Buenos Aires; Avenida de Mayo

It is Presidential Inauguration Day and we arrive at Plaza de Mayo on Avenida de Mayo and the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace; the crowds are watching screens showing what is going on at the National Congress (at the other end of Avenida de Mayo) - it is the inauguration of President Javier Milei.

We walk up to the National Congress, it's heaving with people en route and there; we manage to sit outside at a bar and watch the thousands of people with their Argentina flags, shirts, etc. It is an interesting experience for us both; lots of loud music and celebrations. Eventually, the crowds go down to the Plaza de Mayo and the Presidential Palace; there is breathing space, and we can cross the road to go back to the hostel for RnR.

After dinner, we go on a guided tour of the Palacio Barolo, also on the Avenida de Mayo. The construction of this 22 storey building in 1923 was inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, a three part epic poem in 22 stanzas describing Dante's journey through the Divine realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise; the lobby represents Hell, the 4 - 14th floors represent Purgatory, and the balconies on the 20th floor represent Paradise - there is also a lighthouse two storeys up via a narrow staircase, which we visited. It was a really interesting visit; I must read the poem sometime......Read more