We have to get to know each other better, it makes us understand one another better, trust each other more, and live together more peacefully
We stumbled upon an art exhibit in the middle of one of the open-air plazas of Buenos Aires, Plaza San Martin. It was hard to miss the colorful, life-size, fiberglass bears all lined in a circular row. I love the idea of art with a social message.
The United Buddy Bears, are a traveling world exhibit intended to promote world peace, understanding, and tolerance. Each of the bears is uniquely designed by an artist from one of the 140 countries recognized by the United Nations. The bears started their world tour in 2002 in Berlin, and since then have made their rounds to 17 international cities, with the latest being Astana, Kazakhstan.
The bears are always arranged in a circle to look like they're holding hands. Too bad peace and cultural acceptance isn't this easy in real life...
I'm back in BA--and at the right time--just in time to see the streets come alive for the Sunday Market in San Telmo. The streets are littered with blankets of rasta jewelry for sale, food vendors selling baked bread, mate, and fresh squeezed juice, and an antiques market in the public square selling everything from old buttons to chandeliers. Beautiful music floods the streets and tango dancers perform for the crowds. There are enough street performers to make Venice Beach seem like a sideshow.
I can't help but smile, getting swept up in the festive mood of San Telmo. This is the Buenos Aires that I've been waiting to see!
I try to navigate the busy streets with the Australian girl I just met, and we go in search of the fresh fruit stalls. The only thing that could interupt the festivities of the day is bad weather. It starts to pour and we duck into the antiques market to wait out the storm. The tables get folded up, the blankets of jewerly wrapped up, the musicians begin to pack up their instruments, people start scatter like ants--And just like that, the party disappears.
When it rains in Buenos Aires, it really pours! I'm kind of disappointed, but at least I still got to catch a glimpse. Maybe when the rain calms down, I'll get off the computer, and take another look around.
For Mom and Dad: Yes, there is a Chinatown in Argentina.
On almost every family vacation I can recall, the first thing my parents want to see is Chinatown. And there seems to be one in even the unexpected places across the globe. This one is just outside of Buenos Aires, right off of the Belgrano train stop.
So, Mom and Dad, this picture is for you:
It kinda looks like all the others.
The famed Recoleta Cemetary in Buenos Aires is the burial spot for some of Argentina`s rich and famous.
I`ve always found cemeteries to be a bit creepy, but this one is actually one worth visiting. The elaborate tombs and mausoleums are really an incredible sight. There are narrow passageways that lead to even more ornate burial rooms. It's like a small city of graves, which sounds a little morbid, but it's actually more like visiting a museum with all the marble statues and Gothic-style architecture. The rich and famous went through great lengths to try and outdo each other, so you can imagine the intricacy of all the fancy tombs.
The last plots in Recoleta filled up in the 70s. In some graves, whole families are buried together. Some of the mausoleums have clear panels of glass that you can see right through to the coffin...those were a little creepy.
In Recoleta the dead are not forgotten--instead they're visited by hundreds of tourists every day.
