We arrived into our final destination port of Buenos Aires this morning. It's somewhat sad to be ending our cruise soon, but it will also be nice to get home and enjoy the remainder of the beautiful Hood River winter snow.
Today we grabbed an early breakfast and ventured out with a rather small group for an "Evita Highlights" tour. Yes, I confess that I (Karen) am interested in all things Evita. Peronism is fascinating to me - a curious cross between Socialism, Fascism and Democracy. I loved the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, both the Broadway and the Madonna versions. And I do find myself enthralled by a political/social/historical figure that can invoke so many differing thoughts and emotions in so many people. She was quite the controversial woman. Part feminist, part self-serving iconoclast, an actress (both movie and radio), part tyrant, part fashionista, part humanitarian, part social climber, part activist. Very interesting lady. The recent lecture on board the ship about her only whetted our appetite for more.
Our first stop was Plaza de Mayo (pronounced by locals as "Plaza de maisho"), the main square in central Buenos Aires and the hub of much current and past political activity in the country.
It was here in the square that on May 25, 1810 a revolution was held which led to Argentina's independence from Spain in 1816.
Then in 1945, the square was the site where mass demonstrations were assembled by supporters of Juan Peron in an effort to gain his release from prison. In fact, the wealthy residents of this part of the city were aghast that thecampesinos (villagers) who supported Peron had the nerve to show up in this square at all. The campesinos soaked their feet in the fountain pictured above. It was a gesture which shook the very foundations of the country. The protesters were eventually successful, and - well, the rest is history.
La Casa Rosada (The Pink House) sits right on the Plaza de Mayo. It is quite large, and takes up one entire side of the square. This iconic mansion is the Presidential palace. It is not generally where the President lives, but he/she does have their executive offices here.
It was here, from a balcony in front, that Evita gave her famous speech and, as Andrew Lloyd Weber paraphrased her in that very catchy tear-jerker, told Argentina not to cry for her.
We then visited the cemetery where Eva Peron was ultimately laid to rest. I say ultimately, because her body took quite a circuitous route over a long period of time to get there. When she died, Juan Peron had her body essentially mummified so that she could lie in state in perpetuity inside the Foundation she founded. But not long after her death, Peron was deposed by a military coup and exiled to Spain. The new regime, wanting to ensure that there would be no cult to Evita, basically stole her body and buried it under a false name in Milan, Italy. Imagine that! It wasn't until Peron returned to Argentina at the end of his life and was once again elected President that he was able to exhume Evita's body and have it brought back to Argentina. It now lies in her relatively humble Duarte family mausoleum in Buenos Aires. I say "relatively humble" compared to some of the other mausoleums within this cemetery, (The Recoleta) which were really elaborate and ornate.
We ended our Evita tour in a lovely private home (more like a mansion) that was purchased (some say confiscated) by Eva Peron's foundation during her lifetime and used as a shelter for abused and homeless women and children. It is now the Eva Peron Museum. Quite a fascinating place, full of memorabilia from her life, film clips from speeches she gave and movies in which she acted, clothing she wore, social programs she enacted, people's lives she touched. The museum staff had a decidedly positive spin on Eva Peron, while our tour guide for the day was clearly against her, and so it went during our travels in Buenos Aires. No one was neutral! It reminded me very much of our US political situation. There isn't too much middle ground on this one either. :)
We returned to the ship, had a late combination lunch/dinner, and prepared for our outing of the night - a trip to a club for a tango show. We were very excited about this. And so, I guess, were the few hundred fellow guests who went with us on our four large motor coaches.
Tango is a big deal in Argentina. Developed in working class areas of Argentina and Uruguay, the native dance form mixed with immigrant and African slave dance traditions to meld into the beautiful, mysterious and dramatic spectacle that it is today. When it began, it was performed only by men together, and only in brothels. Isn't that hard to imagine? It represented men dueling (or maybe just being macho) for the women in the brothel.
The tango show we attended was fantastic. We were fortunate enough to have gotten seats right in front at the small, intimate theater, so we had a great view of the intricate foot maneuvers the dancers were performing. There were eight dancers in really elaborate costumes, two gauchos performing feats with bolos and drums, and two singers.
The acts were all accompanied by a phenomenal band. Of particular note was the accordion player. He was the leader of the band, and played so beautifully. (Actually, the instrument is called a bandonéon in Spanish. It is a type of concertina).
After the show, we went home to pack, as we will be leaving the ship early tomorrow morning. What a fantastic cruise it has been! We will be staying in Buenos Aires for two more days.
Good night everyone!
All best,
Karen and David
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