The popular film Eat, Pray, Love has certainly reinforced the reality that by traveling to choice destinations, we acquire the satisfaction of nourishment and enlightenment, the power of prayer, the triumph of inner peace and, inevitably, the balance of true love.
It is right before the cusp of dawn, from the elegant balcony where I stand, as I admire the dramatic and nostalgic city of neoclassical mansions, impressive art deco buildings, ornate opera houses and magnificent avenues. A city of a thousand contradictions, featuring eclectic colors and hazy tints, cosmopolitan yet traditional architecture, the opulent silence of its gilded past is broken by the reverberating beat of the tango. This is Buenos Aires, the elegant, spirited capital of Argentina, the Paris of the South and one of the largest cities in Latin America.
Initially, infatuation sets in; falling in love becomes inevitable as you become enamored with all it has to offer.
It is so quiet I can only hear my heartbeat. On this very balcony of the Belle Epoque Mansion of the Four Seasons Buenos Aires, the intrepid singer/actress Madonna must have practiced the role of the well-loved Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, better known as Evita. I could almost hear the powerful song Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina, a tribute to the illustrious Evita who rose from poverty to be among the nation’s most influential woman. Loved in life by the poor, she is surrounded in death by pedigreed citizens in Recoleta cemetery, a necropolis of mausoleums and ornate tombs, where her tomb is the most visited. Evita died at a young age (33) of cancer, but she is revered and referred to as “Santa Evita,” a spiritual savior, till this very day.
The Duke of Edinburgh, The Rolling Stones, U2 and Robbie Williams are among the guests who have stayed at this hotel, the premier address in the city. In fact, the Belle Epoque with its seven glorious suites was the regular address of no less than Michael Jackson and Madonna who stayed here on different occasions. My stay was short and sweet yet the experience proved to be a very enlightening one as I learned about the history of the Four Seasons Buenos Aires located in the culturally rich Recoleta district. This edifice has witnessed the grand history of Argentina.
Gracious director of marketing Gabriel Oliveri, who oversees both Four Seasons Buenos Aires and Carmelo, Uruguay shared that the Four Seasons has two distinctive environments: the modern, luxurious comforts of a contemporary tower with its 165 posh rooms, 27 suites and the timeless elegance of the adjacent Belle Epoque Mansion. Its convenient location fuses shopping, business and cultural choices for the discerning traveler. The Buenos Aires Four Seasons Hotel is a 13-floor main marble tower that combines contemporary and French styles.
The luxurious haven is a bespoke sanctuary of culture and heritage. The main lobby radiates old world charm with the interplay of modern amenities. The adjacent building of art deco charm, The Mansion was a wedding gift from Felix Alzaga Unzué to his wife Elena Peña in 1920, and remains one of the most architecturally significant mansions in the Recoleta area. If only the walls could speak, we might hear the classic, poignant voices of the past in all their resplendent glory. I could only imagine the social gatherings that took place during the golden age of Argentina. The Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires is South America’s only “World’s Best Hotel” recognized by Institutional Investor and rated in the Top 100 International Hotels, Resorts. Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires is a part of the Toronto-based Four Seasons chain of luxury hotels and resorts.
The Four Seasons is my home away from home where loving kindness reigns, grace and elegance take center stage from the bedroom suites, the indulgent spa, excellent service, exquisite cuisine and outstanding location in the heart of the city
The white feathery wisps of clouds hover high above as I set out on a walking tour with my gracious guide Patricia Giagnorio in this land of poetry in motion, romance, dance, dulce de leche and the world-famous Argentinean beef. On a per capita basis, Argentineans eat the most beef at 64.6 kg annually per person. Try a perfectly grilled steak and wash it down with spicy malbec wine; then savor dulce de leche ice cream which is sweet milk and butter-caramel. Visit the central park as we joined spectators cheering on as Maradona’s soccer team bested the Mexican team. I will never forget the feisty vuvuzelas or African trumpets that created that truly festive atmosphere. Stroll around the La Recoleta district of high-end shopping in its classy and trendy boutiques while in La Boca district, dotted with polychrome tin houses, learn to dance the tango described as anguished lament interpreted through exquisite dance.
Visit any of the 300 opulent theaters, the most stately of which is the Teatro Colon completed in 1908, where performers such as Anna Pavlova, Maria Canlas, Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti have held the stage. Mikhail Barishnikov call it “the most beautiful theater I know.” Have café con leche or sidra, a slightly alcoholic cider, at the Grand Café Tortoni founded in 1858 where Einstein once held discussions with the intelligentsia, prestigious writers such as Lorca and Pirandello once converged and Carlos Gardel used to sing. We visited the suburb of La Boca, where the famed soccer god Diego Maradona started his soccer career at Boca Juniors Club, a once-antiquated street that has been transformed into a charming walk-through gallery of arts and crafts. Just a stone’s throw away is the San Telmo district, the city’s multinational heritage is evident in the eclectic architecture — Spanish Colonial design fused with Italian detailing and French Classicism. Get lost in its cobbled streets, charming plazas and cozy outdoor and browse through antique stores that sell everything from vintage buttons, paintings, sculptures, swordsticks, leather goods and souvenirs. Passing by the Teatro Colon located by the riverside, one cannot help but feel nostalgic at the La Casa Rosada, the President’s Palace, for it is here where Juan and Evita Peron faced the crowds from their imposing balcony. In Alan Parker’s 1996 film adaptation, Madonna rendered her poignant interpretation of the song Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina here; it is also the venue where the “Mothers of the Plaza De Mayo” (a group whose children “disappeared” during the military dictatorship of the late 1970s) once circled the central pyramid ceaselessly in sorrow and silent protest.
La Boca’s pressed tin houses are painted a rainbow of colors, and muralists have turned the district’s side streets into avenues of color like a canvas representing a multitude of textures and shapes, La Boca stands in close proximity to the emblematic obelisk. In its great diversity, as one of the oldest and quaintest corners of the city, the eclectic inhabitants of downtown Buenos Aires find unity.
A cruise down El Tigre, located 30 kilometers from the city, showcases charming log cabins, homes with painted decks and well-manicured lawns, where weeping willows and Argentina’s national tree with bright red flowers called kapak flourishes.
Before the sunrise the next day, a visit to our Lady of Lujan completed our itinerary. The glorious cathedral is a holy place of prayer and pilgrimage. Their version of Lourdes, it’s a place where many miracles of healing and spiritual awakening have taken place. We thanked the good Lord for traveling mercies and prayed incessantly for our loved ones at home.
A trip to Buenos Aires is like a vibrant dance step that sparks our dynamic quest to study the past, appreciate our present and plan our future. I am back at my favorite balcony overlooking the Belle Epoque Mansion, and as I look around, I embrace the veracity of this nostalgic edifice bequeathed as a wedding gift at the turn of the century, preserved for posterity by the Four Seasons and integrated with modern flare. Just like our lives, we adopt and adapt to the many progressive changes yet we never forget who we are, where we come from and for whom our hearts beat.
Eat, pray and love in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There is no need to cry from hereon.
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For reservations, check the website of Four Seasons Hotel at www.fourseasons.com.
For tours to Buenos Aires, call Travel Excellence Corp. 892-6006 or fax 892-6254 or send e-mail to travelexcellencecorp@yahoo.com.