Sunday, August 08, 2010

Argentina: Buenos Aires















Someone told me a story in Buenos Aires, that now I have had a chance to research, I have learned may or may not be true. He told me many of the old adobes scattered throughout the country of Argentina are pink because of how they were painted, with a mix of bull's blood, fat, and lime. An ornate pink adobe forms one side of the city's central square and houses the nation's government. From which Evita waved to the masses, in which a series of dictators have wielded power, and to which Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner flies every day in a helicopter, Casa Rosada, according to the person who explained the history of Argentine adobes to me, was painted in the traditional way, with blood.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had always heard Buenos Aires was very European. But it looks strangely like film sets from some of the post-WWII movies (Carol Reed springs to mind).

I rather hope the bull's blood story is not true.

Christina said...

AH: I think the dank weather added to the wartime atmosphere. Despite the French-influenced architecture, it didn't feel terribly European to me. It had it's own scent.