Greetings Everyone!
It has been 28 years since the movie “Evita” was released and I finally got around to watching it. I bought a DVD and in the last couple of months I have now watched it probably at least 10 times....
If I were to write a list of my top 25 favorite movies, (and it is very hard to make the list shorter), eleven of them are musicals, and four of them are music based movies. So, it is strange that for all these years, not only did I never get around to watching Evita, but I seemed to be avoiding it.
This last time that I was in Argentina, May 2023, we spent one day with a local guide name Brenda, who is an artist and tango dancer. The day was a walking tour of Buenos Aires, and it was fantastic. I suspect she wasn’t even born when the movie Evita came out. But she mentioned Eva Peron several times, and so I asked her about the movie and what most Argentinians thought about it. She said it was a good movie, but most people were disappointed that an Argentinian didn’t play Eva Peron. And to add a little historical perspective, Eva Peron has been dead for 72 years and people are still talking about her.
Madonna plays the lead role of Eva Peron in the movie. Antonio Banderas plays the role of the narrator and is also a character in the movie. The movie Evita was released during the peak of Madonna’s career and perhaps at the time, I had had enough of Madonna. And perhaps for all this time I was avoiding a movie starring Madonna because although I respect her as a performer and artist, her style is not for me. The movie has aged well and stood the test of time. And if I hadn’t known the lead role was played by Madonna, I don’t think I would have even recognized her.
My first trip to Argentina was in January 2004, (20 years ago this month!) and I have been back many times since. It is always a pleasure to visit my favorite places again, and also explore a few new destinations
The name Argentina means "made of silver" in Italian. Spanish explorers arrived in the early 1500's and Buenos Aires was initially founded in 1536 by Pedro de Mendoza. Argentina has a population of 36.2 million and the capital city of Buenos Aires with 15.6 million in the metro area is nearly half of the total population. Buenos Aires means “good air” or “fair winds” in Spanish.
Argentina is a country of extreme and abundant diversity. Argentina's highest mountain is Aconcagua 22,831 feet and is the highest peak in the western hemisphere. The lowest point is Laguna del Carbón at -344 feet and is the lowest point in the western hemispheres. The north–south distance is 2,300 miles and the climate varies greatly; ranging from subtropical in the north to polar in the south. The weather is affected by the extreme changes in elevation, longitude and the warm Brazil ocean current and the cold Falklands current. Iguazu Falls includes 275 individual falls, making it the largest waterfall grouping in the world. It is a must see for everyone.
Argentina belongs to one of the largest ecosystems in the world with the greatest bio-diversity. Here are the stats: 15 continental life zones, 3 oceanic life zones including the Antarctic region, 9,372 vascular plant species, 1,052 bird species, 375 mammal species, 338 reptile species and 162 amphibian species. Argentina has 30 national parks helping to protect and preserve these habits and ecosystems for all life.
Buenos Aires is famous for the Tango, a musical genre and accompanying dance. The golden age of the Tango was from 1930 to mid-1950s and still today it is one of Argentina's international cultural symbols. We will visit one of the best Tango shows in Buenos Aires, and the band is fantastic.
This is not a budget trip, the things we do are top-notch: We stay at excellent hotels, eat at the best restaurants, visit tango shows and wineries, and we have great local guides to hang out with and show us the way! You can find out more about the local guides by visiting the main website page link below:
To view a photo album from a photographer who was on this tour, click here:
You can find the itinerary with more details here:
You can find the list of birds that we have seen on this tour here:
