
Tonight tango show and dinner to thank Susie, Jose Luis, May and maybe Ida and Billy will join us! Should be a late night! Michelle got tickets at a famous coffe house/tango club La Tortoni! Should be fun!
Ciao! Ciao!
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