When people hear you’re taking a trip around the world, the first question they ask is: What do you pack? The second question that pops into their head (but is seldom asked) is: How much does that sort of thing cost? This video is the answer to the second question — broken down over the course of a typical day.
FRANNY REPORTS: THE RECOLETA CEMETERY
Throughout our travels, Franny and Finn will file occasional reports about places we’ve visited or experiences we’ve shared. To begin, Franny reports on one of the curious treasures of Buenos Aires:
There is a saying that the dead live on in our hearts which keeps them alive forever. This saying was shared with me when I went to visit the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Behind the tall stone walls are countless hidden secrets and legends. Many famous presidents, poets, war leaders and other respected people are laid to rest into ornate mausoleums, which makes the cemetery resemble a small tightly crowded city.
There are numerous famous stories about the people buried in the cemetery but one really captured my imagination. It is the story of a young girl who died of a heart attack at the very young age of 19. Her body was put into the tomb but two days later the cover of her coffin was discovered to be half-open. The legend says that the cemetery keeper called her family and when her family got there they discovered that the ornaments surrounding the coffin were destroyed and the coffin was now open. Apparently she was not dead and she roamed the cemetery at night. This is the most famous story of the cemetery, because it is thrilling and for me made the cemetery come to life.
There is another well-known saying that the good die young. Well, in the Recoleta Cemetery the young are greatly honored. There was another girl who died in an avalanche at a very young age. Apparently, she was taking a nap in a hotel in Austria when an avalanche came and killed her immediately. This young girl is said to have one of the most tragic deaths and for that is honored by her family with a beautiful statue in front of her mausoleum.
The next story that interested me is that of Evita Perón. She was the first lady of Argentina and is famous all throughout the world. Her body went through a lot of trouble and strife to get where it rests today in the Recoleta Cemetery. When Evita died in 1952 the whole country mourned her tragic death. She was only 33 years old. Her husband, Juan Perón, was later exiled by the Military Dictator that took over Argentina. Perón did not have time to secure Evita’s body, so the new Argentinian dictator removed her body from display. After this Evita’s body went missing for 16 years. Many years later the military revealed that the body had been buried in Italy under a different name. In 1971, Evita’s body was taken to Spain where it was met by her husband who was now living there in exile. Juan Perón and his new wife kept Evita’s body in their house — with the coffin right in the dining room. Juan Perón was soon allowed back into Argentina and regained the presidency. Eventually Evita’s body was put into the Duarte tomb, the tomb of her family in the Recoleta Cemetery.
Although the Recoleta Cemetery itself may not last through time, the amazing stories and legends will. The lives of the people buried there will never be forgotten.
(Photos by Franny as well. Follow her travels on Instagram @ frannylondon_365)
FLASHBACK: BOY ON TWO WHEELS
In advance of our trip around the world, it was time for Finn to learn to ride a bicycle. Because we live in the hills, he’s never really gotten a chance to learn. But on a Sunday afternoon in May 2012, something clicked and he began to roll. Once you learn, you never forget.
TANGO FLACKETT LEVIN
The name just about says it all. It takes four to tango. As you watch this, you might notice that one of these Flackett-Levins is not like the others. Mark seems to get his sense of rhythm from a long line of clumsy, drunken elephants. But check out the fleet-footed moves of the rest of the family. Between the four of us, we have five left feet. But we do have fun together.
INTRO TO FILM: THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CINEMA
As part of our journey, we’re sitting down with filmmakers all over the world and talking about work, life and our shared love of telling stories. In Buenos Aires, we spoke with Benjamin Ávila, an Argentinian writer-director, whose first narrative feature premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this past Spring and will be screening at the Toronto Film Festival in a couple weeks. This is a two-minute excerpt from our fascinating forty-five minute conversation with this intense, articulate man.Here is the official trailer for Benjamin’s film “Infancia Clandestina” which opens in South America in just a few weeks. The film tells the autobiographical story of his own youth during the turbulent 1970’s in Argentina. If it’s half as interesting as he is, you should seek out this movie.
IS BUENOS AIRES MORE LIKE NEW YORK OR PARIS?
The debate rages on. In living color. Welcome to Argentina, friends. Buckle up as Franny and Finn argue both sides of the issue. Shot entirely on our iPhone 4S.
PARQUE DE LA RESERVA, LIMA
Of all 108 attractions in Lima listed on Trip Advisor, the Parque Reserva clocks in at #5. For a mere 4 soles (about $1.60) to enter, some consider it the most bang for the entertainment buck in all of this Peruvian capital city. But for some, the several thousand dollars in plane fare is prohibitive. Here’s a glimpse at the fabulousness you are missing, without the hassle of travel. What you will be seeing is a giant fountain of water, spraying four stories high with enormous holograms dancing in front of it.
Just imagine you are watching it for half an hour. And yes, all this for a mere 4 soles.(All in all, we slightly preferred our second night in Lima when our friends Karen and Santiago, two lifelong residents of the city, took us to a Huaca for Pisco Sours and then to the Club de Regatas for Chifa, which is Peru’s take on Chinese food. Thanks!)
HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL: PISAC, PERU
Pisac, in the beautiful Sacred Valley of Peru, is a community famous for its immense local market, full of intricate handicrafts, woven alpaca textiles, and silver jewelry of all shapes and sizes. It is equally well-known for its Incan ruins, which sit atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are constructed at the peak of stunning agricultural terraces on the steep hillside, which are still in use today. The narrow rows of terraces are believed to represent the wing of a partridge (pisaca in Spanish), from which the village and the ruins both get their name. We visited on a hot day and hiked to the top, testing the strength of our lungs at the high elevation.
Below you will find a little something we dug out from the recycling bins behind the productions offices of House Hunters International. It is a shame they never chose to proceed with this episode. This rare lost episode of the popular series almost never aired, until we rescued it from obscurity for your viewing pleasure. (Warning: Apparently, this is still a rough cut so sound and images are below accepted broadcast standards.)
FRANNY AND FINN PRESENT MACHU PICCHU
Your two young guides break down one of the Seven Wonders of the World* into bite-size pieces.(*There is not universal agreement on what the Seven Wonders of the World actually are. But we intend to visit five of the New Seven Wonders of the World on our journey: Machu Picchu, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, Petra, and the Taj Mahal.)