I need to walk back a couple statements from earlier. There are insects in Buenos Aires after all. We walked through a cloud of dragon flies in the park a couple days ago.

It is also hot and humid, though still not as hot as a summer day in Albuquerque. When there is shade and breeze it feels like a balmy tropical day, even though we are not in the tropics. I’ll trade an Albuquerque winter day for this any time I have the chance.

A few days ago Paula and I spent a better part of an hour trying to decide whether to spend an extra hundred dollars to take the direct ferry to Montevideo, rather than the ferry/bus combination that takes three hours longer. Since we were having problems booking the trip on line we went to the ferry company and purchased the direct service. Afterwards we were heading to the subway station for an afternoon of touring a park. As we walked we passed a young couple sleeping on the sidewalk while their toddler aged child amused himself in between them. I was reminded how fortunate we are to be middle class retirees from the US.

City life in a semi-tropical locale teems with life. People, cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, airplanes, all weaving their way through earth and sky. Natural life is abundant as well. These soft and fuzzy seed pods begged to be caressed. I complied. Charlie warned me about all of the Do Not Touch signs at this Japanese Garden.

The Japanese Garden turned out to be rather a bust. These three photos (one above and two below) just about cover it. Oh, there was one waterfall, tumbling down a rock face, but so many people were posing for photos that it was not worth the wait. On the map in the Lonely Planet Guide it looked quite large. But that’s because it’s located within a larger park. I expected to spend a couple of hours happily wandering, sitting in the shade, admiring leafy bamboo and artistic ponds, bridges, and structures. It took about fifteen minutes to wander through. I made sure to walk every little path and cross each red lacquered bridge.

Ground cover in the form of these leaves took the place of grass in this park we repaired to for a more generous bit of green and space without people hustling by. 

I feel I should know the name of this tree. It is enormous; new leafs were unfurling all over it. Just nearby a swarm of dragonflies zoomed about, darting and dancing round one another, almost as though they were playing. I wondered what a bunch of dragonflies together might be called – a dithering of dragonflies? No, a swarm, it is. I did learn that the name derives from a myth that they were at one time dragons.

I’m really feeling the need to be surrounded by nature. Or at least be away somewhat from skyscrapers and people. I’ve often wondered what it would be like to live in city. Having not spent more than a week in any, I’ve felt I was missing some part of the experience. Now I know that, even in smaller and quieter sections or neighborhoods, I’m not cut out for it.

On the other hand, Buenas Aires is a craft beer lover’s haven. Brewmasters are brewing throughout the country. The IPAs have been great! Beer is also a bargain at 80 pesos a pint or about $2.20. The next two photos are from On Tap, located in the Palermo neighborhood.

Mural in the women’s bathroom painted by a local artist.

Coke has a new ad campaign in the BA subways.

La Poesia, one of the Notable places in BA for it’s age and charm. Not so much for its food. But the portions were generous.

And with this image, I bid you good night and sweet dreams. Paula

Yes! I spent the majority of the day listening to and speaking Spanish. We met Elena at the Retiro station. (We had shared a meal while on the Caminho Portugues en Caldo de Reyes and exchanged emails.) She doesn’t speak English – or very little. I really got to stretch my use of vocabulary and verb tense as we talked about a variety of subjects and I peppered her with questions as to the correct way to phrase something or pronounce or say something. For her part, she was very patient and usually spoke more slowly. Sometimes I would translate for Charlie, but mostly it was Elena and I chatting away. By the end of the day my mouth was tired and so was my brain.

Elena moved here from Turkey when she was 10. We went to her old neighborhood of Vicente Lopez to walk around. She had a great time reminiscing and even was able to show us her bedroom window from lo those many years ago. Vicente Lopez is a quiet, older area with many beautiful homes.

From here we walked to her current neighborhood of Olivos, not far from the Rio de la Plata which is so wide that you can not see the other side of it where it borders Uruguay. There is a. park running a good length of the river along with a bike path and a boardwalk. Elena pointed out the national flower of Argentina which grows on the cockspur coral tree, seen here:

From here we hopped on a train to Tigre in the Delta. Habia una muchadumbre de gente. Too bad I didn’t get a photo. But then one would not have shown the astronomical number of people who were there. But it didn’t matter because we pretty quickly boarded a boat (below) for a ride along the river. It was a glorious day of sunshine and breezes and crisp green – perfect to be out of the city.

