This is our 3rd stop in Buenos Aires & we are still finding gems to check out. LaBoca (the mouth) section is a feast for the eyes with its brightly colored buildings with hilarious & famous figures hanging out on the balconies. It's where hundreds of immigrants poured into this area beginning in the late 18th century multiplying the population of BA by 10! They hung out in LaBoca until they figured out a plan to move on. Some literally slept on hanging ropes as space was so scarce. Quinquela Martin, a local artist used left over paints to start decorating the metal buildings & then opened his home to other artist. He also started collecting ship figure heads and many of the locals dug through their attics & gave him any they found. They are on display in his former home which is now a museum. The area is still crammed but with tourist & souvenir shops! We also browsed the BAM (Buenos Aires Museum) enjoying displays of how phones, TVs, typewriters, radios, cameras, etc. have evolved over time. We remember having several of them. Next morning we headed to the Recoleta Cemetery where massive crypts of former political, military & rich are buried. Evita Perón too. Our kids better start saving $$ so they can bury us in such extravagant crypts! The church next to it was also a sight to behold. Next stop was the Evita (Eva) Peron Memorial Museum. An English script for our phones was available & extremely well done. It followed her life story. I'd seen the movie but this was the real thing. She was an incredible woman who had the heart, drive & position to improve the lives of the common workers (she called men without shirts), sick, poor & widowed. The museum was housed in the building she had built for poor mothers & their children. The building was similar to other homes of the rich in the area because she felt the poor deserved to live as the rich. Equally. Evita gave many speeches on social justice which we listened to recording of . In one she said, "Being poor is not an unchangeable state but rather a consequence of unfair distribution of resources. All deserve to be treated equally." She was diagnosed with cancer & shortly before she died (age 33), she spoke saying she wanted only to be remembered as Evita (the endearing form of Eva), the woman who loved her husband, President Peron and all her beloved Argentinians. Well, she is remembered!! Her funeral drew over 3 million people & there wasn't a single flower to buy in all of Argentina or the surrounding countries. Inspiring.
From there we went to the Cultural Center in a converted old convent & church. Mostly filled with art displays in many forms & open to several art classes. Also a comfortable & well used area with free WiFi. Last stop was the Botanical Gardens. Nothing outstanding except it was nice seeing so many people enjoying the peace & quiet in this beautiful natural setting right in the middle of this huge, bustling city!
