BUENOS AIRES IMPRESSIONS (DAY 2—THE CITY)

          • On Day 2 (1/24), we took in the sights of this exciting cosmopolitan city on a bus tour given by HAL.

          • In the morning, we took a driving tour . . .
                    • past “Pink Palace”, aka the Presidential Palace (aka Casa Rosada), where Evita Peron appeared at the balcony above the square full of supporters (and where Madonna filmed the movie); this is also a near-constant site of demonstrations of various sorts; the very idea of protesting “whatever cause” is in vogue here
                    • along Plaza de Mayo (May Avenue), surrounded by the Casa Rosada Government House, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Cabildo – and yellow bikes available for the public to rent (in order to decrease traffic congestion)
                    • south to San Telmo (one of the oldest neighborhoods, characterized by well-preserved 19th century architecture)
          • We made our first stop in the colorful (to say the least) La Boca (the old port district) and the famous Caminito Street
          • We turned northeast and passed through ritzy  Puerto Madero
          • We made our second and final stop on the HAL bus at La Recoleta Cemetery to visit the grave of Eva Peròn (Evita) , which is marked by her maiden name, “Eva Duarte” -- and inconspicuously hidden at Site No. 88; a disapproving military assured her grave would pale in artistic grandeur to those of various generals and Argentine elite – yet, the only grave drawing long lines of onlookers is that of Eva Duarte-Peron
          • From there, we ditched the bus and made our way by cab to the trendy and popular area of Palermo Soho, where we set out to find and eat at La Cabrera, which I was told was one the best dining experiences in the world.   Palermo Soho reminded me of Boulder, Colorado, a fun part of town where people hang out and drink beer in the afternoon.  The restaurant was packed; we were lucky to get the last table for lunch.  They served us their version of a Kobe steak – huge enough for 2 (or more), along with many interesting side dishes.  This was my favorite part of town, with La Boca coming in a close second.
          • We also "had to" buy some Malbec wine, the natural wine of Argentina, encased in a Gaucho leather carrier.  Excellent.