On Sunday, we took a leisurely walk from the ship to the famous Recoleta neighborhood just outside downtown Buenos Aires. There were two major attractions there: the cemetery and a huge crafts fair.
Here is the Wikipedia description: "Set in 5.5 hectares (14 acres), the property contains 4691 vaults, all above ground, of which 94 have been declared National Historical Monuments by the Argentine government and are protected by the state. The entrance to the cemetery is through neo-classical gates with tall Doric columns. The cemetery contains many elaborate marble mausoleums decorated with statues, in a wide variety of architectural styles such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Neo-Gothic...The entire cemetery is laid out in sections like city blocks, with wide tree-lined main walkways branching into sidewalks filled with mausoleums. While many of the mausoleums are in fine shape and well-maintained, others have fallen into disrepair."
It's most famous "resident" is Eva Peron. As we heard one of the guides telling someone, "It is ironic that she is buried here among the wealthy elite of Argentina, who despised her!"
Pictures are worth a thousand words so here are a few thousand words you don't have to read!
After touring the cemetery it was time for lunch. One of the aspects of Argentine cuisine we loved so much was pizza. To our surprise we found a little brew pub called Buller Brewing Company. The beer was brewed onsite. Barry was pleased to to see they had a stout and Jayne enjoyed their sampler that included Stout, Oktoberfest, wheat beer, honey beer, IPA, and pilsner. As she said, all were quite drinkable! We'd been thinking we'd have to hit the Blue Mountain Brew pub soon after we returned to Virginia, but this made it less a priority.
And the pizza was superb too!
We returned the ship to returned to the ship to recharge our batteries before heading out in the evening for a SAS sponsored trip to a "Tango Dinner." It was at a lovely place in the Monserrat neighborhood. http://www.laventanaweb.com/
They offered a three course meal (appetizer, main course, and desert) with various options before the show. Barry had a salad, steak with fries and ice cream. Jayne had a fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil; a pork chop; and pancakes with dulce de leche for dessert. We'd have to say that the meal was no better than ordinary.
The tango show itself was incredible. They had a large combo featuring 3 accordians, two violins, viola, bass and piano and probably 4 dance pairs and 3 singers (one male and two female). After 40 minutes of tango music and dancing, they had a folklore section that featured a four piece band and an incredible gaucho dancer with the famous bollas (balls on a rope used for roping cattle or sheep). The acrobatics he did with the bollas was incredible and difficult to describe. (No photos were allowed.) Then the tango band and dancers returned for another set. We left after midnight and got back to the ship around 1 am. And tomorrow is Barry's field lab which leaves the ship at 8 a. m.!
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