Paying respect to President Alfonsín
View from above, originally uploaded by blmurch.
Vice-president Cobos declared a three day period of mourning for the country because of the former president's death. Cate gave me the heads up that today President Alfonsín's body was lying in state in the Congress building just down the street from our house. We met up at our place and walked down to the barricades. We were helpfully told where to go by a policeman and headed down Bartolome Mitre to Callao where we found the end of the line. The line snaked back and forth between Rivadavia and Juan Peron (2 blocks) five times before you were allowed passed the barricades. Kragen and our CS guest stood in line under the hot sun while Cate and I ran around and took photographs. The nice guys at the Sede Nacional Del Movimiento Evita let us onto their balconies overlooking Callao. It took about three hours to get through the line and the actual viewing was *really* quick and no cameras were allowed. Seeing his body was strange. He's only the third dead body I've ever seen in my life. It's just so strange to see someone so utterly *lifeless*. I wasn't scared or anything like that, but it was odd. As of right now - 10 pm - the lines are three blocks long and snake back and forth six times instead of five, so now it will probably take about four hours to pay one's respect. I have heard that viewing is available all night long.
Waiting in line was an emotional experience as people would spontaneously burst into chants of his name - Alfonsín - Alfonsín - Alfonsín - Alfonsín - while at the same time clapping, cheering and crying. People are very sad at his passing, many tears were shed. Kragen said that it is if Argentine Democracy is now an orphan - the Father of Democracy has died - and now the Democracy of Argentina has fend for itself in the big bad world out there.
I took a bunch of photos with my *new* camera that arrived this morning with our CS guest. Kragen's father gave me his old Nikon D80 and it works great! The photos are up on flickr. I also took a video of the crowd chanting and clapping and threw that up on youtube.
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