gary & anne go to S.America: catch up!

It's difficult this blog stuff, what with enjoying yourself AND uploading photos AND writing words of wisdom.

Anyway, there's alittle bit of catching up to do. Yesterday involved a little bit of walking about, this time with camera. Where we are staying is quite busy + bustling - right on a bus route - so very noisy. I always (well, not always but a few times since yesterday!) you can tell the wealth of the neighbourhood by the tree count well.... if you count the bush growing out of the derelict building over the road, then there's ....one! In the last two days we've seen a lot more greenery. We've also seen more 'traditional' architecture - although 'traditional' means European-Hapsburg/Eclectic here. Bits 'round here looks like the seedier parts of Athens- other bits like Budapest and yet others like posh bits of Vienna.
On our travels we've travelled from Evita's balcony (mentioned before as the Casa Rosada) to Congress - two seats of power (?) and then along Calle Florida (apparently tramped by a million people a day - most of them were there at the same time as us!)
Today was our first attempt at the subte (metro). It was also the first attempt to fleece us - the ticket clerk at the booking office at Indepencia (for the benefit of anyone travelling here) thought we wouldn't notice that two x $1.10 tickets from a $10 note = change of $0.75. First he tried to tell us it was for 4 trips (it wasn't) and the, slowly, gave us the right change.
Anyway, we went to Retiro, a bit run down by the Railway station (isn't that always the case wherever you go?) but became leafier the further west we went. Some of the houses (?) also became larger to the extent that some are named as 'Palicio xxxx'. we continued further west into Recoleto, which dripped with money, old and new. We ended up at Recoleto cemetery, where everyone plays at searching for Evita's family tomb.
What is interesting is that Evita's presence is played down by the cemetery as,as anyone would understand from seeing the place, the cemetery has very little to do with religion or last resting places or any kind of sense of' respect for the dead' - it is purely and simply an expression of wealth power and privelige. People who built 'brutalist' buildings to display power when alive compete to be in the highest or most ornate tombs when they are dead. be honest it was freakish! So, Evita was placed there despite the hatred of the rich (or because she desired to join the club!). In the official guide she is referred to as a historical civic personage!!!!
The highlight of the day though was..the sausage butty!! It was huge! We also had our first inulgence-a soft chocolate centred chocolate ice cream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!