Last Thursday night kicked off Argentina's celebration of 200 years of independence from Spain and the Argentineans certainly know how to throw a party. Every night, there was a concert featuring world renowned musical artists (both rock and traditional Latin American music), parades every day down Avenida 9 de Julio, a symphony orchestra performance, exhibitions sponsored by each of the provinces in the country and much, much more.
The highlight of this five day party was yesterday when nearly 2,000,000 people gathered on Avenida 9 de Julio (the widest avenue in the world) to watch Argentina play Canada in a qualifying match for the World Cup. On the ground, it was impossible to grasp the size of the crowd unless you were watching TV coverage from helicopters above. But, my friend Juan from Colombia came up with a cunning plan:
We went to the PanAmericano Hotel (the only five-star hotel on 9 de Julio) and said we needed a room with a swimming pool for physical therapy for my back. They politely said that the hotel was full and that the swimming pool (on the 13th floor overlooking the city) was closed as it was being readied for a gala event that night. I was disappointed but politely thanked the front desk clerk. Well, Juan was determined to get a bird's eye view of the scene and - due to his persistence - the front desk clerk called over a bellman who escorted us to the terrace. WOW! We had the best view of the gathering anyone could possibly have. The first picture above is a testimonial to that. Make sure to click on it so you can zoom it in to full size to see just how many people were below us.
Another memorable moment was at the end of the final parade when a two-kilometer long (the longest in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records) held by thousands of Argentines, marched along the avenue, extending three subway stations in length!
It's been a long four days (this is the fifth and final day of the national party) and tonight there will be fireworks to end this historical event. For more photos, click here and click here.
1 comment:
Matt, it was great to hear and see a few pics of this momentous event. You and I briefly discussed it when I was visiting Buenos Aires during the latter part of April. Both of us were concerned about the actual reopening of the Teatro Colon after its almost four year closure for renovations. Apparently everything went off as scheduled.
I did not view anything on US television about what was happening in Buenos Aires; nor did I read anything in the newspapers. Perhaps I watched the wrong channels as well as read the wrong newspapers.
I'll keep checking your blog for the updates! Muchas gracias! (Eduardo from Monterey, CA)
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