Yesterday, January 22, 2008, after a relative quick and apparently successful visit to our fourth government office in search of John’s national number and passport, we visited the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires.

A very grim reminder of what the Nazis did in World War 2. They tried to exterminate all Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and Jehovah Witnesses in Europe. Their calculations were that there were 11,000, 000 at the time, and they managed in killing 6,000,000 or more. We discovered that there were many more concentration camps that the 4 or 5 we had heard about.

I remember the first time I saw pictures of what had happened in Nazi Germany. I was upset for over a year, at times wishing I was not a part of the human race. It’s amazing how a psychopath with good oratory skills can persuade rational people into doing irrational acts and bringing out the dark side of humanity. We see this through out history and I don’t see a lot of change from the beginning of written history to the present, except we have gotten more efficient in killing each other.

Outside the Museum

I don’t know what kind of a dark day you want to call it, but we then went to the Cementerio de Recolerta. Recoleta is the area of one of Buenos Aires’ most prestigious addresses. In or out of the cemetery walls, this area represents wealth and power with mansions and luxury apartment towers. The cemetery is more exclusive than the neighborhood. It is lined with narrow alley ways with ornate mausoleums and crypts that mimic the architectural styles of B.A.‘s early 20th century belle époque.

Outside the cemetery

Eva Peron is buried here. Eva overcame her humble origins to a pinnacle of power with her husband, General and President Juan Peron. An untimely and sudden death from cancer in 1952 brought her career to an end. Her husband, President Juan Peron did not qualify to be buried here and is buried across town in the more democratic Cementerio de la Chacarita. She herself was buried here at first in secret ( after many years of the casket roaming the world inside of personal residences), and only in 1998 did they finally put up the plaques that show that she her brother Juan and most of her other family members were buried there.

Eva’s Tomb It was hard to take a good picture because of the number of people there.

This cemetery is a popular tourist spot with adjacent and contiguous shopping mall. It is an expensive shopping mall, with every thing from restaurants, cafes, clothing, furniture, etc. I believe it is a must see if you are in Buenos Aires.

A small portion of the shopping area

John O’Dell is a licensed general contractor, real estate broker, civil engineer and land surveyor.
Judy Pinegar is manager of the Waiver Office for the State Department of Education.