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  • Day 22

    Buenos Aires

    January 24, 2020 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Ok, today is going to be hot. We do not have any tours planned , except few days ago I managed to buy English tour to theatre Colon.
    At 9:00 AM we got to cruise ship terminal, and were planning to take Uber to the theater. To our surprise, our phones did not work. No Uber. We had to take taxi. First taxi driver asked for $20, second $10 and the third $7. So we took it.

    The construction of the present Teatro Colón started in 1889 under the direction of architect Francesco Tamburini and his pupil, Vittorio Meano , who designed a theatre in the Italian style on a scale and with amenities which matched those in Europe. However, delays followed due to financial difficulties, arguments regarding the location, the death of Tamburini at age 44 in 1891, the murder of Meano in 1904, age 44 and the death of Angelo Ferrari , an Italian businessman who was financing the new theatre. The building was finally completed in 1908 under the direction of the Belgian architect Julio Dormal who made some changes in the structure and left his mark in the French style of the decoration.
    It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world, and is acoustically considered to be amongst the five best concert venues in the world.
    We had 45 minutes very good tour. The theater is absolutely magnificent.
    We were done with the theater by 10:30 AM, but the museum we were planning to go next was opening at noon. Too hot to walk in the city. So we opted for another museum that opens at 11:00 AM.
    One of very nice young lady that worked at the theater offered us to call Uber on her phone (no WIFI in the theater). There is an option in Argentina to pay cash for Uber. She even made sure we are fine and in the car.
    So, we went to Museo National de Bella's Artes.
    This museum was established in 1895. Unfortunately, nothing is in English, but museum is very good.
    The ground floor of the museum holds exhibit halls housing a fine international collection of paintings from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century, together with the museum's art history library. The first floor's eight halls contain a collection of paintings by some of the most important 20th-century Argentine painters, including.The second floor's two halls, completed in 1984, hold an exhibition of photographs and two sculpture terraces. We spent a little over an hour in this museum. By that time the MALBA (Latin America Art Museum of Buenos Aires) museum that we wonted to go was already open.
    We decided to walk. It was really hot, but we made it. We were a little hungry and needed rest, we found a restaurant near MALBA museum and had a delicious small lunch with lots of water.
    With new anergy we went to the museum. The first floor is dedicated to the very impressive Latin American art of XIX and XX century and the second level is contemporary art.
    Very impressive museum.
    By the time we finished with this museum it was 2;30 PM. We still had time and energy for something else. About half a mile was a Japanese Garden and we walk to it. Very beautiful Oasis in the middle of the city. We enjoyed waking around the park, taking pictures. If not for the heat, we could spend more time there.
    We took a taxi back to the port. Time to rest. Tomorrow is another port.
    For more photos see link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LsLmVvK5h9vNbrS97
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