Day 2, Wednesday, 9th September, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Today we decided to explore some of the city with our intended goal being the much lauded Recoleta Cemetary.
For the first half hour or so I found it hard to shake the feeling of being a foreigner in a strange and bustling metropolis and the vulnerable feeling that comes with it. However, soon enough the general vibe of the city began to feel right and I soon became quite comfortable. The rules of safety are pretty much the same everywhere. You don’t have to constantly worry or be in fear of potential danger, but always exercise common sense, whatever your surroundings.
It was a very pleasant day, sunny and warm, a nice change from the previous day and we covered quite a bit of ground. We walked up Avenida Florida, the busy micro centre of the city, a pedestrianised commercial shopping centre which held very little interest for both myself and Kate, but it did enable us to make a couple of necessary purchases.
Walked around a couple of plazas, learned about General San Martin. He is the main hero round here, statues of him on his horse are everywhere, as well as parks, streets and plazas which are named after him. He liberated Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and possibly some other places which escape my ignorant mind at present.
We stopped for lunch at a lovely little place, the name of which I have forgotten, and had some sort of casserole type dishes followed by our very first Yerba Mate, for those who don’t know, it is a bitter herb drink very popular in Argentina and Uruguay, where you pour hot water over the herbs and drink through a metal straw, sugar can be added also. It is an acquired taste, but one that has grown on me.
After lunch we made our way to Recoleta cemetery where we were immediately greeted at the entrance by an eccentric character called Florenzia. She was selling maps of the cemetery and made a beeline for us, asking if we were British, in a very nasally, over the top British accent. She was great this woman, the map-selling becoming a secondary factor replaced by her keenness to tell us of her experiences in Britain, mainly being cold and discovering a fondness for Kit Kats. Nevertheless, her knowledge of our homeland impressed me, especially when she referred to me as ‘Brummie Boy’ upon learning that I was from Birmingham.
We parted ways with Florenzia, but not before buying a map and went to explore the cemetery.
My humble words will not do justice to the glorious edifices that house the deceased nobility of Argentina, and so I took a lot of photos. You will see if you choose to look at them how elaborate and ornate all the tombs and sepulchres are. Some of them are very old and are no longer maintained with plaster falling away to reveal crumbling red brick beneath, but somehow that only adds to the beauty.
My personal beliefs of posthumous treatment contradict these elaborate displays of mourning and I can’t help but feel that it is a way of the wealthy classes almost competing with one another. Regardless, the result is beautiful and highly impressive.
The sun was beginning to set over the Necropolis and the bell began to chime as a signal that the cemetery was about to close for the day. We left and wandered around the grounds marvelling at the huge trees situated there.
That evening we went for another meal in San Telmo. I had steak medallions in a mustard sauce with potatoes. Very tasty. Surely we can’t dine this finely all the time?
