Cementerio de la Recoleta

Today, Anne, Mark and HBomb went to one of the "must see" attractions of Buenos Aires, the Cementerio de la Recoleta.  To his memory, this is the third cemetery Mark has visited as a tourist attraction.  Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia hosts millions of visitors every year.  It has military and national park vibe.  St. Louis Cemetery in New Orleans, LA is an old cemetery with mausolea (plural of mausoleum?) built to deal with the fact that that city lives below sea level.  Recoleta has similarities to each of those places, but really is very different.

Recoleta is somewhat like Arlington Cemetery is that there are famous national figures buried there.  While Arlington Cemetery has two presidents (JFK and Taft) laid to rest there, Recoleta has 19 Argentina presidents.  As for most famous figures, while St. Louis Cemetery has a purported voodoo queen (Marie Levoux), Recoleta's most famous resident is former first lady, Eva Peron ("Evita").  And for those of you who think that Evita is just the lady from the Broadway musical or the movie starring Madonna, let me fill you in on this: Eva Peron is a BIG deal here.  Still.

And while Arlington Cemetery has a military set-up, and St. Louis Cemetery has a very crowded feel, Recoleta (and this is weird to say) feels like a city.  There are cross streets, addresses, and neighborhoods.

crowded feel in St. Lous #1

HBomb explores the neighborhood

Recoleta is a study in contrasts.  There are some structures there that are properly referred to as works of art.  The big families of Argentina put time and effort into constructing elaborate resting places for their members and the results are, at times, beautiful.

The structure below, which looks like a chapel, is actually the mausoleum for just one family. 

In contrast, some other structures have fallen into disrepair.  The plots are bought in perpetuity, but apparently, the maintenance is not.  Some of the structures are damaged, others are destroyed.

Exposed coffins are inherently creepy.  Mark, Anne and HBomb saw some other damaged areas that were equally disconcerting.  On top of this, there are legends that go with the cemetery, that make it feel a little creepy.  There is a legend of a grounds keeper who committed suicide so that he could be buried in this cemetery, and now haunts the streets at night, as well as other legends of ghosts and ghouls.  One of the worst is the story of Rufina Cambareces.  In 1902, poor Rufina found out that her boyfriend was having an affair with her own mother just before her 19th birthday party at Teatro Colon.  She passed out and could not be revived.  Three doctors declared her to be dead.  So they put her in the coffin.  Tragically, she was not dead, but suffering from catalepsy, which has symptoms including rigidity and low vital signs.  She was was accidentally buried alive.  Eventually, they opened her coffin, but by that time, it was too late.  They found only scratches on the inside of her coffin and on her face.  Now she is reburied and placed behind only a glass door, apparently so that she can break out easily if she wakes again.  Yikes.

Winter is Coming!

Separated at birth?

This past Tuesday, March 31, there was a big transportation strike in Buenos Aires.  In a city that depends on public transportation, the lack of buses, subways, trains, ships and airplanes caused a lot of problems for a lot of people.  Coincidentally, March 31 was also the scheduled premiere of the first episode of season 5 of the HBO hit series "Game of Thrones."  For those of you not familiar with "GoT," it's kind of hard to explain.  But if you decide that you are going to start watching it, let me give you this piece of advice: don't get too attached to any characters.

Anyway, as a result of the transport strike falling on the same day as the premiere, there were many invitees who were unable to attend.  As a result, the premiere needed attendees to - basically - take up space.  You know who is good at taking up space?  Mark.  And that is how he got invited to the premiere.

The event had the feel of a real Hollywood event, thanks to the efforts of HBO and the American embassy.  Guests, including the movers and shakers of the Argentine entertainment industry, arrived to the Bosch Palace and were greeted by a red carpet with photographers (professional and local press).  Actors in costume surrounded a replica of the throne from the series, which guests were invited to sit and get their photos taken in.

The beautiful people starting trickling in

Once inside, guests were escorted through the foyer to the second floor.  There, a 5 piece string ensemble was playing the show's theme song as the guests socialized before before taken to the main dining room.  There, they were met with a feast that could have been taken from a scene in the show (unfortunately, it probably would have been a wedding scene - and as fans of the show know, the weddings usually end badly - ask Rob or Joffrey - oh, wait, you can't!).

After a period of socializing and brief comments from HBO and the Ambassador, the show was on.