Don’t Cry For Me Buenos Aires

Europe in South America?  Many places claim to be the “Paris of the -------“; think the ‘Paris’ end of Collins St in Melbourne.

OK Buenos Aires, Argentina’s Capital and most populous city is not Paris, but is stylish and elegant in parts,

Streetscape central BA

colourful and lively in others, particularly in the La Boca (the mouth) port area where the Tango originated

La Boca - Maradonna, Peron, Gardel

and depressingly poor for 20-30% of the population.

Housing under the bridge central BA

It is the second largest city in South America (after Sao Paulo).  The city was once quite prosperous, however many people lost everything during the 1999 -2002 financial crisis and never recovered.

Argentina and the Rio de La Plata along which the city has grown are actually named not because of Argentinian silver or the colour of the river but because the early Spanish explorers thought the silver was local but it had actually come from neighbouring Bolivia and Paraguay.  Buenos Aires etymology seems to have a few theories as well but one version is by moving from the stinky mouth of the River upstream the air was sweeter.

Sunset over Rio de la Plata from ship

Argentina did a similar job to Uruguay in reducing the indigenous population to accommodate new settlers from Europe.  Many of these had originally come from the Canary Islands  in the Atlantic Ocean and some of the Spanish spoken here is unique to the area.  They say ‘che’ (sort of like ‘hey’ or ‘mate’) all the time and this is why local Che Guevara was known by that moniker rather than his birth name of Ernesto.

Argentina has a colourful political history and the Portenos as the locals call themselves aren’t afraid of a protest – the is a semi-permanent one in the main square for those war veterans who were mobilised for 1982 Falklands War but did not actually go; they’re seeking compensation similar to the veterans who did go.

Protest Plaza de Mayo, BA

There’s actually a few references to the war in town – this is the British Tower once called Torres de los Ingleses and since 1982 as Torre Monumental given to the city by the British descendants living in BA 1916 to commemorate the anniversary of the May (independence) Revolution

British Tower

 – and this, directly opposite, is the memorial to the 600+ Argentinians who died in the Falklands - you'll need to click to see the red granite plaques.  Also note the  beautiful 'bottle trees' in bloom

La Malvinas Memorial BA

The Pink (presidential) House is sometimes home to the helicopter commuting President Cristina or CFK as she is known; the balcony in the background is where Eva Peron delivered some of her speeches and where Madonna was filmed during the making of the Evita movie.

Pink House - and 'Evita' balcony

The story of the people who disappeared during the 1976-83 Dirty War and the women who protested over the 30,000 los desaparecidos with white scarves (originally nappies) is well known.  These women or their relatives still gather each Thursday.  Of the 4-500 pregnant women who vanished and whose children were ‘adopted’ by party officials and grew up all over the world, 112 have been identified  - the last as recently as October 2012!

Whatever you may think of Eva Peron, her spirit is still alive and well in certain parts of the city and we dutifully visited her family’s mausoleum in the Recoleta cemetery

Duarte Family Crypt, Recoleta Cemetary

– a fascinating destination in its own right.

Mausoleums, Recoleta Cemetery BA

And BA without the tango?  Yes, we did the obligatory Tango show – frankly far better than we expected – world champion dancers and superb musicians – the elder statesman bandoneon player and the charango player from Bolivia were standouts.  We couldn't take photos so you’ll have visualize the show from the venue.  Oh, and by the way after deputations by both Argentina and Uruguay, the Tango was declared part of the world's 'intangible cultural heritage' by UNESCO in 2009.

La Ventana Tango House, BA

Sadly the show ended with a Spanish version of - you guessed it – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.  Good grief!