Week III in B.A.

Blog III: Week III in B.A.

A Great Discovery

The Ricoleta Cultural Centre

Believe  It Or Not: 

In Ricoleta, not everyone is "dying" to get into the Cementerio, as my friend Ken might say.  Indeed, there is more.

In fact, museums and markets are as big a part of this amazing Barrio as its "Cementerio".

In fact,....




....an accidental right turn into a labyrinth of empty vaulted hallways led us into the obscure Ricoleta Cultural Center, a former convent where ..... 





...we found a maze of galleries, full of wonderfully modern....   














.... and seductive art.  





"Hola, Linda!"

La Boca

Like the "Little Italy" of any important city in the world, La Boca lies close to the water and was Buenos Aire's first harbour  Since then, it has come to be known as the city's most picturesque and colourful neighborhood or Barrio. 

Translated, La Boca means “the mouth”, and geographically it stands at the mouth of the "Rio Riachuelo", B.A.'s first point of contact to the world in the 1800's and Argentina's Ellis Island for immigrants.

La Boca remembers the "pope".

Early one Sunday morning, Linda and I made our way to the “Caminito”, the soul of the Barrio, and a place that still holds a mysterious attraction to everyone who visits B.A.  


Even Pope Francis, once known as the Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, spent a lot time here.   

Always someone who could handle himself, Jorge, a native of the city, worked briefly here as a nightclub bouncer before beginning his seminary studies?

The Moral of the story?  
Don't mess with Francis!

Poverty and necessity forced the good citizens of La Boca to build houses from whatever they could find.... scrap metal and left-over paints from the nearby dockyards were available, plentiful, and useful.

Today, paint is still the mask of poverty.  And as bright and happy as the area might appear, "La Policia" remain omnipresent and ever-vigilant in Buenos Aires' naughtiest barrio. And about "naughty", let's talk about the Tango.














Romantic stories have this mysterious and somehow attractive quarter of the city being the birthplace of that most beautiful and seductive Tango, a dance whose birth ..... 

....grew out of the goings-on of its ladies-of-the-night, its mafioso and sailors, and of course, its hot-blooded immigrants. 

I too, had the opportunity to show the world the "Canadian Tango".

Oh, baby! 

Within a few short minutes, I was on the run.  There was no respect. I couldn't translate everything but I did get something....

...about "bastardizing" the beautiful culture of La Boca and its Tango! :)

We didn't leave, however, before taking enough time to enjoy some of the meat specialties from the Pampas.  :)

Hasta Luego, La Boca!

Don't Cry For Me, Argentina!!!

The "Casa Rosada" - The presidential palace

La Casada Rosada is Argentina's presidential palace...and a place oozing with the spirit of Evita. 

It's here that you can imagine her protected by, among others, guards like these.

After a brief visit to the beautiful courtyard in the centre of the the palace...

.....our tour began.  A highlight was seeing the doorway that Evita passed through each time she addressed the thousands who, gathered in the Plaza de Mayo, hung on her every word....  

...and then walking through those same hallways 
she used to slip back to her favorite palatial haunts. 

A great day!!

Some of Linda's thus-far Favorites in B.A.:

Favorite kitten (lives nearby)

Favorite Tree Flower (lives nearby)

Linda's Favorite Tour Bus to hate!!! 

See it at the bottom of the obelisk?

Favorite Sculpture at the 

"Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires”

Favorite wine store where we had a great tasting.

Linda's favorite tree in B.A.

My brother, James, and his wife, Sally, have arrived. Tomorrow, we're off to Iguazu Falls.  

Hasta La Vista.