Day 21: The Plaza de Mayo

This afternoon I took the subway east to the Plaza de Mayo, a square around which is a lot of cultural and religious history. I first went into the Cathedral that is on the north-eastern corner of the plaza. It was very impressive. Very nice architecture, not Gothic (which I really like), but it had lots of alcoves with figures and paintings. Complimenting the gold was a dirty red (not light or dark, but with a tint of rusty brown) that in my opinion made the apparent age of the building much older. The only downside was that it was quite full of tourists who had out their cameras. So instead of feeling the pensive, somber mood of the church, it was more of a tourist destination. I do have a few pictures from inside, but I would like to state for the record that I was not one of the annoying tourists using flash (or multiple flashes).

After exiting the Cathedral I walked over to the Casa Rosada, on the eastern side. It was sprinkling all the while, or more like misting. The only drops came from the trees and gutters. I entered the Casa Rosada thinking I would not be able to see much, since it is still a functioning building. This is the building from which President Peron and his wife Eva addressed the masses (for those of you thinking of Buenos Aires in terms of the musical Evita). Once I walked inside (through the x-ray security) I joined a small group in a timed tour of some of the publicly accessible rooms. At each stage were uniformed guards, think The Vatican or Buckingham Palace, but a little less ridiculously dressed or impersonate, respectably. I saw a room with the most important women in Argentinean history, including medical, social, political pioneers, and many marble, and quite life-like, busts. I got to stand on that famous balcony, yes, I waved imperially at the scattered tourists below. At each stage we were not able to dawdle because guards kept us moving in a timely manner to accommodate for frequent tours. I also saw some of the rooms used more modernly, including rooms in which speeches are given, all decorated ostentatiously of course.

I left the Casa Rosada (I do hope everyone has caught the connection to the White House), and sat in the middle of the square where there is a flag and two statues (one bearing the date 25 Mayo 1810). I ate two facturas which I had brought from home that morning. 

I next meandered in the direction of a museum I had seen on my map. On my way I encountered another church, tucked away in the city grid, very inconspicuous, but it was long and took up an entire block of its own. There was a man outside who ushered me inside the empty and very quite interior. This church had a simple, but large, tapestry hanging behind the alter, with a cross hanging in the air in front. I sat inside for a few minutes in complete silence. Then a few other people entered behind me, so I got up and left. It was a very nice contemplative interlude to my afternoon.

It turns out that the museum is just literally across the street from the entrance to the church, so I popped in there with the admission price of 1 peso (the currant exchange rate is about USD1 = ARP3.8). The museum was pretty interesting, nothing spectacular, it was essentially a collection of antiques covering the genres of toys, music, clothing, all with a slightly musty smell and an ample amount of dust.

After the museum, I decided to walk the maybe 8 blocks to the Obelisco mentioned in a previous post. There was going to be a Aires Buenos Aires public performance later, and I wanted to grab a bite to eat beforehand. I got a window table in a small corner restaurant with a nice ambiance and white shirted waiters. I got some water and a pizza while people watching. After paying I walked to the stage.

I should explain the layout of the Obelisco and surrounding roads: The Avenida 9 de Julio is a north-south road that has the directions of traffic separated by an open median. The lanes widen around the base of the Obelisco which is the centerpiece to a rather busy and complicated intersection. The stage was just south of the Obelisco on the median between the road Av. 9 de Julio. I got there early enough to grab a chair with a great view of the stage, facing north, with the Obelisco rising out from behind.

The night was a night of Tango performances. There were four acts that I saw: two female singers, one of which I liked, one not so much, and then a dancing group, ended with a six-person music band. The first woman had a great voice and stage presence. There were two large screens on either side of the stage, but I was close enough to see quite well without their assistance. The second woman was (in only my opinion) a tad less talented, her voice did not quite match up with the first. The dance group was about 8 pairs and they were very good. They did group pieces and duos. I liked the duos better since they were more violent, quick, aggressive, and impressive. The tango musicians were fantastic, with two very old men playing violin with wonderful passion. With all of the Italian blood in their roots, some of the Argentineans could not stay in their seats and started to dance themselves around the edges of the audience. When I left because the live music was over, they played a mix of tango music to which lots of couples danced. A circle formed around a bunch of dancers, and it was very interesting to see the mix of ages, abilities, and genders (Tango can and is danced with male/male, male/female, and less frequently female/female couples). A lot of older men seemed to be having the time of their lives dancing away with all of the attention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nkE-hR1oKQ

Humming to myself I took the subway home. There was only one "interesting" part to the journey, when at one stop after opening the doors the train shut down, the lights went off, and we all waited in the dark and heat for a while before resuming our trip.

I had a really nice day; I got to see some of the more important Buenos Aires tourist locations, and although I was alone, I enjoyed myself immensely.

Chao.