Today was all about La Recoleta Cementary, Palermo and learning about one of Argentina's most famous figures Evita Peron. Our day started with the door bell ringing downstairs at about 9:30 A.M. it was the man from the tour company bringing us all of our tickets and iteneraries for our trip to the Iguazu Falls on Sunday night. It looks really exciting! By 10:00 A.M. we were headed to the Recoleta Cemetary only a few blocks from our apartment. Our first stop of course was for some breakfast at the famous "La Biela" Cafe. We had some excellent warm facturas (Argentine sweet bread and pastries)with butter and orange marmalade, cafecito, fresh squeezed orange juice and Bridget had a classic hot chocolate. There was record breaking cold last night (29 degrees) and people were dressed as if a blizzard had hit. By the time we hit the streets the temperatures were already into the 40's, it was glorious sunshine and I was loving every minute of it. We next crossed the street to enter the Recoleta Cemetary with the most beautiful and amazing mausoleum and tomb architecture. This is also where many famous Argentine presidents, politicians, generals and rich tycoons are buried. We wandered through the large necropolis for some time using a map or jumping in and out of various tour guide descriptions. Bridget was very intrigued by this place as was I, especially some of the abondoned tombs whose families stopped existing and taking care of the mausoleums long ago. Some were in such a state of disrepair that you could actually reach in and open the coffin. All of this was highly creepy but great fun. One of the highlights was visiting the tomb of Evita Peron who now rests in her family's mausoleum. This is a very popular place that is visited constantly by the public. There is a picture of me leaving flowers at her tomb. We then exited the Recoleta and headed north towards the pretty Palermo neiborhoods. We took the subway for the first time, la linea "D", and got of at Plaza Italia. It was packed worse than sardines but for 70 centavos (30 cents U.S.) a great bargain. The first thing you see when you step out of the subway is the Zoo and Bridget insisted that we go their first. It was a great idea since the weather was crisp and beautiful and the setting was ideal. We got a real kick out of the animals as we circled the entire zoo. The bears, kangaroos and tigers were a big hit. Bridget took a ton of pictures and we both had a nice time there. We got a nice taste of the pretty, tree filled and enormous Palermo park setting. A true urban gem in the Central Park category but even larger. Hungry and thirsty we stopped at a corner restaurant/bar called "Nonino". Bridget had steak milanese with oven roasted potatoes, this is becoming a regular staple for her here. I thought it was sub-par but Bridget liked it again. I went for a couple of empanadas that were oven baked. A meat and a chicken empanada, my mother had nothing to fear here. Re-energized we headed down the block to the Museo Evita. A very interesting museum located in a beautiful restored former hotel which was bought by Eva Peron's social help foundation in 1948 and turned into a home to help poor and homeless children. Eva Peron actually spent a large amount of time in this building and there are many pictures of her with the children and workers throughout the museum. The museum chronicles the life and times of Eva Peron with tasteful displays, films and artifacts. It takes the good and the bad and does a very nice job with it. Bridget got a kick out of the dresses and actual clothing on display that belonged to Evita. We took the "D" train home and rested up for the evening. At 9:30 P.M. we headed out to a nice neiborhood restaurant known as "La Querencia". Their specialty is regional Argentine cuisine. Bridget went for the now usual milanesa con papas fritas. She loved it especially the french fries but again I thought it was far from the best. I had an appetizer of empanadas, chicken and spicy beef which were a fried version. They were absolutely exquisite, the delicious meats encased in a flaky and soft fried dough. Watch out here Nelly!! For my main course I had a bowl of Locro which is like a stew or cassoulet of beans, chunks of meat, fresh corn and hominy. This was a fantastic dish on a cold night. We topped the meal off with flan and an apple tort which were both above average. Bellies full we quickly headed back to our apartment to watch the second half of the Argentina- Mexico soccer match that everyone was watching. Argentina won 3-0 and plays Brazil on Sunday for the Copa America championship. Everybody was happy and so were we.