Despite the rain there were quick a few motor bikes out. We noted right away that there were a ton of city buses on the streets. The traffic from the airport was not too heavy, and around town it did not seem overly congested either. There were not a lot of pedestrians when we started out, but as the clouds lifted and the rain stopped the sidewalks got more crowded. People walked at a medium pace, not to fast and not too slow. It was just about right for being able to look around while walking, except that we had to watch where we stepped so we didn't step in a lot of puddles (the sidewalks were a bit uneven).
The Plaza de Mayo. The 'pyramid' in the center was built in 1811 to celebrate the first revolution on May 25.
(The plaza has a very different feel to it on a clear sunny day. I took this picture several days later)
Argentinian flag in front of the Presidential Palace.
Casa Rosada - Presidential Palace. The presidential residence is elsewhere, but this is the President's office.
(We returned on a sunny day for this photo)
Police presence around the Plaza. The cops were not obvious although their vehicles were.
The scarves represent the Mothers of the Plaza who protested the disappearances of loved ones during the military regime of the 1970s. I'm told that some still protest once a week in the plaza.
A museum had some of the scarves on display with the photo below of all the women wearing them in a demonstration.
The plaza still has public displays/protests. This one commemorates those soldiers who died in the Falklands/Malvinas war of 1982. "The Malvinas islands were, are and will be Argentinian. The blood that was spilled is never negotiable."
It was hard to get a good picture of this sculpture. Its a fallen soldier with his helmet rolled off his head (to the right).
Unfortunately this is as close as we got to the museum. It was closed today. Fortunately the rain stopped and we had other places to explore.
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