Last Post...

Sob.

Marco is packing. I am sniffling morosely into the keyboard.

We leave tonight at midnight (or possibly tomorrow morning 2am, who knows. We're flying Aerolineas Argentinas, after all...)

our last stroll along Defensa for the Sunday San Telmo Feria

sob

one last lunch of chorizo, morcilla, provalone, rinones, bife de lomo, bife de chorizo and ensalada at the local parilla, Desnivel

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one last cd purchase from a street Orquestra Tipica

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hasta luego

sob

chao chao

Today's wonderings

you absolutely must have an icecream sundae at El Vesuvio


delivery bicycles are absolutely everywhere


arquitect alert: most edificios in Baires proudly display the names of the architect, builder, and sometimes the engineer


but not this one.


Can anyone tell me what the symbol of the two arms holding a stick with a red beanie on it means? it's absolutely everywhere

in the Cathedral


on the waterworks building


at the Plaza Asturia restaurant

Reasons to love San Telmo, Part Two.

There used to be trams here. They left these tracks here, just in case.


you can go antique shopping at night


or pick up some fresh fruit and veg


or bread and deli goods at the Mercado


maybe some feral pasta?

Things you absolutely can't photograph

Tango classes.

Gabriel and Julietta from Tangocool are my absolutely favourite teachers.
Sometimes Gabriel looks alarmingly like Mr Bean.

Absolutely everyone must go to one Wednesday afternoon class with Eduardo Saucedo at Confiteria Ideal. Sadly he has upgraded his hairdo from magnificent mullet to something more sedate, but three hours of his muy effervescent high camp passion is a must. And Ideal is divine.

Mosquitos. I think I've donated about a litre of blood to these little portenas...I feel faint...quick, pass me a medialuna slathered with dulce de leche...

Milongas.

Absolutely everyone must go to one matinee (afternoon) milonga, or viejoteca as Marco and I call them. It's nice to know there will still be somewhere to go out to when you're 90.

Smells.
In rare moments, in the mornings, the diesel fumes lift and the delicious scent of woodsmoke from parillas (charcoal grills) firing up for the day mingle with the sugary doughy perfume of baking medialunas (pastelerias/confiterias bake all day).

Noise.
Consistent and insistent.

Linaea A

The first subte line (underground train) still runs the original timber trains. It feels like being inside a live animal as they stretch and flex organically as they rattle along.

Poverty.
It's still a really really really tough life for many here.

Shopping

Today we went shoe shopping.

Jill, here are your shoes



Jo, these are your shoes



of course Marco already bought some



here are mine

moo.

Exclusive - Argentinians in High Places

Porteno Oddservations

you can buy almost anything on subte (underground train) platforms


primary school children are dressed like hospital interns


Portenos like:


talking


eating


reading.

La Boca

The Sovereign Hill of Baires.

Absolutely all tourists must visit the old port barrio of La Boca, so that the kindly and helpful portenos can relive foreigners of large and burdensome amounts of cash.
We made our ritual donation today.
Before diving in to Boca proper, we visited the Museo de Bellas Artes.
This is the view of the port from the magical roof sculpture garden

you can get a pretty good view of the barrio

they have a collection of bowsprits inside the Museo

I liked them very much.

Caminito is why everyone goes to La Boca

a bit like looking at the paint chart in Bunnings, really.

How to drink a submarino

1. Your waiter brings you a glass of frothy hot milk,
a special submarino chocolate bar,
a spoon,
and sugar.

2. Tear open the wrapper,
DO NOT EAT THE CHOCOLATE.
Drop it into the glass of hot milk.

3. Stir the chocolate as it melts

4. until properly combined.

You can add sugar if you want, but I never do.

5. Enter a state of grace.

Contingent Baires

sometimes you just look up and get a view like this:


there are some fabulous hairdos in Baires


you can buy almost anything in this spectacular shopping arcade on Florida


even a rifle.


some of the graffitti is muy romantico


some is just plain fascinating.

We danced for 3 hours today at the Ideal, honest.

Today we went to the Museo de la Ciudad (City Museum).
It has a temporary exhibition of kitsch, and a permanent exhibition of toys.
This partly completed build-it-yourself dollshouse was there

much of the rest of Baires is under construction too (these public works notices are everywhere)

or it's for sale

but the Confiteria Ideal is still open and operating as usual.
Here Marco assumes an appropriate expression of refined and elegant suffering...

...exactly the kind of suffering caused by having to pause mid serious panqueque consumption for a photo.