Saturday, November 17, 2024
Our valiant group of thrill seeking adventurers struck out today with the goal of exploring three more of Buenos Aires' best tourist stops.
We had planned to start our day by taking the Metro to the Mercado de San Telmo for lunch. Then, properly fueled, we would share an Uber ride to the Cementerio de la Recoleta which our Lonely Planet guidebook lists as the top sight in Buenos Aires. After those two stops we planned to take the short walk to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes which is considered to be Argentina's most important fine arts museum.
Then the 90°F heat got in the way, but I digress.
Let's start at the beginning, we headed to our nearest Metro station the Green D Line's Ministro Carranza Station which we found mostly empty on a Saturday with most people not rushing to get to work.
The lack of hubbub allowed us to take a closer look at the station's multi-cultural tile work.
These blue and yellow ones speak
to me of a Portuguese influence
Undoubtedly a nod to the Islamic
culture in Buenos Aires
After a transfer to the Blue C Line, we got off at the Independencia station and vòila . . .
We were in the San Telmo
neighborhood of Buenos Aires
A brisk seven block field march combined with the direction given to us at two points by the kindness of strangers got us to our destination but not before seeing a couple of interesting business concerns.
Evita and Juan?
We just might go clubbing
here later tonight
At last, the venerable Mercado de San Telmo
In operation since 1897 making
it a grand 127 years old
It was designed by Juan Antonio Buschiazzo, an Italian born Argentine architect.
This mercado features wrought iron interiors with several vendors of produce, meat and baked goods with peripheral antique stalls offering all sorts of old treasures.
Additionally there are shops selling leather goods and jewelry which meant that my financial empire was about to take a serious hit.
Then there were the many restaurants at the core of the mercado which when one adds 90°F temperatures to a mass of human beings crowded together in a small space and the heat of the ovens preparing their fare made for a degree of discomfort.
As usual, eclectic was the
Word of the Day
Food stalls had me surrounded
We had to decide which one offered
us the best overall dining experience
They make empanadas in Argentina?
Who knew?
I LOVE bread!
And sweets too, I LOVE sweets!
Another option for our dining peso
We decided to dine at the first
spot that we had seen on our
initial tour of the mercado
Four of these light breakfast
staples did the trick
These tortas de papa were topped with different items of our choice. Koreen opted for the green and red peppers while Laurie went with anchovies.
Brian and I ordered the much more
macho and delicious chorizo
Not surprisingly, only one
of our Band of Adventurers
was up to the task at hand
Lunch now a thing of the past, we continued to explore the mercado.
Two more tortas de papa stacked
and ready for dissection
The wrought iron adds to the ambiance
We would partake of our daily
wine rations later in the evening
The heat continued to build despite
the mercado's high ceiling
We entered the dangerous antique
market stalls with great trepidation
I distracted myself with more
mercado food photos
The Mercado de San Telmo
is rather grand archtecturally
I've been led to believe that there
was once a magical cherry tree
in Indiana but I digress
Eggs for sale, but remember,
the exchange rate is roughly
1 U.S. Dollar = 1,000 Argentine Pesos
The hustle and bustle on
a Saturday morning
The workers at this sausage shop
dining on their own products
What better endorsement of their sausages is there?
We left the Mercado de San Telmo impressed by what we saw, ate and, yes, purchased.
We ducked into this cheese
while waiting for our Uber drive
Not sure what these were but
the packaging intrigued me
We crossed the Argentine capital city
on our way to our next stop
We arrived at the Cementerio de la Recolta facing intense heat from the rays of the penetrating western Sun.
It was built in 1822 by French engineer Prospero Catelin.
This incredible city of the dead has "streets" lined with impressive statues and massive marble mausoleums.
Former Argentine Presidents, military heroes, politicians and the just plain old rich and famous are spending eternity here.
There is also one quite iconic Argentine First Lady interred here in her family's crypt.
We entered.
Spooky
Sultry
There were some levels of disrepair
Ornate grill work abounded
Madonna and Child
Anchors Aweigh!
What a fascinating necropolis
Ferns growing randomly
An iron working artisan's
proudest moment
The Duarte Family Crypt includes . . .
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. . . Maria Evita Duarte de Perón
Yes, that Evita the former and
still controversial Argentine First Lady
who married President Juan Peròn
If you ever saw the play or movie Evita, then you know what I'm talking about.
Poignant, wilted flower
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Cobwebs protecting a
seemingly forgotten family
I once read that one is not truly dead until no one is left to remember them.
It appeared to me that there were in deed a lot of dead people sprinkled in with the dearly departed.
A good looking Colonel resides here
Possible Las Vegas Raiders fan
This red brick edifice caught my eye
Angels are an absolute MUST!
Interesting neck
These ornate, well kept gates show
a lot of family pride still in effect
Peter Pan's Captain Hook just
after the crocodile attack
One of the more elaborate memorials
A General in the Argentine Air Force
A pair of angels on duty
A military hero standing at ease
A rather rough hewn mausoleum
A tomb that is not the
norm for Jewish burial sites
Mary ever vigil
Don't mess with her!
It was worth the visit
We were all suffering from the effects of the heat and being exposed to the direct sunshine.
We headed across the street from the Cementerio to a large shopping mall in search of much needed beverages.
This fine establishment reenergized
our precious bodily fluids
Though refreshed, we all agreed that the trip to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes would have to wait until another day.
We headed home instead and eventually regrouped well enough to go to a local, highly regarded pizzeria that did not have a long queue to get in this time.
Of course a delicious Malbec
wine from Mendoza, Argentina
was paired with our meal
It was a fine way to end a long but good day on the road.
The steps count today was somewhat
improved but not over the top
On Sunday, our last full day in Buenos Aires, we'll head to my cousin Ernesto's home for a barbecue where we'll reunite with the Argentine families of all three of my first cousins who immigrated here from Cuba in the early 1960s escaping from the Castro regime.
Stay tuned . . .
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