So here we were the evening of Jan 1st, in the limo on the way to the airport, enjoying some champagne (which we had forgotten to get New Year's Eve, btw).
Gerard was drinking with his eyes closed. He knew where the lip of the glass was.
So, we arrived in Santiago, Chile, around 12:45 pm yesterday (10:45 am EST). Boeing 777 - big honkin' engines.
We waited in the airport for about an hour, then boarded the same plane to carry us on over to Buenos Aires, which was only about a 1-1/2 hr flight.
We arrived at our hotel, the Miravida Soho, in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, around 5:50 (3:50 pm EST).
Yesterday we were really whipped after an overnight flight, eating on the plane, and just general travel malaise. After we unpacked, we went out for a bit of a walk in the area, as recommended by our hotel people. We found a spot to sit down outside and have a beer.
It was around 29C here, and summer, of course.
We ended up having some dinner in our hotel (a couple of empanadas), and were in bed pretty early.
We slept soundly and got up around 7:30 to shower and dress and meet with Dan & Joanne for breakfast downstairs. We could choose from 4 different things for breakfast.
We were ready to go on our 9:30 private guided tour of Buenos Aires. Declan was our guide, and a terrific guide he was. We toured 3 of the major areas of Buenos Aires, mostly on foot, with taxis in between to get us from one area to another.
We started off in the Recoleta area. This was the area populated by the rich during the boom years of 1870 to 1930 when Argentina was one of the top 10 richest countries in the world (off beef and agriculture).
Of course, one of Argentina's most famous people was Eva Peron who died at the peak of her fame at the age of 34. She is buried in the Recoleta Cemetery which is an incredible place full of side by side elaborate tombs. I've never seen anything quite like it. This is the door to her tomb.
A rubber tree just outside the cemetery. Huge!
So the Recoleta district is what led to Buenos Aires being nicknamed the "Paris of South America". A lot of French architecture.
This was the local library, inside an old theatre. You can go get a book and hang out in one of the loges. Quite beautiful.
From there, we went to the Centro district where government buildings are located and the Presidential house (although the President doesn't live there). This is one of the original statues of Rodin's "The Thinker" in Plaza de Congresso. You can see the congress building in the background.
And here we are in front of the Pink House (Presidential house) where everything political occurs - in this square. Virtually every day, there is some kind of protest and all of the major events in political history in Argentina have occurred here. Evita (Eva Peron) gave her famous speech from the balcony you can see above our heads.
This is the cathedral where Pope Francis used to say Mass while he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. When the church was built, every building had to be secular. So you'd never guess it was a cathedral - looks more like the Pantheon.
We then wandered into the San Telmo area, which is the old section of Buenos Aires. Buildings are much older and the lower classes tend to live here, but it is beginning to improve and take shape as artists and writers are moving in. As Joanne said, this is what happens when you don't trim your house plants! I don't think I'd like that plant all over my house.
We finished up the tour in this area and had a light lunch at an Italian restaurant nearby. I thought the toilet paper was kind of funny...wide - looking more like a paper towel, but softer.
No, we're not smoking anything. These are just bread sticks.
Gerard was drinking with his eyes closed. He knew where the lip of the glass was.
So, we arrived in Santiago, Chile, around 12:45 pm yesterday (10:45 am EST). Boeing 777 - big honkin' engines.
We waited in the airport for about an hour, then boarded the same plane to carry us on over to Buenos Aires, which was only about a 1-1/2 hr flight.
We arrived at our hotel, the Miravida Soho, in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, around 5:50 (3:50 pm EST).
Yesterday we were really whipped after an overnight flight, eating on the plane, and just general travel malaise. After we unpacked, we went out for a bit of a walk in the area, as recommended by our hotel people. We found a spot to sit down outside and have a beer.
It was around 29C here, and summer, of course.
We ended up having some dinner in our hotel (a couple of empanadas), and were in bed pretty early.
We slept soundly and got up around 7:30 to shower and dress and meet with Dan & Joanne for breakfast downstairs. We could choose from 4 different things for breakfast.
We were ready to go on our 9:30 private guided tour of Buenos Aires. Declan was our guide, and a terrific guide he was. We toured 3 of the major areas of Buenos Aires, mostly on foot, with taxis in between to get us from one area to another.
We started off in the Recoleta area. This was the area populated by the rich during the boom years of 1870 to 1930 when Argentina was one of the top 10 richest countries in the world (off beef and agriculture).
Of course, one of Argentina's most famous people was Eva Peron who died at the peak of her fame at the age of 34. She is buried in the Recoleta Cemetery which is an incredible place full of side by side elaborate tombs. I've never seen anything quite like it. This is the door to her tomb.
A rubber tree just outside the cemetery. Huge!
So the Recoleta district is what led to Buenos Aires being nicknamed the "Paris of South America". A lot of French architecture.
This was the local library, inside an old theatre. You can go get a book and hang out in one of the loges. Quite beautiful.
From there, we went to the Centro district where government buildings are located and the Presidential house (although the President doesn't live there). This is one of the original statues of Rodin's "The Thinker" in Plaza de Congresso. You can see the congress building in the background.
And here we are in front of the Pink House (Presidential house) where everything political occurs - in this square. Virtually every day, there is some kind of protest and all of the major events in political history in Argentina have occurred here. Evita (Eva Peron) gave her famous speech from the balcony you can see above our heads.
This is the cathedral where Pope Francis used to say Mass while he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. When the church was built, every building had to be secular. So you'd never guess it was a cathedral - looks more like the Pantheon.
We then wandered into the San Telmo area, which is the old section of Buenos Aires. Buildings are much older and the lower classes tend to live here, but it is beginning to improve and take shape as artists and writers are moving in. As Joanne said, this is what happens when you don't trim your house plants! I don't think I'd like that plant all over my house.
We finished up the tour in this area and had a light lunch at an Italian restaurant nearby. I thought the toilet paper was kind of funny...wide - looking more like a paper towel, but softer.
No, we're not smoking anything. These are just bread sticks.
Whew, we were whipped. By the time we got back to our hotel, it was around 4:30 and we had started at 9:30! Lots of walking, stopping, walking, stopping...
To finish up the day, we went out around 7:30 to grab a small bite and back to the hotel.
Ah, Eva Peron. Can't think of her without hearing the amazing voice of Madonna. I loved the movie Evita.
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