We stopped at one of the islands, walked inland a bit and found a restaurant. I had an amazing pasta called Pinzottis. Made in house of a pasta colored with beet and filled with cheese, pecans and onions. A bit of butter and parmesan – wow! The setting was cool and quiet and altogether enchanting.

All along the main river, as well as the tributaries inland, there is an array of sweet homes that harken to the US south or to the islands in the Caribbean. Some people live here year round. It’s gotta be a slower paced life style. You’d be dependent upon the tourist boats or water taxis to get into town. It can take upwards of half an hour by river to get to the “mainland.” While it is beautiful and relaxing as a vacation spot – some owners rent their homes – I wonder if I would like a week of lounging in the hammock, sitting on the porch. And while some folks do go in the water, there are a tad too many boats for my liking – even on the tributaries. As a day trip, it fit the bill.

Elena and I awaiting the return trip.

To provide us some energy for the rest of the outing, Elena had us to her place for Turkish coffee. After that we went to a milonga under the largest gazebo, called a glorieta here, I’ve encountered. A milonga is where the local folk who love tango gather to dance. The movements are controlled, sensual, creative. All ages show up. And you can see the variety of dress.

 

It’s 2:12 here. We just went out to see the lunar eclipse. Beautiful. The three dimensionality of the moon really shows up.

Good night. Paula

The population of Argentina is about 45 million people, and the population of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area is about 13 million. Today all of them were in Tigre, give or take an order of magnitude or two. Actually that’s what it seemed like. Yesterday I wrote that it was going to be nice to be out of the city for the day, but it seemed like we took the city with us, plus a couple million people, give or take. Regardless, it was a good experience though one I will not repeat on a Sunday.

When we were walking the Caminho Portugues last year we met Elena, an interesting woman who lives in Olivos, a neighborhood north of BsAs. We agreed to meet her today at the Retiro train station to journey together to Tigre. As we waited for her she sent a text that there had been an accident on the train line from Tigre and she would be late. We subsequently learned that the trains to Tigre had been cancelled due to a collision with a motorcycle. Elena arrived with Plan B fully engaged and we went to Vicente Lopez for a walking tour in order to get us closer to Tigre while waiting for the tracks to clear.

We toured some middle class neighborhoods, threw rocks at the Presidential enclave along with the entire Argentine population. Check that. That sentence was sarcasm. Just in case the authorities are watching, we were not the ones throwing rocks. In fact we do not know if there were any rocks at all. Particularly the type that were being thrown. But from the nature of the graffiti we’ve seen, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was at least one tossed in the general direction of the presidential enclave, even if it was several kilometers away.

After a while we took an overcrowded trainlet to a different part of Tigre. I was not prepared for fourteen million other people who arrived before we did. That is really no slight exaggeration. Fortunately Elena had Plan C firmly under control and she guided us to a ticket counter for an interisland water bus to take us to a restaurant she knew about. The river delta was alive with all types of water craft. There were large and small catamarans, motor boats ranging in size from two seaters to Queen Elizabeth class (not a slight exaggeration either). There were water taxis, water buses, row boats, canoes, kayaks, jet skis and many other recreational craft. I should have taken photos but was suffering from a severe case of attituditis at the time.

We were on the water for about twenty minutes before being dropped off on and island in the middle of the delta, where we walked along the river, crossing small, deteriorating bridges until we arrived at a nice outdoor patio covered with vines I do not know.

After lunch we walked around the canals and finally than headed back towards BsAs. On the way back we got off the train in Belgrano where we had heard tango dancing would be underway at a glorieta (gazebo) in a public park. We found the dancing and watched for a while as dozens of pairs of dancers displayed various levels of proficiency. Paula and I recognized that our one attempt at taking tango lessons was spoiled by an instructor who insisted we learn too much too quickly. It seemed like those who were not dazzling the crowd were at least enjoying themselves very much.

Paula is trying to upload a video she took of this event but is running into data limits. We’ll let you know if we can get it done.

Right now we are waiting for the lunar eclipse and wondering what tango has to say about the current war on boys typified by the new Gillette ad.

Until later …….

