One of the mornings I was walking to Spanish school and I noticed this really beautiful building. We made plans to return that afternoon as we had to go to that area anyways to buy some tickets for a futbol (soccer) match.
From Google Maps I figured out it was called the Water Company Palace or The Palace of the Flowing Waters. It was built to be a water pumping station in 1877 and still functions as one, though at a decreased capacity. It is also a museum and has office space. I realize that doesn't sound super thrilling from the description, but you had to see this building. They shipped all the pieces over the ocean and put it together like a giant puzzle. The exterior edifice is covered in glazed multi-color terra cotta pieces made by the Royal Doulton company in England. Each piece had a series of number and letters to denote where it belonged, and it was put together piece by painstaking piece.
Here are some examples of the terra cotta pieces- the building contains over 300,000!
One of the doorways, showing an arch of glazed terra cotta
And here is the whole building, in all its glory!
This wasn't even listed as an attraction in our Lonely Planet, nor had we heard about it from other travellers. It was just like our own little gem we found and got to enjoy.
Speaking of enjoying, there was always really interesting, quality street music if you were walking around the downtown area.
After the Water Company Palace we walked a bit more to see the beautiful Palacio del Congreso building. Construction started in 1898, and is the seat of the Argentine National Congress.
Here is the super wide Avenida 9 de Julio again.
And a great view of the obelisk in the fading sun
All the buildings around the obelisk have a Latin American style Times Square feel to them
Here is the view from the outside of the Teatro Colon, built in 1908. Acoustically, it is considered to be one of the top 5 opera houses in the world. In case you are like me, and you were wondering what the top 5 opera houses are in the world, here they are according to National Geographic: 1)La Scala in Milan 2)Teatro di San Carlo, Naples 3) Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires 4) The Royal Opera House, London 5) The Bolshoi, Moscow.
It was really something. Jared and I lucked out and had a private tour. Because we were such a small group, we got to go into the Presidential Box to see where the President watches the opera from, it was amazing.
The hallway outside the theatre
Check out those stained glass panels on the roof! The whole theatre had recently been restored, so it was a real treat to see it so beautiful.
This hallway was where the really rich people would come to chat and socialize during intermission. It was a place to see and be seen in the early 20th Century.
The picture is a bit dark because when we were there they were conducting a lighting test. Apparently, this is a crazy time consuming part of rehearsal. It takes most operas 2-3 weeks just to get all the light cues right! They actually pay people to stand on stage for hours while they fiddle with the lights and record the settings they want.
To get into the theatre, you had to ascend these stairs, and the architects wanted it to symbolize you leaving your daily life and cares behind, and ascending to a higher place to appreciate the arts. Que lindo.
There was also a protest for women's rights when we were walking around that day.
I was even colour coordinated with my purple jacket!
And the food wasn't bad either! Delicious BBQ'd pork sandwiches. Yum!
Speaking of yum, we went for supper with some people we knew from the city (that we had met traveling). Here is Jared enjoying some bife de lomo (beef tenderloin). I had bife de chorizo (sirloin). Both were transcendent.
The next day we headed to the San Lorenzo futbol stadium. We were so excited to get a real futbol experience, my hope was the crazier the better!
As we were driving there, our Uber driver was telling us all sorts of stories about the 5 main big futbol teams in BA, and how San Lorenzo had the best songs. The stadium was also in a dodgy part of town, so he said we shouldn't wander off!
We had a beautiful sunny day, the fans were, shall I say, passionate, and it was a fantastic experience. I have never heard so many Spanish swear words in my life!
The home team, San Lorenzo, beat the visitors, River Plate, 2-1. It was kind of hilarious, as there was no scoreboard or time clock. You kind of just had to know what was happening.
This was the crazy section "el Popular," you can see all the banners waving. People were jumping up and down the entire game. Only members of the futbol club can buy these tickets, so we sat in the Platea Sur, which was still plenty boisterous.
It was a fine day for a futbol game
We left the next morning, next up is Uruguay
Until Next Time!
