Finally - a successful day! After a not so successful Saturday, which was spent waiting and waiting and waiting, I welcomed an action-packed Sunday.
I slept in, had my cup of coffee and was off. There was nobody in the street as I waited...and waited...and waited for the colectivo. It finally came, but failed to stop for me. (
crazy colectivero) The next colectivo was as equally full as the first, but I literally squeezed in. At the next stop, he let people climb on through the rear door. I´m pretty sure a majority of the riders didn´t pay, as it was impossible to reach the machine to put your coins in.
I started out the day by visiting the
National Library, which in all honesty, I thought was going to be much cooler than it was. (Probably due to the fact that I wasn´t getting a tour -- only Fridays at 3pm -- and I was allowed to go to the 6th floor to ¨study with my materials¨ or the 5th floor to check out/reference books. The 6th floor was full of people drinking mate and studying and the other wing was closed, so I have no idea what was in it. The 5th floor was equally as drab...a few computers to look up reference materials, a row of lockers to put your belongings in, a circulation desk for when you wanted to get a book and a security guard who wouldn´t let you pass unless you only had your notes and the form you had to fill out to get in the library. All purses, drinks, books and other belongings needed to be put in a locker. If you wanted a book, you had to look it up on the computer and then tell the desk what book you wanted. I bet the 1, 2, 3 and 4th floors were much more interesting, but they were off-limits. It did have an interesting piece of art outside and a weird structure to the building, so I guess it isn´t all bad.
I proceeded to aimlessly walk around Recoleta, an exclusive neighborhood in BA, and stumbled upon some lovely buildings before making my way to one of the five most famous cemeteries in the world for the 2 PM tour. In 1822, the Recoleta Cemetery was the first public cemetery in Buenos Aires and is the final resting place of some of Argentina's richest and most powerful citizens - national heroes, former Argentine presidents, soldiers, scientists, writers and other celebrities - like Evita.
There are few individuals buried underground, as the majority are housed in ornate buildings. These buildings have 2 floors underground (about 7 meters) and some even have space for individuals above the main room. Many had stained glass works, but interestingly enough, they were created for the person who peers in the building from the outside. (Not for the person who looks at the window from the outside of the building.)
It was interesting seeing the graves of many of the writers that I have been learning about in my literature classes, especially Eugenio Cambaceres' daughter, Rufina, who died in 1902 at the age of 19. She was getting ready to go Teatro Colon when she fell to the floor unconscious. She was pronounced dead and thus buried, despite having only suffered a catalepsy attack. (The heart beats, but extremely slowly and the body becomes rigid.) Her grandmother (who was in France at the time) didn't believe that Rufina had died, so she hoped on a boat and arrived a few months later. She got permission to see the body and when they opened the casket they saw Rufina's hands all scratched up from trying to get out. She unfortunately died of suffocation and her grandmother had this monument made for her in the cemetery.
After the tour, I walked around the
feria (artesian fair) to purchase a few things I had been meaning to get and drank mate in the plaza with some friends while taking in the different shows - a band and then Brazilian martial arts - before heading home to bundle up for the next item on my
bucket-list ... an Argentine soccer game!
I've never been a huge fan of soccer, but I must say the game kept me entertained. The
hinchas (biggest fans) were cheering from the moment they walked into the stadium and the atmosphere was laid-back, but you could tell the fans meant business. It was 0-0 for what seemed like forever and then the other team scored a goal. There was a 5-year old boy behind us who kept screaming profanities at the players and fans were not happy. If River (the soccer team) lost the game, they would be endanger of dropping down a league. Thankfully they got their act together, scored a goal, and the crowd went wild!! They had a few more close goals, but the game ended in a tie.
The River fans had to wait in the stadium as security escorted the visiting fans out of the stadium and into their buses. (Each stadium has a special section for visitors.) I had a lot of fun, despite not being a River fan *BOCA, BOCA* I can't believe I didn't go to a game sooner, but next time I come to Buenos Aires, I will be sure to schedule in a few. :-)
