Looking grave (excuse the terrible pun)
Morning of day 5, we finally caved in and decided to check out the massive tourist-trap that is Cafe Tortoni. This famous Buenos Aires institution, former hangout of artists and writers such as Borges, has been at it's present location for over 130 years. To quote Jeremy, it was “the fanciest cafe we’ve ever been in”. The interior was atmospheric, and the food and coffee average and overpriced. However, we enjoyed hanging out here for a bit, basking in the glow of fanciness.
Pinkies out!
Guess it costs a lot to keep all these lamps running…
Satisfied that we had now absorbed enough class from our surroundings, we headed off to Recoleta once again to check out the historical cemetery. Founded in 1822, this cemetery houses over 4500 tombs, including the final resting places of a huge number of politicians, writers, musicians, actors, etc . My inner goth was overjoyed, despite the fact that we were wearing the least goth outfits we own that day (can’t handle black when out and about all day in the sun). We spent at least a couple of hours wandering amongst the mausolea, which ranged from palatial monuments topped with huge statues to smaller crypts crumbling into ruin. For people who supposedly care little for the material realm after the departure of the spirit, the Catholic are sure into housing their corporeal forms in splendour. Most of the tombs seemed to hold entire families, with stairs in the floor leading to subterranean corpse-storage. An amazing level of attention to detail was on display, from the intricate stained glass set into walls and ceilings, to the craftsmanship of coffins that remain intact after decades, and in some cases, over a century. A number of the vaults carry recent dates, and I even noticed fresh roses, still dewey, left on the gating of one.
Rows upon rows of vaults
No one gives me these, even when I'm alive *cries*
Not so much "pace" around when there are so many tourists walking over the top of you...
Outfit goth level: 0
I have never lived with such a pretty roof over my head
Mourning the death of good architecture (see apartment block in background)
The best part of the cemetery: cemetery cats (of course)
Jesus bonus for extra XP: There was a large Spanish-style building next to the cemetery. This housed a church dating back to the 1730s.
So old, so Jesus
For the evening, we splurged on one of the dinner + tango shows ubiquitously touted all over the city, in order to experience one of the main cultural institutions of Buenos Aires. Apparently some of these are of a much better quality than others. I chose to go with Complejo Tango, as this one came with a free tango lesson for absolute n00bs before dinner, and I love to humiliate both myself and Jeremy with trying out activities we’re both terrible at. Armed with my reassurance that tango was “just walking rhythmically like a really fancy person”, we proceeded to butcher the art of tango along with the rest of a room full of largely useless dancers. This worked up our appetites for the three course meal to follow, which included a steak cooked to perfection. Fortunately, the professional dancers providing the rest of the entertainment were astronomically more skilled than we, and put on a fantastic show tracing the art of tango from its origins in the slum bordellos of Buenos Aires to its modern conception. The costumes were glittery, the instrumental accompaniment was skilled, the steps were precise, and them leg flicks were off the chain. To my delight, Jeremy was doubly targeted by both the singer who decided to serenade him, and one of the fancy dancing ladies who asked him for a dance.
Look at that Jeremy pose
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