Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

This beautiful little town on the Rio de la Plata is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Although it is very popular with tourists, the day I visited it was quiet and almost deserted. The cobblestone streets and colonial era buildings are picturesque - it's hard to believe that it used to be a very seedy port at one time.

Porton de Campo - original city wall and (reconstructed) gate

Calle de los Suspiros (Steet of Sighs)

Iglesia Matriz

Iglesia Matriz - begun in 1680 - Uruguay's oldest church

Faro (lighthouse) built on the foundation of a 17th century convent

View of Colonia from the lighthouse

View of Colonia from the lighthouse (you can see the church towers in the upper right)

From a window in the lighthouse stair

From the lighthouse - what remains of Convento de San Francisco

Back at the city wall

View of Iglesia Matriz from Plaza de Armas

Sycamore trees

Colonia is known for its picturesque sunsets

Joaquin Torres Garcia

I visited Montevideo, Uruguay across the Rio de La Plata from Buenos Aires recently. There we went to Museo Torres Garcia - a museum dedicated to the work of Uruguayan artist Joaquin Torres Garcia. I enjoyed the introduction to this wonderful artist who is credited with introducing Constructivism to South America. He lived most of his adult life in Europe, but upon his return to Uruguay he began to be influenced by Pre-Columbian and indigenous art. This influence gives his later works a distinctly South American vibe.

He is perhaps best known for the sketch "America Invertida", but I loved his colorful constructivist paintings from the 1940's.

America Invertida

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"A great School of Art ought to arise here in our country... I have said School of the South; because in reality, our North is the South.  There should be no North for us, except in opposition to our South.  That is why we now turn the map upside down."

La Recoleta Cemetery - More Photos From Buenos Aires

Cementerio de la Recoleta is one of the most magical places in Buenos Aires. This cemetery is like a little city full of different architectural styles, and the wealthy of Buenos Aires have been buried here since the early 1800's. I love visiting old cemeteries and imagining the lives of long-dead strangers from the names, dates and epitaphs on their graves. But cemeteries full of statues and mausoleums - like the ones here in Buenos Aires or in New Orleans - I find interesting because of the experience. It's urban architecture on a smaller scale.

Teatro Colon - Buenos Aires, Argentina

I'm living in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a few months and thought I'd share some of its interesting Architecture and Design. I visited Teatro Colon for a performance and a tour recently.

Teatro Colon was completed in 1908 and was the largest opera house in the Southern Hemisphere until the Sydney Opera House opened. It seats 2,500 and has standing room for 1,000. Three different architects worked on the theatre, and it is an eclectic mix of architectural styles. It is said to have the 3rd best acoustics in the world. The opera house was completely renovated and reopened in 2010.

View of Teatro Colon across Avenida 9 de Julio

Main entrance hall

Entrance hall dome

Grand staircase

Entrance hall from the 2nd floor

Salon Dorado (Golden Room)

Salon Dorado ceiling (the dark holes are air conditioning vents added during the renovation)

Salon Dorado - the dark rectangular patch shows the color of the walls before restoration.

The stage is set up for an orchestra performance

The next photos were taken before a performance of the opera La Pasion Segun San Marcos - a modern Argentine opera.

The view from our seats in the 5th tier of the balconies - la tertulia