The day I took the pictures of the people with their dogs I had walked down to Plaza Congresso. This is a huge plaza in front of the Congress Building. Frommer's Buenos Aires Guidebook makes the point that "this building is a good example of the self-conscious Argentine concept of taking architectural elements of the world's famous buildings and reinterpreting them. For instance, it resembles the U.S. Capitol, with a central dome spreading over the two wings holding the bicameral legislatorial chambers. In addition, the ornamental bronze roofline calls to mind Garnier's opera house and the central pediment is topped by a Quadriga or Triumph carried by four horses, the whole appearance of which directly echoes the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin." (Take a look at the pictures by following the link below.)
In front of the Congress Building in the Plaza is a HUGE fountain called the Dos Congresos. It has many levels and contains statues of people, horses, lions, condors, cherubs and other ornaments. It is quite impressive. The plaza also contains a copy of Rodin's famous statue "The Thinker," as well as a plaque dedicated to the "Virgen de Lugan, Patrona de las Rutas Nacionales," (which the way they drive here they definitely need; although it probably wouldn't be a bad idea for us in Miami, either!) and a plaque dedicated to some of those who were abducted and disappeared by the Military Dictatorship in power during the 1970s.
The same day I also saw a demonstration or protest march down Calle Callao (the school on which my school is located) headed toward the Plaza Congresso and the Congress Building. It was very large, with lots of people, many of whom had children with them. It appeared to be many working class folks, many working moms and dads, and though I could not read the banners or signs they appeared to have union symbols and some were clearly related to public education. It was all very peaceful, with some drums being used and vendors walking along trying to sell food or drink. Since I have been here I have seen this march and in some other plazas, some other smaller demonstrations. It is obvious that people are dissatisfied (there is also a lot of evidence of poverty in the city, people sleeping on the streets, even some families. There are some more pictures of this in the Plaza Congresso set of photos.) At the same time, at least they feel free to express their opinions. That has not always been the case in this country.
Follow these links to see more photos.
This link will take you to pictures of the plaza and the Congress building: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.4mt9khka&x=0&y=-n6bgai&localeid=en_US
This link will take you to pictures of the march and some other street scenes: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.67ai27vu&x=0&y=5ks6mi&localeid=en_US
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