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.

Buenos Aires Post II

Pot-Banging – “Cacerolazos

It was after supper and we were just settling in, when like Chinese water torture, an intrusive, repetitive, and very irritating banging grew louder, somewhere out there beyond the balcony. 

Irritating as it was, the beat somehow seemed harmonious and purposeful, and growing ever louder.

Stepping out onto our balcony, I found my Argentinian neighbor armed with a large pot and a wooden spatula, readying to join in.  

What was going on?  Within the quarter hour, all of Palermo seemed to be on their balconies banging pots.  This was our introduction to the the chorus of the “Cacerolazo”. 

Political life in Argentina never gets boring and on this January 20^th,  B.A.'s population was out again, and again, it seems, another Cacerolazo was just confirming Argentine's tenuous relationship to political power.

Be it a protest against political upheaval or the devaluation of the Argentine peso, or, as was the case here, pot-banging accusations that the current president might have been involved in a huge cover-up involving a very recent "suicide", whatever the case, it appears that Cacerolazos are here to stay.   

Argentine Joke

A conversation between two friends:

Jose: Hola, Jaimito. How are you holding out in this latest economic crisis?
Jaimito: Oh, wonderfully! I sleep like a baby.
Jose: Really?
Jaimito: Well, ya! I wake up every three hours crying.

Interested in reading an article about Argentina's economic woes? Here's a link.

http://www.economist.com/node/1010911

The Recoleta Cemetary – All that's missing is the door bell

Taken from McDonalds, just across the road

We had heard about this necropolis, this over-the-top city of the dead with its avenues of incredible mausoleums, both ancient and new,.... and understood that we had to go there.

The Barrio or neighborhood of La Recoleta prides itself on being a monument to the wealthy and powerful, when they're alive.

But the question remains: How does one keep one's status after death?

The answer? 

By taking up residence here in the Cementerio de La Recoleta, this “uber-cemetary”, situated in the very heart of the neighborhood, with its network of avenues and labyrinth of narrow streets .

What a novel idea?

After decades of dining on rich 5-star food, your memory can live on, thanks to a lot of money (and you can't take that with you) and a very fancy ceremony that rolls you right out of that restaurant and right into your new 5-star Recoleta home.

Who gets to live here?

From Evita Peron, to Junta Military Generals, to the Super Wealthy, the “Cementerio” serves not only as a testament to their power but also as “the” symbol of Buenos Aires’ golden age from the turn of 19th and 20th century. Only the finest architects from around the world were ever commissioned to build the incredible miniature churches, chapels and palaces for the mortal remains of Argentina's elite.

Headlines: Feral Cat Has Way With Cemetery Security

Hmmm!  What to do now?

Entry was free but crossing the main gate of the Recoleta cemetery, we found ourselves in the middle of a huge investigation involving a ferret cat and two of Buenos Aires' finest. 

"Breaker...Breaker! Come in Central!

Perplexing problem...please advise!"

Five interesting facts about the cemetery:

1) From street lamps to paved streets, to majestic doors, and stained glass windows, but....

....there were no doorbells, so no one answered.

Take a look at the roof.

Rich or poor, they come
to be with their loved ones

2) The concept of death is very different here and families sometimes like to spend quality time with their departed loved ones, you know, have a glass of wine or just listen to the radio with them. 

 As a result, it is said that some of these mausoleums even have air conditioning.

3)  Most structures had large stair cases leading to the family crypt.

4) Many are new but many are old and decrepit. 

 It isn't unusual to be centimeters from a casket.

5)  Most times here, only the date of their death is mentioned, the belief being that after all, they're nobody when they're born.

Eva Peron's rise to fame and glory was so exceptional, that an exception was made here.

In short, it has been said that the walled 5,5 hectare El Cementerio de la Recoleta”  is one of the three most important graveyards in the world, right along side Pére Lachaise in Paris and the Cimitero di Staglieno in Genoa (Italy). 

To these wandering eyes, that has to be right.

We shall certainly return.

And Just Outside the Walls of the "Cemeneteria"

While inside it's gates, a monotone-coloured parade of amazing tomes and pillars took the lime-lite, the real colour of the day awaited us just outside.

For the next few hours, we were serenaded by musicians........, 

Free Hugs

....hugged by adventurous happy youth, 

...and bathed in the vibrant colours of Argentine artwork....all at the Recoleta Outdoor Market. 

 The only thing missing was a very cold beer....and we didn't have to wait too long for that.  As they say down here:  

¡Salud!

The B.A. Japanese Gardens

One Sunday when the sun was already promising a hot summer's day, we took our first taxi ride. All I said was: “Por favor, nos lleva al Jardín Japonés” and off he went. 

Our driver was in fact of Japanese orgin, a classy guy that hummed to the classical music playing on his radio. Once there, I tipped him so that our bill would round off to 50 pesos, all in all, about $4.00.

El Jardín Japonés commemorates the arrival of many Japanese immigrants over a century ago. 

All of us who crossed those bridges, stepped on those islands, walked those trails or sipped a cup of green tea with jasmine, could feel the close relationship that has been built between these two countries.

Linda and I are great friends of the ginko tree and even have one growing in our front yard. The ginko is a unique species of tree, in fact, it is called a living fossil, because, gifted with the most incredible will to live, it dates back 270 million years.

To that, what we were most impressed with was the presence of three ginko trees, growing from seedlings of ginko trees that survived the bombing of Hiroshima. Just imagine!!! 

 I think that ginko our front yard will outlast us. :)

An encounter with a pickpocket trio –

Linda saves the day – 1000 pesos in pocket

There’s no denying that pickpockets in Buenos Aires are both plentiful and good at their jobs.

Why in 2006, then-First Daughter Barbara Bush was robbed while eating at a restaurant in broad daylight (her purse and cell phone were stolen) despite being surrounded by a detail of Secret Service agents. You just have to respect those kinds of skills! But they hadn't met Linda....yet.

Sure, for as long as people have had pockets there have been pickpockets. 

The “art” is popular because it’s non-violent, doesn’t create a scene, and usually there’s plenty of time for the perpetrator to get away if they don’t pull it off.

Like magic, pick pocketing often relies on misdirection. In other words, you don’t notice that a hand is going into your pocket and your wallet while in a crowded environment, like a subway.

We were on our way down town when at a crowded stop, in walked three young men.  One was dressed in a business suit and carrying a cashmere sweater completely covering his right arm. He stood close to me.

The car lurched forward a bit, only to stop again, leaving the doors open. There was some jostling but Linda was

keeping her eye on the arm covered by the light brown sweater....and by the way, ….what's a guy up to in a suit and sweater in a subway where the temperature is about 100°?

No good, that's what!

As the hand moved toward me, Linda simply slapped it and waved the “naughty, naughty finger” at the “gentleman”. Sleepy Charles, finally looked up only to see the trio running from the car.

Way to go Linda! Did I mention that Linda means “Beautiful” in Spanish?

And Last But Not Least!

And finally, B.A.'s philosophy on dogs: 

we love'em; so we let'em bark ….and bark....and bark!

The morning and evening sessions are so regular that I've actually learned the Spanish word for: "to bark": "Ladrar".

Until next time.