And who wouldn’t? It is pretty darn close to perfect. The Four Seasons never disappoints, and the Four Seasons Buenos Aires was the highlight of a wonderful trip to Buenos Aires!
So…what did I love about the Four Seasons? Fresh flowers are always the first thing I notice when entering a lobby, and the Four Seasons always has beautiful blooms. [Read more…] about I Loved the Incomparable Four Seasons in Buenos Aires!
San Telmo is nothing if not colorful and full of life. What I did not know is that they tango in the marketplace on Sundays! Buenos Aires is the heart and soul of tango. Tango is everywhere! There are tango shows, both large and small, tango clubs, tango lessons, and tango on the street corners. One of my favorite tango experiences had to be the tango at the San Telmo Fair. The market, or fair, is open on Sundays, and the tents market everything from food to jewelry to saddles! One of the best things about San Telmo’s market? Tango!
Cemeteries are not usually on my “to visit” list, but there are exceptions, and Recoleta Cemetery is one. Arlington Cemetery, Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, some of the cemeteries in New Orleans (which I truthfully have never visited) are a few of them. The Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires is definitely an exception, and if you are traveling to Buenos Aires, it has to be at least a half day on your itinerary. Why? Because of the statuary and the historical value of the cemetery, but most of all, the peaceful beauty of the art within. If you have visited Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, you know exactly what I am talking about (if not, you need to visit it as well). The cemetery has been lauded as one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries, and it is easy to see why. Paula, of Maria Corbalon Bespoke Tours, toured us, while we exclaimed constantly about the statues and crypts. Unlike Bonaventure, the crypts are right up next to one another, regardless of how they might be decorated. A fascinating place. I loved examining the tombs, the statues, and photographing them. Some had stories, some did not, but all were beautiful.
The story of Eva Duarte Peron cannot be told in a photoblog, but I certainly urge you to read about her, or of course, watch the movie. She is still greatly loved in Argentina, and is interred in Recoleta. After Eva’s death, the plan was to build a huge monument to her, much like Lenin’s, where her body would be displayed for the public. While the monument was being built, Evita’s embalmed body was displayed in her former office at the House of Culture for nearly two years. In 1955, before completion of the monument, Juan Peron was overthrown and had to escape Argentina. He was unable to make arrangements for Eva’s body. A military dictatorship took over, and Evita’s remains disappeared for 16 years! “From 1955 until 1971, the military dictatorship of Argentina issued a ban on Peronism. It became illegal not only to possess pictures of Juan and Eva Perón in one’s home, but to speak their names. In 1971, the military revealed that Evita’s body was buried in a crypt in Milan, Italy, under the name “María Maggi.” It appeared that her body had been damaged during its transport and storage, such as compressions to her face and disfigurement of one of her feet due to the body having been left in an upright position.” (Wikipedia)
In 1971, Evita’s body was exhumed and taken to Spain where Juan Peron and his third wife, Isabel, kept the corpse in their dining room. Yes, you heard me correctly, in their dining room, near the table. Ugh. Peron returned to Argentina and to power in 1973, and when he died in 1974, his wife Isabel became President of Argentina. She had Eva’s body returned to Argentina and displayed with Juan’s. Both Juan and Eva are in the Duarte Family tomb in Recoleta. (The family of Eva Duarte Peron.) The Argentine government has secured the tomb, and it is said that a nuclear blast could not harm it. Eva is still very much venerated in Argentina.
The Recoleta Cemetery is filled with history, beauty, and art. When in Buenos Aires, do go and visit!
Why visit Buenos Aires? About a year ago I posted a question on Facebook: where should I go next? Annie, a woman I met on a Ray of Hope Citizen Science Expedition in the Yucatan, wrote back and said, how about Antarctica? And to get to Antarctica one has to go either through Buenos Aires or Santiago, Chile. We decided on the trip that left from Argentina!
