Evita And Tango!

Evita Perón, the First Lady of Argentina, is a figure that looms large in the capital. On my day's walking tour with a guide, first stop was the Recoleta, to see her family's mausoleum. Problem is, you can't kick that song from repeating itself in your head!

 The cemetery itself is pretty impressive, in the middle of a very affluent neighbourhood, with the elite outdoing each other with impressive commemorations of their lives and deaths.

 Evita's family's mausoleum

An English phone box in the cemetery!

European style boulevards

This was my first day's long amble around the historical and residential areas of Buenos Aires.  In some areas, you could be in Paris. It is definitely the best way to see the city, starting from Palermo, through Recoleta, the city centre, and on to La Boca.

The city's historical center.

On Sunday, street fairs abound, from antique markets, food markets, and local artisan produce, you can spend the day meandering around them, perusing various knickknacks and sampling culinary specialties.

La Boca

Of course, you cannot escape the tango! Born out of street dance culture, the tango was the immigrants' means of escaping the difficult conditions in the impoverished port area. This multi cultural dance is full of passion and pride, and they take to it everywhere! Argentinian tango is much more intense and slower than ballroom tango, and requires expertise from the man's ability to lead well.

I have to admit, expecting a certain amount of cheesiness from catching a show, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really enjoying it, in awe of the difficulty of the moves.  You must partake when in Buenos Aires.  It's great fun!