Friday 14th Feb 2020
Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America is Argentina’s big, cosmopolitan capital city on the western shore of the River Plate. Its centre is the Plaza de Mayo, lined with stately 19th-century buildings. The metropolitan area of the city has a population of 13 million, more than one third of the whole country. The inhabitants are known as Portenos, people of the port.
Short overnight run from Montevideo to todays berth in Buenos Aries.
Hot day coming up. Spent the morning on board, mostly just in the sun with added trivia.
Early afternoon joined coach for a tour of the town.
First impression is that it’s just another big city, could almost be anywhere in the world. The layout is based on Paris with wide boulevards, very wide, multiple traffic lanes, up to about 26, plus wide green verges, cycle lanes and pavements.
9th July Boulevard the most spectacular, others less so. Lots of open green spaces and parks with many statues and monuments and lots of colourful flowering trees, notably one called the drunken tree because of its shape which has very pretty pink flowers.
Evita statue located where she died in the now demolished Presidential Palace
First stop in the unique Recoleta neighbourhood, here is the city's aristocratic cemetery. The wealthy of the city have built extremely elaborate mausoleums for their family burials, each vying with the others.
The part above ground just for decoration, the actual burials in vaults below, coffins placed on shelves, so vaults down to 20 metres below ground level.
The Duarte family tomb contains the final resting place of Evita Peron.
It’s a long story to explain why, but the short version is that Duarte was her birth family and her husband President Juan Peron was caught up in various political disagreements and he was buried elsewhere and her body was moved around the world like a pawn by his successors for many years until her final stop here.
Moving on to the Plaza de Mayo, pronounced something like masho for some reason hereabouts. Here are the Metropolitan Cathedral (the current Pope was Bishop here) with the mausoleum of San Martin, the building where the independence revolution started, the Colonial Town Hall and the Casa Rosada.
Cathedral
This is where the independence revolution started
Casa Rosada
The balcony of the Casa Rosado was used by Madonna in the film Evita as the setting for her to sing “Don’t Cry For me Argentina”. Views down one boulevard of the Obelisk commemorating 100 years of the first national government.
Continuing on to view various parts of the city, both wealthy and much less so parts. Many large colonial properties now used as embassies for the nations of the world. One notable area very popular with the tourists contains the Caminito located in colourful La Boca.
Boca Juniors being one of Buenos Aries famous football teams, the properties around their stadium all being painted Blue and Gold to match the team colours. The Caminito is a part of the city where Italian immigrants settled. Their homes being built from anything going spare, so it’s a jumble of recycled timber and corrugated metal all painted in a multitude of bright colours, probably whatever was left over!
Back on board for the evening. Tonights folkloric show being a Tango and Gaucho show in the theatre. An excellent and amazingly professional show.
Saturday 15th February 2020
Today, most of the day spent on board just enjoying shipboard life.
Time soon came to get ready to join the merry throng, of over 600 fellow passengers, on our way to the South American Voyage gala event.
Everyone onto coachers for a short ride through the city to an exhibition ground. First a short show by some Gauchos showing off their horse riding skills in an open arena.
Then its inside for tapas and music and dancing, mostly tango, all obviously accompanied by a few drinks. All very jolly.
Then it’s the return journey in time for the sailaway.
Soon after 8.00pm we sailed for Puerto Madryn, a distance of 696.8 nautical miles.
