At the cemetery...and more...

Growing up in Argentina and coming here often with Art when we lived in Paraguay and in Chile in the 1970's, we never went sightseeing. I remarked on that today as we headed to the famous Recoleta Cemetery for the 11 a.m. free walking tour. I was amazed that we had never been there. But then, B.A. was always a "getaway" place for us from Asuncion and Santiago where we shopped, ate in the wonderful restaurants, and went to movies to soak up some culture. Nothing more. Now we are back at such a different time in our lives and I find myself hungry to know more about Argentina and to see as many of the sights as we can while we are here this month.

The Recoleta Cemetery which is only five blocks from our apartment, was a good place to start and is on most "must see" lists when visiting B.A.. Nowadays it is mostly visited because Evita Peron is buried there, although she was not originally laid to rest here. That came much later after a long story of intrigue about her body being stolen and then found in a grave in Italy and eventually brought back to Recoleta and buried in her family vault. She is not buried with her husband, Juan Peron, the famous dictator. But beyond Evita's story, a walk through the Recoleta Cemetery which was opened in 1822 on land owned by the mission church which is next door, is like experiencing the history of Argentina. Most all the famous president's , statesmen, military generals, and intellectuals are buried here. It's a fascinating place where families own vaults that are small buildings, Many are built of pure Italian marble and are very ornate with angels, crosses, or virgin statues on the roof. Inside the vaults there are several basements with room for coffins that contain family members. A medium sized vault which sells for about $35,000 can hold up to 18 coffins. No one is buried in the ground but coffins are simply slipped into shelves where they remain for many years. We learned that families pay yearly taxes on these vaults and now in modern times depending on the economic welfare of owners, sometimes vaults are sold, coffins removed and bodies cremated.

The Catholic Church now allows cremation so that the younger generation opt for cremation as opposed to the expensive investment of a vault. The Recoleta Cemetery is full now and has about 5,000 vaults. It is fascinating to walk up and down the narrow alleys studying the different designs, and the names which represent many nationalities other than Argentines. You don't have to be Catholic to be buried here although most people are. Some vaults are kept up beautifully and others have fallen into disrepair. Visiting the Recoleta is like walking through a history book of Argentina and for this reason many school groups visit with their teachers. The cemetery itself is well kept up and the guides are impressive and eager to tell you all about it.

We lunched today at the Cafe Rodi which is the quintessential Argentine restaurant. A simple plain decor, tables with crisp white linen table clothes and napkins, fresh crusty bread and butter on the table, and wine glasses waiting to be used. Only waiters work in Argentine restaurants and the concept of waitresses does not exist. In the Cafe Rodi we noticed many men having their lunch, perhaps on their lunch hour from work as well as many regulars whom the waiters greeted by name. Art ordered a complete filet mignon (called 'lomo" in Spanish) lunch with salad and papas fritas, all for a mere $8. I decided to sample the Argentine river fish which is called merluza. We came home for a siesta for awhile.

At 5 o'clock we walked to the famous Plaza San Martin crossing B.A.'s widest avenue called 9 de Julio. We had read about the free walking tours of B.A. that are given in English. This one was a two and a half hour walking tour of our Recoleta area and part of a neighboring area called Retiro which is close to the Buenos Aires port area. Buenos Aires natives are called "portenos" because Buenos Aires is a port city. Our young guide, Cecilia, who spoke excellent English told us about a group of young people who have started these free walking tours for tourists. Only about seven people showed up and we set off on foot stopping every block or so to have Cecilia tell us more Argentine history, and show us some of the magnificent European architecture in this particular area of the city.

I marvel at the fact that we are here again after a 35 year absence. But now I am aware of how at this stage of my life I love learning new things about the world which is what traveling is all about. I found myself thinking today how superficial I must have been at 26 or 30 that all I wanted to do was shop and eat. Now, getting in touch with my past and learning more about Argentina is what I want to do.