A-C-B: Buenos Aires and Home

Today, November 3rd, Joan and I spent the day exploring Buenos Aires on foot before our flight home at 9pm. We started by walking to the Teatro Colón, a world-class opera house, to buy tickets for a tour. The web site mentioned tours every 15 minutes, available in both Spanish and English. We discovered on arriving that English-language tours were only twice a day, so we purchased our tickets for the afternoon tour and headed towards our next destination, the frigate Presidente Sarmiento, considered to be the last intact training ship from the 1890s. From the theater it was about a 2¾ km (1.7 mile) walk, dodging road construction near the renovated and gentrified old dock district where the ship is moored.

Getting closer.

After paying a modest fee Joan and I leisurely explored the Sarmiento.

She must have looked grand under sail.

The Sarmiento carried weapons including torpedoes. The armaments, used primarily for training or naval salutes, may never have been fired in anger.

A more complete history and inventory of the ship was posted, if tricky to photograph under glass.

Click on the image to enlarge, yes?

On leaving the Sarmiento Joan and I decided it was time for a snack. We skipped the sit-down restaurants lining the waterway in favor of a shop where we purchased small treats and a bottle of water. Then Joan and I headed for the Museo Casa Rosada, also known as the Museo del Bicentenario, an underground museum on the site of the original fort of Buenos Aires and later the customs house. It's recent, having opened in 2011. We knew it was associated with the Casa Rosada, the executive mansion and offices of the Argentine president,

but were unsure of its exact location. We learned at the gate that the museum was a separate structure around back. The entrance and security check is above ground, but visitors take an escalator down to the exposed foundations of the old customs house. This was an intriguing place to visit, with varied and extensive exhibits, but no photography was allowed.

On our way back to the Teatro Colón we next visited the Catedral Metropolitana, or the Metropolitan Cathedral, the main Catholic church in Argentina. It is impressive, but I have only this one photo for you.

In the square outside a political rally was growing louder. Joan and I walked on, to reach the Teatro Colón in time for the afternoon English-language tour. This popular and thriving urban tree outside the opera house caught my eye.

Just inside the doors, the grand entryway.

The upper-level hallway was peppered with statues and busts of operatic themes and composers.

Lots of lovely skylights.

A small group prepared to rehearse in a side gallery. We were allowed to briefly listen if we kept quiet.

Here's a wide view from near the main stage of the opera house.

This panoramic shot distorts the circular nature of the interior.

A vertical look, from the same spot. How would you like to have all those people watching you?

Then it was time to tromp back to the hotel, retrieve our luggage, and wait for our transfer to the Buenos Aires international airport. Everything went smoothly, including the exit interview at check-in (what did you see during your visit? etc.) that often happens at overseas airports, for U.S. bound flights at least. We landed in Atlanta in the morning twilight, and waited for our flight to Columbus.

Atlanta sunrise.

Joan and I thoroughly enjoyed our birding, geological, and cultural exploration of the high country in Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia despite our initial nervousness at traveling independently, that is, with just a guide and not being in a group. Hats off to Trogon Tours for arranging the journey and to Carlos, our exemplary guide. If you've just come across this post, the series about the trip starts here. My apologies for taking almost a year to complete it.