After work today, I walked to the Congress building where former President Raúl Alfonsín's body was placed in the rotunda so the citizens of Argentina could pay their last respects. By the time I arrived, the wait was only four hours but earlier in the day, TV reports said the wait exceeded seven hours. For a country who seems split on everything, there was a sense of unity here - the younger generation stood quietly in line with the older; the rich stood next to the poor.
The sense of sadness was more evident in the faces of the 50+ generation - those who experienced the horrors of the military dictatorship preceding Alfonsin's democractic election. The younger generation, some of whom weren't even born when he took office, were there in droves as well, holding flowers and waving Argentina's flag.
Since Alfonsin had been sick with cancer for some time, there wasn't the shock factor (think JFK) present at the reception line, but there was a definite sense of grief and sadness. The official end to the viewing was set for 8:00 pm, but I seriously doubt the government will turn away the thousands of people still in line waiting to pay their final respects to who many here see as a modern-day hero who ushered Democracy into Argentina.
As I was walking home (the subway at Congreso was closed and there was gridlock due to the procession), the motorcade of the Vice President of Argentina zipped by me along Avenida Callao. Tomorrow, Alfonsin's body will be taken to the Recoleta Cemetery where he will be laid to rest.
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