It also serve the best coffee we've had so far in BA, so we make it a stop on our way to class in the mornings. Note the accompanying glasses of sparkling water - so civilized...
How are those Spanish classes going, you ask? It's a challenge. Today we had a new instructor, Professor Macerena Couso, who continues to talk to us in non-stop Spanish for two hours straight. Jenn said tonight, "I only understand about a fifth of what she is saying." If I could understand even a fifth, I'd be ecstatic... She is very patient and works with us on the board and our practice sheets — we even have homework! We find it very frustrating at times and wish that our six hours of classes would begin to show results when out on the streets in the city. Nevertheless, we persevere.
(**can you see the fellow on the roof?**)
After class today, we grabbed some lunch at Matilda's, a little take away shop, and then hailed a taxi for the barrio of Recoleta. A very upscale address, it is also home to the famous Recoleta Cemetery, an old and remarkable burial ground located in the heart of the city. The huge vaults are organized in avenues and it is like touring a little city comprised of a variety of architectural styles and fashions. The tombs themselves range from simple headstones to ornate masterpieces. Often the families who owned them would try to outdo each other by constructing the most glorious shrine money could buy for their deceased family members. Many of the vaults have been updated and cared for; others fallen into disrepair with glass broken and doors askew (complete with musty who-knows-what smells emanating from within).
Certainly an experience — quite beautiful and serene in the middle of such a chaotic city. It is also home to quite a few cemetery kitties...
Recoleta Cemetery is also the final resting place of Evita (Eva Peron), and of course visiting her family vault is on the list of everyone who visits.
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