As in feet. My dogs were tired today! I don’t know how much we are walking, but it’s a lot. As much as when we were on the caminho? On some days, for sure. And since I have a new phone and have not downloaded a pedometer app, we will continue to wonder. Checking  google maps I see that from our apartment to La Boca neighborhood, today’s destination, is 1.8 miles. Given that we never go straight to our destination or back, I’d say we walked at least 6 miles. Maybe more. We did have that misguided walk down the road to the stadium, from which we were directed to retrace our steps as walking through it to get to our destination was not an option. Sigh.

Below are some photos from La Boca – specifically from the restaurant we went to for our first Argentine al carbon meat experience, called Parriallada.The sell: It smelled so good! The location was off street, away from the super touristy area. It was quiet.

The reality: The meat was so-so. The quiet didn’t last long as a drum corps elected to descend upon a park about half a block away and regale visitors with non-stop carnival beats. Still: It is a pretty place and the price, while more than other options, was still not bad.

The Eco Park was open when we went by around 6 pm. Third time’s a charm, as they say. Closing time is 7, but we figured we better not pass it by. Lots of families and couples were there walking and biking. Down by the Rio de la Plata, a ribbon of tree lined parkway was balmy and host to many more people. Just as we arrived and I went to take a seat on a bench a guard came over to say, “No. No se suede sentarse. Es el horario.” Man! She was rounding up folks and shepharding them out.

As we all streamed out, walking along the wide path, I had an image of refugees walking. I imagined being tired and not being able to stop, as happened to the Jews. Then tonight I saw a post by a friend who is traveling in Columbia. She did see refugees walking – leaving Venezuela. I had a deep sense of gratefulness for the goodness in my life.

I’m having tech difficulties – photos not uploading tonight. I’m calling it quits for the day.

May you ride life’s up and downs and they not ride you.

January 20. My computer is cooperating this morning, so I’ve added another few photos. We saw our first street tango performance. It was a good one! Charlie was able to upload a video of these two. Do check it out. There were others at restaurants in La Boca, but they didn’t have the room these two did and were obscured by patrons.

President Macri apparantly has some policies that are not endearing him to many. Inflation is up. That’s about all I know of the situation. Something else to research.

Paula

PS Charlie also has some great photos. The phone app makes it much easier to upload photos. Maybe there is an easier way on the Mac, but I don’t yet know it.

I have noticed a paucity of insects. With so much standing water, dog poop, food waste on the street, and open air meat stands, it seems that flies and mosquitos should be present. But we see very few. We’ve seen one fly and we had a mosquito in our apartment the other day. No bugs except for a few small beetles. There are lots of pigeons and some other birds, but I don’t suppose that completely explains the absence of insects. The absence of insects doesn’t really explain all the birds, either.

Today we walked to La Boca neighborhood to the east. It was an easy two miles to get to the main tourist area. The walk included a stroll through a nice park (Parque Lezama) that contained a number of sculptures, including a monument to Don Diego de Mendoza, a founder of Buenos Aires.

We also passed several flea markets and plazas where dancers were performing tango. Some of them were exceptional. I could not get any decent photos since they all move so darned fast. I took one video. I hope it plays.

When we got into the heart of La Boca we were greeted with very colorful buildings, lots of tourists, and the aroma of charcoal and meat. We got very hungry.

We decided to try a parriallada in a courtyard restaurant that was really quiet. At least until the drummers started in the street and continued for the entire time we were eating. I have heard so many good things about Argentina’s specialty with meat, but I did not get what I was expecting. I am used to things having flavors and I’m not really into eating myofascia that much. Perhaps we’ll try it again somewhere else.

W

While at lunch we decided to head to the terminal for a different ferry to Uruguay and get tickets for a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento on Tuesday. We figured going to Colonia this week will allow us to optimize our time in Montevideo and along the Atlantic coast. On the way to the terminal we passed many murals and colorful buildings.

From the ferry terminal we were close to the Ecological Preserve and decided to walk there. It was open and due to close in an hour. It was the first time it was open after two previous attempts. We had just enough time to walk through the park to the Rio de la Plata and back to the gate. When we got to the river we attempted to sit on a bench but were quickly informed by a park employee that we did not have time to sit, we must leave now because the park is closing.

I read in a tour guide that at this point the Rio de la Plata is the widest river in the world. I can’t say that is true, but I do know you can not see the other side. The camera is pointed at Uruguay in the above photo.

