We walked to Plaza San Martín to pick up the “hop on, hop off” bus we had reserved.  This turned out to be a mistake because the bus runs infrequently and wouldn’t allow us to cover much ground.  After waiting twenty minutes past the scheduled departure time, we bailed and walked over to the Teatro Colón.

argentina1005Tours of the theater are by guide only and we reserve the next available slot in the afternoon.  In the mean time, we explore Plaza Lavalle which has lots of things of interest.  There are various memorials, including to the 1994 AMIA terrorist attack (AMIA is Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) and to ballet dancers killed in a plane crash.  The architecture of the various buildings is interesting as well.

Back in time for our tour, we learn about The Teatro Colón, which is large and spectacular.   It was build over a twenty year span with three different architects and opened in 1908.  The interior restoration was completed about a year ago.  The inside is huge and the box seats are many levels high.  There is no mezzanine level like we are used to seeing in newer theaters.

 

 

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We grab a snack after our tour of the theater because we have some time before another guided tour, this time of the Templo Libertad, formerly known as Sinagoga de la Congregación Israelita Argentina.  We learn about the history of how Argentina came to have such a large Jewish population.  In the late 19th century, Argentina wanted people to move and work the land in the sparsely populated parts of the country.  At the same time the pogroms of Russia were happening so a plan by Baron Maurice de Hirsch was adopted to bring Jews out of Russia and in to Argentina.

After touring the largest synagogue, we head by subway to one of the other temples indicated on the map.  Not officially open for tours, L’ sweet talks our way in with a mix of Hebrew, Italian, and charm.  I didn’t push our luck by asking if I could take a photo inside of the Sephardic temple.

Our final task of the day is to use some of our remaining time in Buenos Aires to find leather jackets that the city is known for.  There is one street that is leather shop after leather shop.  After about the third store, L’ finds a good jacket while I’m more challenging.  I came close at one store (with an over the top cross dressing sales, uh, woman), but another store had one that was even better and they were able to adjust it slightly to fit perfectly.  Mission accomplished and we then returned to our hotel to shower and have our final dinner in Argentina.

View the photos from today:

http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/ArgentinaDec2011/Day%2014,%20Teatro%20Colon/index.html