BUENOS AIRES

The city of Buenos Aires looks like Paris, block after block (more than 75 square miles) of tidy, high-rise apartment buildings interspersed with 19^th century houses as far as the eye can see. The main street, Avenida 9 de Julio, often compared to the Champs Elysee, has three very wide green belts dividing the 24 traffic lanes and is said to be the widest street in the world! Many homes had to be demolished, and it took from 1936 to 1980 to complete. At the end of it is the 230-foot high Obelisco, the symbol of B.A. which is the typical meeting place for special events, ceremonies and demonstrations.

We had very little time to see this wonderful city, so took a panoramic bus tour through the exclusive Palermo residential area, where the streets are all winding and beautifully tree lined, the idea being that unless you live there, you won't be able to find your way through it! In this section of the city, there are many beautiful parks, where we could see the hired dog walkers with their 6-8 charges on leashes or playing under the trees. "Lover's Bridge" promises that when you cross over it, you will be in love. This park also boasts a copy of Rodin's, 'The Kiss.' We also drove through La Boca, and the Recoleta area, but unfortunately we weren't able to get out to take pictures or walk through the famous Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, to see the many elaborate tombs.

We passed by a beautiful unique metal sculpture in the shape of a 5-petalled flower, the "Flora Generica" which opens and closes with the rotation of the sun, and another unique sculpture of a man's chest, which on closer examination, showed the face of an indigenous male. We were also treated to a ride on the first subway in Latin America, and tea at a wonderful Bar & Café, the Tortoni, where writers and artists used to congregate for intellectual discussions.

In the Plaza de Mayo, the heart of the nation, we saw the Pink Palace where Eva and Juan Peron spoke to the crowds. In the 1970s many young men mysteriously disappeared, apparently victims of a brutal and corrupt regime. Mothers still gather in this square every Thursday afternoon in memory of this tragic event, and a white scarf is painted on the concrete as a symbol of it.

We only had a short time to browse along Florida Avenue, the Rodeo Drive of B.A., and returned to the ship wishing we had another day or two to explore this elegant, sophisticated and refined city.