Another Cemetery and a Big Pile of Dookie...

Buenos Aires (Palermo District), Argentina

April 4, 2007
S 34°35.045
W 058°24.500

Even though we have plenty of time in Buenos Aires, we want to make sure we see all the great sites. So, we decided to put a rough timeline together outlining everything we want to see while we’re here in BA. Of course this includes all of the restaurants too.

Tuesday was the first day of the plan and we decided to check-out the Recoleta neighborhood including the infamous cemetery. We were greeted by sunny skies and temperatures in the 80’s as we headed out the door; making for perfect photo opportunities in the cemetery.

We walked about 5 KM to the Recoleta district… again stopping at several ATM’s along the way, many with very long lines; we finally succeeded after five attempts. After wandering through several small parks and little neighborhoods we found ourselves at the cemetery where famous Argentineans such as Evita, Sarmiento, military heroes and past presidents are buried. The crypts are extremely impressive; made of marble with very intricate designs. It appeared some of the burial chambers had fallen victim to grave robbers; with only broken windows and dried flowers remaining. I was a little freaked-out as I peered into the vandalized tombs. I imagined the deceased, who were supposed to lay in peace, angry and seeking revenge. Luckily, I didn’t sense any of this anger, and spent the day pleasantly strolling around snapping pictures.

When we left the cemetery we tried to hit one of Jorge Luis Borges old haunts, but it is closed on Tuesdays—damn! Instead we headed to one of the little parks in the area to see what it had to offer. We went to Parque Thays that didn’t really compare to Parque 3 de Febrero, but it was a nice open space where kids played on the jungle gyms while their older brothers’ practiced futbol.

We strolled through a few more parks on our way to the Jardin Botanico Carlos Thays near our apartment. We walked through the garden the other day, but the rain and gray skies prevented us from getting any photos, not to mention the giant mud puddles. As we cut through the park, hundreds of feral cats were lounging in the grass, soaking up the sun and sideling up against locals that were feeding them kibble and snacks.

Marc is responsible for writing the blog tomorrow since it is his 40th birthday… stay tuned!

Other notes: Google Analytics is really cool! It’s fun to see where people who check out our blog live. Right now someone in Beijing, China is the furthest away. We aren’t sure if this is Kevin Dieker, who recently took a trip to China, or someone in China who’s simply taken an interest in our blog. The majority of the people are in California, as expected, but we do have visits from several states, including Hawaii, Wisconsin and Kentucky, to name a few.

Also of note… as we’ve explained previously, dog poop is a big problem in Buenos Aires. You must constantly watch your step as you stroll along the sidewalks, through parks and basically anywhere you go outside of the house. Obviously, Portenos think leaving their dog’s big, steamy piles of fecal matter is perfectly fine behavior. Due to the abundance of dog shit, we can only assume they take pride in the size, consistency and enjoy sharing it with their fellow citizens. See example below, Laura’s foot provides scale to the prized mass!