Tomorrow we are taking the train to Tigre, which is about 35 kilometers north of here and is situated at the river delta. I’m looking forward to being out of the city for a bit.

Have a good evening. We’ll be in touch.

Boy, did I have a shock today! I’ve been carrying a couple of post cards around for days, looking for a post office to buy stamps. Finally, recognizing that just walking around and looking for one was not actually getting me to one, I started asking around. Even then, spotting it was a challenge. It’s like it was incognito, fading into the background. Even the sign was small and insignificant.

Upon entering we dutifully got in line. A nice gentleman took notice of our obvious foreigness – and lack of package – and informed us we should take a number to purchase stamps. The wait was not long, but upon arriving at the window and ordering stamps, I was told to head toward the door and to enter into an office off to the side for stamp purchase. Which is really nice, actually, as it’s much quicker – if you know what you’re doing.

Now for the shock. Each postcard stamp cost $150 Argentine Pesos! That’s $4.00 USD! So, unless you are my mother, you won’t be getting a postcard. Oh, except for that very special friend who requested one. You know who you are.

Oh, and if you complain about the US Post Office, stop.

Today was a day to get oriented to other travel modes. We took the subway to the Retiro train station. We’ll be meeting Elena (met her on the Portuguese Caminho) there at 9 am on Sunday to go to Tigre, a river delta town for some quiet down time.

We found the bus station and picked up a list of bus lines so we can research which will be the best to take for our overnight trip to Mendoza.

And we made it to the Ferry terminal, called Buquebus. That is just weird to me. First because bus. Second, because Buque sounds too much like Burque.

We’ll take the ferry to Uruguay – for a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento and then again to Montevideo. Charlie might have written something different regarding these travel plans. Things are subject to change.

Back on the site seeing track, we went to Galeries Pacífico on the recommendation of friends to see the cupola and the Borges Cultural Center. The Galeries is basically a shopping mall, but in a beautiful old building. Aside from the cupola with the mural seen below, there is another glass cupola. We could see the clouds racing across the sky.

We don’t generally take too many photos of ourselves, but I couldn’t resist this one.

At the Borges, we saw a photo exhibition,  Korean Dreams, by Nathalie Daoust. Here is something about it that I found on the internet: “The difficulty of reconciling systemic violence and repression with this shiny world led Daoust to focus on the liminal spaces that exist on the edge of the ‘tourist zone.’  By shooting furtively while traveling between destinations she was able to capture an alternate narrative.  Guided by the notion that North Koreans are residing in a “dream-state,” where truth is not lived but imposed by those in power, her anonymous forms wander ghostlike through the landscape. From civilians bicycling against an urban backdrop, to military personnel marching stridently in line and schoolchildren staring pensively out of the frame, these figures seem to exist suspended in an ambiguous, timeless dimension.  Playing with the line between fiction and reality, Daoust exposes an indeterminate space where ‘truth’ and ‘lies’ are interchangeable.”

And here is a photo: 

I loved the other timeliness of these. Each photo is accompanied by a short description that I found very helpful for entering into the hi-story. I do wonder how it is she was able to be there. And I think she should never go back, for if the Korean government knows about this, she’s sure to be arrested.

Returning to our apartment I noticed a church with open doors. Friday night mass. You can see it’s sparsley attended. We have not seen nor been in nearly as many churches as we have done in Mexico, Spain, Portugal. Nor are the churches anywhere near as ornate. That’s something to research.

Here is my “art shot” for the day. Not that I’ve posted one a day. There are so many beautiful buildings. I spend half the time looking up and admiring them.

Hasta la próxima. Paula

 

 

One of the stark adjustments one must make when changing hemispheres is the sudden change in the length of the day. The mornings are coming much earlier and the evenings much later than they were when we left home. I don’t know if it is that we haven’t adjusted to the four hour time zone change or that we are starting to fit into the rhythm of Buenos Aires, but we are also sleeping later into the day and retiring many hours past our customary bed times. Once again we left the apartment today after noon, and when we got home around sunset it was a lot later than I supposed.

