We started our last day in Buenos Aires with a tour of the Teatro Colón–a famous opera house that stands grandly amongst the other buildings on the block. The facade was spectacularly carved in stone with ornate columns and moldings that were artfully designed, adding to its grandiose appearance. Once inside, we were greeted with a truly grand entrance, as the walls and columns stretched skyward to meet a ceiling with vibrantly colored stained glass that depicted several figures. These, we were told, were muses, watching over the theater and granting its performers inspiration. The stained glass was complemented by more intricate designs; this time in a dark metallic brown. Such dark accents add contrast from the light stucco walls and marble columns and rails. It was obvious the theater prided itself on the sheer amount of detail its walls held. Every engraving was incredibly detailed and realistic. Even the mosaic floors were spectacularly designed. Each tile was no bigger than a quarter, and all were lain by hand, one at a time. Upstairs, our amazement continued as we were greeted by the busts of composers, looking down at us from their perch atop several doorways that lined the hall. After a lovely demonstration of “Figaro” by our own Palmer Seeley, we headed to an extravagant hall. Gold detailing wove up the pillars and to the ceiling. There, dangling from gorgeous paintings, chandeliers hung. Each weighed five hundred kilos, and the strain showed as a few cracks marked where they were attached through the paintings. The only thing more that could possibly impress us more was the theater itself. The dark velvet seats parted to make a pathway to the stage, which loomed dark and intriguing against the pink and peach hues of the walls. Our eye was then drawn upwards at the elegantly painted ceilings, depicting the names of the composers in a circle that surrounded the chandelier. Smaller light fixtures peppered the six balconies that curved around the room, adding to the warm yellow glow. It is hard to imagine that any show would be more impressive than the venue here, as the entire space radiated with elegance and poise. Overall, it is easy to say we were more than impressed.
We then headed to the Plaza de Mayo, a plaza that lies near the heart of Buenos Aires. We started by the Casa Rosada, the Argentine equivalent to the White House. However, the entire building is a soft pink. This was caused by a mixture of animal fat and calcium powder that was used on the exterior in order to prevent water damage from the heavy rain and possible flooding from the nearby river. Another interesting note is that the building is unsymmetrical, as the two halves were built at different times. We then went to a monument called the Pirámide de Mayo, which was the first major monument of Argentina built in rememberence of the first revolution. On the paved ground surrounding the monument, there were several painted scarves to represent the mothers and grandmothers who would gather every Sunday and mourn the loss of their sons to the war. We then saw the Cabildo, or the original town hall of Buenos Aires. It now stands as a museum. To finish off our morning, we went to the cathedral were San Martin rests. The church, like the opera house, was spectacularly ornate. The wide arches and towering columns lead to intricately painted ceilings with cherubs of stone looking down on us. A soft golden glow emanated from the several chandeliers in a calming way. The mausoleum of San Martin seemed more simplistic, with more attention drawn to the three statues surrounding his coffin. These figures represented the republics of Chile, Peru, and Argentina, the three republics San Martin helped to establish.
This morning started and ended with extraordinary examples of Argentine culture and architecture. We certainly cannot wait to see where our adventure here leads us next.
-Charlie
After touring the cathedral we got back on the bus and headed to la Plaza de las Naciones Unidas. It was basically a park and in the center of the park there was a big metal flower. The flower was cool because during the day it would open, but when night time came the flower would close. After going to the park we went to a cemetery. I know this may sound creepy, but the cemetery was really cool. It was very different than United States cemeteries because you could see most of the coffins through the building windows. Something that I thought was interesting was that if people didn’t pay the tax for the cemetery building the staff wouldn’t clean it. If the people didn’t pay the taxes for 3 years someone else could buy it, but it’s very expensive. After going to the cemetery we went to a mall to eat lunch and shop if we wanted to, but I didn’t buy anything because everything was so much more expensive compared to America. We then hopped back on the bus to go to Quilmes :D. Once we got to Quilmes I began to get super nervous because that was when the idea that we were in a different country hit me. The nervousness went away once I saw my exchange student, but then it came back when the parents talked to me and I had no idea what they said. I tried to play it off so I said “Si” and put my thumbs up. We then went to their car and drove home. During the car ride home I noticed there was a lot of poverty, way more than I see in North Carolina. Once I arrived at my exchange student’s house I was offered mate (a communal drink) which I accepted and I actually really liked it even though it was a little bit bitter. After drinking the mate we exchanged presents and I took a nap. After I woke up we then went to dinner with a couple other exchange groups at “a la parrilla”. We had entraña and asado. I personally liked the entraña more because it was less fatty. After eating we talked for about an hour or so. We then went home ending our third day in Argentina.
