Buenos Aires
As shopping malls go, I thought Galerias Pacifico, with its vaulted ceilings and
painted dome, a most stunning shopping mall. Constructed in 1889 and restored
in 1992, the mall was upmarket. Equally beautiful was Teatro Colon, a Buenos
Aires icon, which was stunning and considered one of the best opera houses for
acoustic. Built between 1880 and 1908, I understood it romantically opened with
Aida. So, I trundled through the city, feasting my eyes upon these magnificent
buildings.
I also came upon Palacio Barolo, a magnificent building with a crazy story. Luis
Barolo, a European immigrant, apparently arrived in Argentina in 1890. At the
time, he believed wars in Europe would destroy Europe. However, Luis was
determined to save a part of it and built Palacio Barolo. I understood from a
brochure the building was inspired by the Italian poet, Dante’s Divine Comedy.
Even more bizarre was the fabulous Palacio de Aguas Corrientes (literally ‘The
Palace of Running Water’) built in the late 1800s. The building was covered in (I
was told) 300,000 glazed, multi-coloured terracotta tiles. It was constructed as a
water pumping station. Imagine that!
Counting my last pennies, there remained enough to take the train to Tigre, a
popular day excursion from Buenos Aires. Situated no more than 35 kilometres
north of the capital on the Parana Delta, the third-largest river delta in the world.
The day was spent wandering around this peaceful settlement. Tigre offered a
glimpse into how people lived along the canals, with boats as their sole
transportation. I thought it amazing how much one could do with little money, and
I couldn’t think of a better place to wait until the card arrived.