We had a few errands to accomplish today and were able to do them all. We could have probably done some of through the internet but we’ve been finding on line information somewhat unreliable, particularly regarding prices. We watched a quite animated news anchor on a restaurant television talking at length about the economy but with no sound, no subtitles, and limited graphics. I gathered she was reporting the inflation rate so far this year is 16 percent, whereas it was 75% in 2018. I still need to confirm that, but clearly prices are much higher than they were when our 2018 guide book was published.

Our first errand was to take the subway to the Retiro train station and scope out where we are to meet an acquaintance on Sunday. We then found bus station for a list of bus companies so we can research options for a night bus to Mendoza. We are not going there for a couple weeks, but we want to reserve seats before we take a week to go to Uruguay. In a park near the terminals is a monumental tower that we erected in 1906. We could not read the sign describing the tower so all I can say is that it’s old.

We also needed to put eyes on the ferry terminal for current schedule and pricing. We are trying to decide whether to to to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay for a day trip while we are in Buenos Aires or to hold off until we go to Uruguay on the 28th and stop there on the way to Montevideo.

We searched for a post office to get postcard stamps. It was not extremely difficult to find with several stops for directions. We made it through a straightforward process to get the stamps. Unfortunately we did not know the process and, with no signs or information to follow, ended up going through a little convolution to get them. There was good news and bad news when we got the stamps. The bad news is they were 150 ARS a piece (about 4 USD). The good news is we won’t be spending a lot of time writing post cards. Sorry.

We also wanted to check out the Galeria Pacifico, which is in an old classic building in the city center. One of the features we wanted to see is the murals in the central cupola.

One thing we did not expect to see was the Borges Cultural Center that took up three floors in the corner of the Galeria. There was a free exhibit of some striking art that I am having difficulty categorizing. There were also two photographic exhibits, one containing images of North Korea by a Canadian photographer named Nathalie Daoust. It was very moving. The composition and special pigmentation created a landscape of a bleak and lifeless place.

I guess I could add a few photographs of the various meals we had today, but I’ll just refer you to Facebook to see pictures of food.

Until tomorrow…….

Well, sort of…

We began our day with ramble through the Recoleta Cemetery, where Evita Perón is interred. Or maybe not interred, so much as stored. The cemetery takes up a good size city block and is chock-a-block with crypts, one after the other. Some are really big – housing a chapel as well as numerous caskets. There may be stairs going down to the subterranean level where more caskets are stored. Some are in a sorry state of disarray. The glass is broken. The plaster roof is falling in. The doors are open to anyone wanting to enter. That would be me. I guess family members have moved away or the line died out – or sorriest of all – maybe they just don’t care.

Here are a few. photos.

Say a prayer for the forlorn.

Recoleta Cemetery Skyline

This is one of the sweeter, more modern statuaries at the cemetery. I love the fresh flowers placed by her hand. Her name is Liliana Corciati de Szaszak. She was in Innsbruck, Austria 26 February, 1970. An avalanche hit her hotel, killing her. Her tomb was designed by her mother. She is depicted wearing her wedding dress. After her dog Sabú died, a bronze statue was added. Her father wrote a poem in Italian to her which adorns a dais.

Charlie and I wonder if Recoleta Cemetary is still in use. I haven’t been able to find that information. But I don’t think so. It seems there would be a website with that information so you could purchase your forever spot. No room, though. Maybe only families who already have a mausoleum – and who still have room – get to rest there eternally. If room is tight, there’s always the option of ashes in a box.

By the way, I did enter one of the open crypts. It was small. There were two wooden boxes. They did not open and they were afixed. Looking down through the open grate in the floor I saw at least 10 caskets, one stacked on the other in two columns.

We never did find Evita’s site. There is no map. We didn’t try that hard either. There was a sign directing visitors to former President Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s mausoleum which included a wall loaded with plaques honoring him for his many contributions to Argentina, like founding the Naval Academy, for instance. Sarmiento is the only resident with a sign pointing the way to his abode.

Here is something I noticed about Buenos Aries today. Sometimes, in the middle of the city, it can get very quite. Like at Recoleta Cemetery. It was peaceful. The surrounding wall helps. But even when a major traffic artery is not far, if a park is on one side, it buffers the traffic tremendously.

I think that is all I’ll write for today. This closing photograph provides a glimpse of the old and the new and a swatch of green from one of the many parks in the city. Oh, the grass is so spongy soft!