What do you do when you have a 24 hour layover in Buenos Aires? Well, when that means you have to go through immigration, pay the $130 entrance visa and collect your luggage you might as well go into the city. Knowing this was coming (due to flights changing after booking my ticket) I had booked a bed in a hostel and proceeded to lug my two as-heavy-as-allowed suitcases carrying my goodies from the US up two flights of stairs. Happily relinquishing them to the luggage room I ask the front desk for a mapy of the city, mark the location of the hostel and set off to find the closest "sites of interest" marked on the map. This led me to a plaza with the Metropotian Cathedral (a very boxy church) on one side adn to la Casa Rosada, the pink house, at the far end. Now if you´ve seen the movie Evita you´ll recognize this building as being the place where speeches and presentation were made. You can see that it really is a dramatic backdrop. A circular loop takes me past the national congress, some other old buildings and the obelisk. That is enough for round one. Travelling has made me tired and I need a nap!
Awakening refreshed I decide to head a little father afield to one of the places everyone who visits mentions and make my way to Recoleta, the famous cemetery. Oh my. It is about one block large and it absolutely draws me in. I find myself happily taking pictures over the next hour and a half before closing time, drawn by the mix of regular and irregular lines on the above ground masoleums. Fascinated by decorative touches and all the statues of angles and women. A line around one corner tells me I´ve found the burial place of Eva Peron - covered n plaques but not located in a place of prime importance. I still feel as if I´ve encountered a piece of history. With a last lingering glance at this place that has let me escape the city amidst a mix of trnaquility and beauty, I head back to my bed knowing that if I had to have a long layover at least I´ve used it well. Perhaps next time I´ll manage to get more thatn 24 hours in BA.
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