Truthfully, I had never really considered going to Buenos Aires. It was not on my radar. Fate put me in the city, and I am so glad that it did. Buenos Aires was a lovely, unexpected surprise in so many ways! The first thing we did was schedule a private tour with Maria Corbalan Bespoke Tours and it was the perfect introduction to the city. We actually did two tours, one with Paula, and one with Maria herself. If you are headed to Buenos Aires and want a thorough introduction to the history and neighborhoods of the city, I cannot recommend Maria Corbalan highly enough!
The city is very cosmopolitan, and feels more European than South American. The buildings are gorgeous, many are built in the French neoclassical style. The different neighborhoods are so distinct from one another! Buenos Aires is a fascinating city, full of color, art and history.
Buenos Aires is very concerned about its citizen’s health. There are exercise courses and equipment all over the city! They know that it is cheaper to prevent illness than to treat it. I wish America acted that way!
It is also a city of practiced pickpockets. My iphone and money were stolen right out of my backpack and I didn’t feel a thing. Someone watched me use my phone inside of a store, followed me and robbed me without being detected. Well, no vacation is perfect, right? Come along on this photoblog of beautiful Buenos Aires! And stay tuned for more blogs about Buenos Aires!
There is no better introduction to Buenos Aires than a stay at the Palacio Duhau, or Park Hyatt, Buenos Aires. The 5-Star hotel is located in the Recoleta, an upper-end residential neighborhood known for its elegance, shopping, fine dining, and beautiful European style architecture. It is also known for the impressive Recoleta Cemetery, but more on that later!
[Read more…] about A Stay at the Fabulous Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires!
In Antarctica there were incredible sightings of Orcas! Have you ever seen an Orca? I’m not talking about the poor captives of Sea World and other marine parks, but killer whales in the wild. I had seen Orcas off in the distance, but in Antarctica I had a bird’s eye view! We sighted Orcas a few times, but on the last day in the Antarctic Circle, in the Ross Sea, we ran into either several pods, or one large pod. They traveled alone, together, and we witnessed a hunt involving several at the same time. *( I did feel sorry for the penguin they caught, though!)
The Orca, or Killer Whale, is a member of the Cetacean Family. There are two types of Cetaceans, toothed and baleen. Dolphins, Killer Whales, and porpoises are toothed Cetaceans. They are a part of our family of mammals. Millions of years ago their ancestor lived on land, but eventually spent their entire lives in the water. They adapted to the marine environment, but they breathe oxygen, are warm blooded, and give live birth, and nurse, their young.
There are different types of Orca, and those populations are currently being studied. The scientists aboard the Lindblad NatGeo Explorer discussed types A, AA, and C. I have no idea which Type or Types I photographed, I only know it was wondrous to see them. Ever passenger on the ship was on the bow!
Did you know that no Orca has ever killed a human in the wild? In captivity, yes. They also do not display the fallen over dorsal fin that many of their brethren do in captivity, so well shown in the documentary, Blackfish. It has never been seen in the ocean. I watched these magnificent creatures, and felt such sorrow for captured Orcas like Tilikum, who must have been mad with grief, with claustrophobia, and with loneliness. Orcas are very social, have their own families with whom they spend their entire lives, their own language and forms of behavior. Orca sons often spend their entire lives in matriarchal pods, with their mothers. For an Orca to be separated from family, from hunting, from migrating…is absolute hell for the animal. Tilikum had had two years of life in the sea with his pod before his capture. I hate to say it, but I feel sure that Tilikum would rather have been dead than in a small pool, performing tricks for the amusement of humans, mourning for his family for his entire life. And yes, of course, I have seen dolphin and whale shows. But no more, and not for a very long time. Never again.
It is a quandary though, as we want appreciation for these magnificent animals, and how to do that for the majority of humans, who will never actually see one in the wild? I can’t say that I know the answer, for any animal. I just know in my heart, to cage a wild animal is surely wrong. But is it necessary? I’m not sure. What I do know is that I am so fortunate, and so privileged, to see animals in the wild, to see other cultures, to travel the world. I am grateful into my very marrow for the life and experiences I have had, and will have. Travel truly does gift one with new eyes, and new perspectives.
