My Final Night and Day in Buenos Aires

On Friday, I finished up my training and let the kids go home early, but not before taking a few photographs of them to take back to the office.  Marcello picked me up at 1:00 and I found to my dismay that he could not pick me up to take me to the airport Saturday evening for my flight home.  Even though the company is paying for the car directly, I gave him a nice big tip for himself.  He seemed surprised and that made me feel even better about it.

I had planned to walk to the Puerto Madero district Friday afternoon.  One interesting thing I learned about the area was that all the streets are named for famous women, and a gorgeous white pedestrian bridge across the channel is called the Women's Bridge.  It was nice and sunny, and I had been assured I could see some water from there.  What I saw was not river and not ocean, but a channel.  There were some boats berthed there and some were actually moving, mostly large sailboats and yachts.  Along one bank, old warehouses had been transformed into restaurant space - one after the other after the other, for several blocks.  On the other bank were many brand spanking new hotels and office buildings, many of them American.  There was an old sailing ship that had been transformed into a museum, and a few other points of interest, but as I wasn't particularly hungry and there didn't seem to be even any shops, I soon lost interest and headed back into the city.  Besides, it was kind of chilly with the wind blowing off the water!

On my first day when I had gone to Plaza de Mayo, I could see behind it a park with a statue but couldn't get to it due to construction.  Now in Puerto Madero I could see the statue again so I headed that way.  It turned out to be a statue of "Cristobal Colon", or Christopher Columbus as we call him in the States and the park was dedicated to him.  I continued on past the Pink House and Plaza de Mayo and ended up on Florida Street again, this time to do some comparison shopping.  I finally chose a small store and bought a couple of refridgerator magnets and a mate gourd (see "My Third and Fourth Days in Buenos Aires" for an explanation of mate).  I realized I was starving by now, and most of the shops were closed between lunch and dinner, so I headed back to my hotel and ordered a bacon cheeseburger from room service.  Now before you tease me about my American tastes, remember - this was Argentine beef, and it was sweet and delicious. 

About 7:50PM I headed down to the hotel lobby, where I was to be picked up for the tango show that night.  The lobby was packed, and it finally occurred to me that most of these people were waiting to be picked up for tango shows.  My driver arrived and found me, then went in search of another couple.  When they finally appeared, he drove us to two other hotels, picking people up along the way.  We finally reached El Querandi, where we were shown to tables.  Since I had come alone, I was placed at a table for one facing the stage (so I didn't have to turn my head as most other people did).  Next to me, about 6 tables had been shoved together to accomodate a large family group, with everyone from small children to elderly grandparents having a great time together.  There were a couple of other singletons near me, but both the man and woman were befriended by people closer to them, so I spent my evening observing everyone else.

There had been a glass of champagne on my table when I got there.  I was told I could choose one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert from the extensive menu.  When I made my selections, they asked if I wanted red or white wine.  I asked for red (to go with the beef, of course!) and they brought a small bottle of malbec to me for my own.  This was about three-quarter size a typical bottle of wine, so with the champagne, I was set for the night!

The food was good but the show was better, although it didn't start until around 10:30 or so.  They actually presented a history of the tango (which I gathered through the restaurant providing a pamphlet in English) in four parts, each corresponding to a major influence on the tango.  There were three sets of dancers who changed colorful costumes and partners without missing a beat.  There was also a four-piece band on the stage, making the dancers grace even more spectacular.  For the finale, they played "La Cumparsita" which is the song most people think of when they think of tango.  I got back to the hotel about 12:30 and hit the sack.

On Saturday, I had to check out of the hotel by 12:00, but my plane didn't leave until 9:30PM.  I checked my bags with the concierge and arranged for a taxi to pick me up at 6:30, since Marcello wasnt available, so I had time to do more exploring.  I decided to visit the famous Cemeteria Recoleto.  It was a short walk down the Avenida Libertador, and had the added benefit of hosting a handicrafts fair on weekends.  I spotted the fair first, but most booths were just setting up so I proceeded along a walk that I thought would take me to the cemetery.  I found myself walking along the outside wall of the cemetery, and admiring the way some aspiring plants had carved out niches for themselves in the brick walls.  I finally found the entrance and walked inside. 

I've been to some above ground cemeteries before, notably in New Orleans and Key West, but this outshone both of them.  For one, this cemetery is considerably older and holds many famous citizens of Argentina, including generals and presidents (and including Eva Peron's which I stumbled across by accident).  It's laid out in streets, and the tombs and fantastic mausoleums are placed right up against each other in some areas.  There's no central theme to these building, as each family simply had built what they liked.  Most are fantastic, decorated with angels and statues and vinery and flowers.  Many of the older tombs have doors into them, and looking through the doors you can see the caskets, altars, crosses, and benches for the family to sit on.  Some have stained glass and gold fixtures that you can only see by looking through the glass.  Most are in good repair, but some show their age. 

I couldn't stop taking pictures.  I love old cemeteries, and in this one there was some new fantastic site around every corner.  I came across a cat, and then many cats, who apparently live in the cemetery and are fed by visitors.  I spent a pleasant several hours here and in the nearby Basilica of Nuestra Senora del Pilar.  The basilica was also beautifully ornate, but I gone through every camera battery I had with me and so couldn't take any more pictures.

The fair was going on all around me.  As I left the basilica, there were people in what I took to be native costumes, dancing and playing (I assume) native instruments.  The vendors had booths set up along the walkways in the park and I wandered around there for quite some time also.  I had decided to buy a scarf, noticing that Argentine women wear a lot of them and they are not just plain things like we wear in the States for warmth, but embroidered and with beads and woven of different things - decorative.  The one I bought was in colors of lime green, pink and dark burgundy, and had strands of twisted yarns and sparkling yarns and ribbons all woven together.

As I was wandering around I noticed a sign for the Hard Rock Cafe.  Now, typically I would never go to such a place, but a friend of mine collects shot glasses from their various locations.  I had brought him one from the Bahamas while on a cruise earlier this year, and thought one from Buenos Aires might make a nice edition to his collection, so I headed that way.  I found myself walking along the terrace of the BA Design Mart, comparable to the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, but open to the public.  Along one side of me were stores with every imaginable object for the home, and outdoor dining along the other side.  I found the Hard Rock store and bought the shot glass, noticing that there were more people speaking English without a Spanish accent around me than I had heard all week (I guess it's true that Americans are very USA-centric even in other countries). 

I sat on a bench near a playground area for awhile, as I had been on my feet since noon.  It was cute to see the little ones totter over the the 2-foot slide and shriek as they slid down into a bed of sand.  Feeling hungry, I wandered back over the Design Mart and found a place for a light lunch.  By then it was nearly 5:00, so I trucked back to the Plaza Hotel one last time.  Got my luggage out of hock and was led to my taxi for the trip to the airport. 

Apparently I was so tired on my drive in when I first landed in Buenos Aires that I failed to notice how huge the city is and that there are major areas of tall buildings that I never even glimpsed during my week there.  I have to guess that BA and its surrounding environs must be about the size of Chicago and its suburbs, as the drive to the airport took a good 45 minutes.  I realized that I had only seen a very small part of Buenos Aires, and a very old part of the city at that. 

From what I did see, I developed this idea that Buenos Aires is a very European city, mixing old and new, local and international into its own blend.  Coffee shops on every corner.  Pizza as good as anything I've ever had.  Beautiful Italianate buildings next door to glass office buildings.  An English clock tower across from a memorial to the soldiers of the Falklands war.  They seem to celebrate their every heritage, and their every day.  I hope I get to go back there some day.