Unusual Things We’ve Seen In Buenos Aires
One of the “must-see” things in Buenos Aires is the Recoleta Cemetery. Like you, we made a face at that and thought why on earth is that an attraction in its own right? It turns out that the famous former First Lady Evita Peron and many past presidents and famous people of Argentina have their graves there. Tourists visit this cemetery mainly to see the tomb of the country’s number one heroine that is Evita Peron (real name is Eva Peron). So we made our way to the exclusive neighborhood of Recoleta just to have a quick look at the cemetery. Yes, we find it weird that it is right in the middle of the high-end neighborhood!
One of the residential buildings in Recoleta
Recoleta Cemetery
Once inside the cemetery, we found that it was unlike a cemetery. It is laid out in sections and the walkways are lined with trees. There are many ornate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues of angels. The atmosphere wasn’t that eerie although the presence of dozens of cats, some of which were having real cat fights, didn’t give a soothing feeling!
This part looks like a small town, doesn’t it?
We had enough of the cemetery, so we went to explore other parts of the city. The above pic is of the Torre de los Ingleses (the British Tower) at the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina (Argentine Air Force Square) located in the Retiro district, which is beside the Recoleta district.
The Retiro Train Terminal
A demonstration in downtown in front of the Casa Rosada (Pink House), which is the presidential palace
You are looking at just half of the widest avenue in the whole world - the Avenida 9 de Julio (The Avenue of 9 of July) - according to Argentina. We aren’t sure if that’s true, but it seems to be so. The avenue has six seven lanes in each direction. When crossing this insanely wide avenue, we often have to wait for at least 2-3 green lights in order to cross from one side to another!
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Hi guys, remember me, the Chicago Sun-Times photographer from earlier this year? I have been following your travels and couldn’t resist thanking you for bringing this memory back to me. I started studying Spanish nearly 10 years ago, and used the VHS-taped Destinos series in class. One of our areas of study was Argentina, and your visit to the Recoleta cemetery brought back fond memories for me. Thanks, I love your travels!
Rich
Good to hear from you Rich! How is it going for you in the Windy City? Chicago was great and we hope to go back there again! We are glad that our Argentine travels are bringing back pleasant memories for you
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Hey guys, I just came across your blog through StumbleUpon. Next fall I’m planning on studying abroad in Buenos Aires. I must say, I love the inside look. You have some great pictures (what kind of camera do you use?).
The university I’ll be attending is situated in the Belgrano area. Any insight on this suburb?
Caitlin