This morning we took a bus to Recoleta, which is a
neighborhood of Buenos Aires city. It was definitely a nicer part of town. Not
that the inner city wasn’t, it was just less crowded and more open, with less
cars and more green space. We looked at the Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno,
then Paige, Kristi, Ana and I got a much needed Starbucks. I was in need of
something American and warm, because it was chillier today at 60ish degrees.
As we kept walking around we found a gomero tree, which was
a giant tree with long branches that reached the ground in multiple places. It
felt like a canopy when we walked underneath it. Definitely would have been fun
to run around and play on it if you were a kid.
We went to the Cementerio de la Recoleta next, which is a
giant cemetery for the wealthier people of the community. It has been around
since 1816, and it is set up with family names on each of the “mausoleums” so
there are multiple spaces for coffins as people of the family die. There was
even a funeral going on today, so it appears that the cemetery is still
“active” in a sense that they are still putting people’s coffins in the tombs. It
was a bizarre setup to me because it felt like a normal town street, with little
houses along the sides. There wasn’t a field of grass with tombstones scattered
about like the states. And in a lot of the mausoleums you could see into the
inside and see the coffins. That was so strange to me since we burry a coffin
in the ground never to be seen again. I guess it makes sense in a way because
at least if they are spending a decent amount of money on a nice coffin, then
when family members come to pay their respects, they will see it still. We
spend money on a fancy coffin only for it to be visible for a couple of days.
At least they are getting their money’s worth this way!
This graveyard is also where Eva (Evita) Perón (1919 – 1952)
is buried, the wife of Argentine president Juan Perón. She was the first lady
of Argentina from 1946 until her death from cancer in 1952. She was loved by
all of the people and even to this day people still remember her through
various symbols throughout the city.
After the cemetery we walked through the market and admired
all of the craftsmanship of the vendors. I bought an engraved piece of artwork.
I want to try to collect a painting/type of artwork from each place that we
visit. Something small, but I think it is so cool to see the different styles
of art and the various subject matters that the artists focus in on. Also
artwork is flat or can be rolled, so it makes for easy transportation on a
carry-on bag!
On the bus ride back into downtown we drove by a huge line
of soldiers on horses. Argentina’s Independence Day is tomorrow, so we assumed
the soldiers had something to do with that. We found out later that this
processional was actually because they were transporting a very important saber
from hundreds of years ago. Apparently even the current president of Argentina
was involved with it!
After we got back into downtown we walked around the San
Telmo market, which was also full of vendors and various street performers. It
was crowded but really cool to see all of the different types of people the
market draws in. Some people were even able to speak English with us!
While walking through the market Kristi and I stumbled on
another church, Parroquia San Elmo. (Kristi pictured below) Then we went to the market to get lunch,
which consisted of bananas, a loaf of bread, a ham and cheese sandwich, and
churros.
After lunch were supposed to meet up with Ana and Spodek to
all go to Palermo, After waiting in front of Ana’s apartment for them for 40
minutes, we decided to go on our own. So we rode a bus to Palermo, another
wealthier neighborhood within Buenos Aires. We underestimated how long it would
take to get there by bus, because it was about a 30-40 minute ride. But once we
finally made it, we walked through the botanical gardens, looked at the zoo
(but did not go in because it was too expensive), and walked down to a side
street to go through their street market, where we ended up finding Ana and
Spodek.
Ana took us to see a clothing store that a couple of her
architecture friends from The University of Buenos Aires designed in the neighborhood.
It was a really cool modern design, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures. We
all walked into the store cameras ready when 2 of the employees rushed up to us
and said something in Spanish, but were motioning at the cameras, so we figured
out that they didn’t want us taking pictures. So we obeyed and continued
walking into the tiny store. We walked up a big ramp to the main portion of the
store. There was another monumental ramp that lead up to the next level, so
naturally we kept walking up, but again were scolded (in Spanish) that we
shouldn’t be going up there because it was staff only. My thought was ‘who makes
a monumental ramp that everyone is going to want to walk up that leads to a
place where we aren’t allowed?’ So we stayed off the second ramp and continued
looking around. There was a set of stairs in the back of the store that lead
down to an outdoor terrace, which was also very inviting. So a couple of
students started to walk down them and we were scolded again for going where we
weren’t supposed to go. We started making our way towards the exit down the
first ramp we came up and one student reached his hand up to touch the ramp
above so see what the material was like, and that apparently wasn’t okay
because one of the workers started rushing us out the door with her hands and
in fragmented English told us not to come back. So we are standing outside the
door to this place and told Ana what happened, and she was not happy. She
marched her little self back in there and gave them a piece of her mind. In the
mean time we are all watching through the glass façade entrance. After a couple
of minutes of her shaking her hands and sternly talking to the employees, she
comes back out. Apparently one of the girls thought that we had called her
stupid, but Ana told her ‘how could they have called you stupid if they don’t speak
Spanish?’ It was a really funny experience, to say the least.
We took the subway back into town to save ourselves a lot of
time on a bus, grabbed some dinner, and went back to the hostel. I played a
round of euchre with Bryce, Zach, and Paul. Apparently I play euchre very intensely
and at a quick speed.
It’s officially been one week since we left the US to come
down here. It feels like it has been so much longer. This isn’t the first time
I have been away from home or my family for a week. This isn’t the first time I
have traveled away for a week. This isn’t the first time I have left the
country for a week. But it feels so much different. I’m used to being in what I
would consider luxurious environments. I know the people I am around, it is
clean, I have my own room, or at least my own bed and own space to retreat to,
I am familiar with the food…traveling is a very unique and humbling experience.
I’ve started developing these thoughts and habits (like wanting to go sit by
myself without people around) and Kristi says that is called being an
introvert. This lifestyle is foreign to me, and I don’t understand it. I have
never not wanted to be around people! It has been eye opening how spoiled I am
at home. I have all of the luxuries I could ever ask for at the tip of my
fingers. Air conditioning, soft water, a washer and dryer, a big comfy clean
bed, television, a refrigerator full of food…I have to say I can’t wait to get
back to that familiarity. But I know this trip will make me a stronger person
and I will be able to carry these experiences with me for the rest of my life.
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