Che Tango!We got to Buenos Aires around 7:30 am. We went straight to the hotel and were actually able to go ahead and check into our rooms! We basically dropped our bags and met back downstairs for the city tour. We drove around downtown Buenos Aires and our tour guide explained the significance of the monuments, the history of the buildings, and other random facts. It was actually really interesting. We stopped at a park where they have a huge mechanical flower that opens and closes just like a real flower. It was really amazing.
Then we went to El Recoleto, which is the neighborhood that holds the cemetery where Evita Perón is buried. The cemetery was absolutely incredible. I could have spent all day there just looking at the monuments. This one has a ghost story... Apparently the girl was about 17 years old, getting all dressed up to go out to a party, when suddenly she just fell down dead. Her parents buried her the next day. When the caretakers came by a few days later, they noticed that the coffin had been moved. (All the coffins are placed on shelves either inside the monument or right under the floor – they aren’t buried per say in this cemetery.) They called her parents, who came and opened the coffin. When they opened it, they could see scratch marks on the lid of the coffin, splinters under her fingernails and tear stains on her cheeks. They literally buried her alive. So that’s why, in her monument, the statue of her looks sad and has her hand on the doorknob like she is trying to open a door.
Anyway, the Evita Perón monument was really nothing special. There were plaques to Evita everywhere, and a very strong grate over the door of the monument. After Evita died, she was buried. But when Perón was usurped by a military coup, the militants stole her body to use as leverage over the Peronists. But that was very dangerous, because the extremists wanted to destroy the body, so they sent it to Italy. It was buried in Italy under a false name for years. When the military government was finally displaced and Perón returned to power, his new wife found the body and brought it back to Argentina. Evita was finally buried in the monument of her family, Familia Duarte, 8 feet below ground level (so that no one could ever steal the body again). And there, she stays.
Then we walked around Plaza San Martín, which is right outside of the Red House – the President’s office. The president has another home on the outskirts of the city. Then we walked over to the Cathedral, which is located off of the plaza. It is absolutely gorgeous! It holds the tomb of San Martín el Libertador – Saint Martin the Liberator, a general who led revolutions against Spain in several South American countries, including Argentina and Chile. We also saw the part of the plaza dedicated to the Mother’s of 9 de Julio – the mothers and grandmothers of the people who disappeared during the military government.
Then we went back to the hotel to get ready for Che Tango – a tangueria where we went to eat dinner and watch a tango show. I took allergy medicine and turned off my alarm in my sleep, so I woke up like 15 mins before we were supposed to meet downstairs. Good thing I already had my outfit planned and had makeup on! We got to Che Tango pretty early, so we had time to look around. The restaurant itself was just one big room with tables surrounding a stage. The walls were painted to look like a cityscape of Buenos Aires at night time... It really felt like we were sitting outside! We ate dinner and watched the show. The first dance told the story of a party. There were people dancing, talking, asking each other to dance... It was amazing! That one was my favorite. Then we watched a bunch more dances... Some with just one couple, some with many couples. A few told stories. The costumes changed colors and so did the lights. A few people sang. It was absolutely incredible. I want to go back! (There are videos and pics on Photobucket if you want to “experience the magic.” LOL)
After Che Tango, we came back to the hotel and got some sleep.
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