Buenos Aires

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Swan Lake

Last night I went with a group of people from InterNations to see a beautiful production of Swan Lake, performed by the National Ballet of Russia at the Teatro Grand Rex. Earlier this year, we saw the ballet on the big outdoor screen beside the Teatro Colon, that one being the classic version choreographed by Rudolph Nureyev. I have to say I like last night’s version better, as it had more life and a lyrical quality I didn’t see in the other one. Of course, to be fair, a live performance is almost always better than a filmed version, even on a huge screen such as that one.

Argentines love culture, and there’s a great deal of it to be had in Buenos Aires, absolutely free — although that wasn’t the case last night. I must say I’ve never seen an audience’s appreciation of ballet expressed with the “hooting and hollering” I heard last night! They clapped, they cheered, sometimes even sort of screaming as they would at a rock star! It was altogether a very Buenos Aires sort of event, and of course we loved it.

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Special Milonga

On Sunday night I went with my friend Lola to the milonga at La Nacional, but this was a special charity milonga. There was no fixed price to get in, and you just donated whatever you wanted. I put just a bit more than I would normally pay, but some people must have been extremely generous because they raised 90,000 pesos, or almost $1,400. The money goes towards education in the rural areas of Argentina, so it was a good cause. They do this every month for a different charity — sadly I’ll have left by the time next month’s rolls around.

At one point during the evening there was a break from the dancing, and we were treated to two exhibitions. One was a couple dancing a very nice tango, and the second was this exhibition of a folkloric dance called the Chacarera. Its origins are in the mountains, and it’s a very lyrical, romantic dance of flirtation between the couple.

As I have just over three weeks left before I leave this time, I’ll be going to a lot of milongas between now and then!

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Birthday candles, Argentine style

Blowing out candles on a birthday cake is the same tradition down here as in Canada, but the candles are different! I’ve seen this several times, but this is the first time I remembered to catch it on video.

It was Cecilia’s son Joaquin’s birthday last weekend, and we had a lunch for him on Sunday at Cecilia’s house. So this is the birthday candle ceremony, Argentine style — although it’s not always with dogs!

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Catch-up Time

I knew I hadn’t been keeping up with my posts, but I was surprised to see it had been a couple of weeks since I’ve been here. Combination of work, lots of social dashing about and yet another summer cold!

I’ve continued to visit the bares notables with various friends. Here are a couple of shots from one of the most interesting, Los 36 Billares. There aren’t 36 billiard tables, but I think I counted about twenty, some in the main cafe area and a bunch downstairs.

 

These next three photos are of the oldest, and certainly among the best kept of the Notables, Cafe Tortoni. Definitely a tourist trap, often with a lineup to get in, but well worth it. I always enjoy soaking in the ambience in Tortoni with its pictures and its lovely art deco ceilings.

Cecilia and I, and her Peruvian friend’s daughter Nicole, went away for an overnighter on Good Friday to Chivilcoy, a provincial town a couple of hours away from Buenos Aires, to visit Cecilia’s daughter Macarena. Summer made a spectacular return — sunny and very hot the whole time we were there. This was a bonus, and allowed us to have a real mini-vacation. We sat in the plaza on Friday evening and drank mate, and then joined the Good Friday procession into the cathedral. Then we went home and retired to the backyard with malbec, where we played cards until two o’clock in the morning!

Now it seems it actually is fall, and we are getting a bit of rain. But it’s only a month till I go back to Canada, so I’m determined to make the most of every day and evening — rain or no rain!

I’ll try to keep up the blog better for the remaining weeks of A5. That’s “Argentina 5” if you haven’t read my book yet — and if you haven’t yet, you can get it at http://amzn.to/2oddkmF !

 

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Research at Petit Colon

I haven’t been very active here for a week or so, largely because I’m battling my second cold of the summer. I’ve managed to keep up with most of the social stuff, but just haven’t felt up to writing about them.

Anyway, last night I went with Joanna, Venetia, Michael and Bettye to Petit Colon to continue the research for my book. It’s only 40 years old, which is quite new for a Bar Notable, and in fact it was renovated just five years ago. But it is a lovely little place.

It’s called Petit Colon because it is on the street behind the Teatro Colon, and they have panelled the walls with a dark tapestry type fabric, reminiscent of old theatres. There is a fantastic alabaster chandelier my friends were urging me to sketch, but I couldn’t resist this big old clock. (It wasn’t actually six o’clock, of course, but that’s where the clock has stuck!) I might go back for morning coffee one day and do the chandelier.

There’s a fun research place coming up on Thursday night, and so many people are coming I think I actually have to make a reservation! I’ll post about that one for sure.

I had an interesting tango lesson this week from a different teacher. There are special “feminine techniques” in tango that help give it that special elegance, and I decided I needed to work with a woman to get that. So yesterday morning, despite the sniffles, I spent an hour with Luciana Lial, and I feel it is going to help my tango when I add it to what I am learning from Alejandro. Tango on!

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A Different Kind of Tango Experience

On Saturday night Venetia and I went to a concert at the Kirchner Cultural Centre, music by the Tango Orchestra of Buenos Aires. Just what it sounds like — tango played by an orchestra. It was much as you would expect of any orchestra, except for the five bandoneones. Those are the instruments that look like concertinas but aren’t, and they give tango music its unique melancholy sound. I enjoyed the concert. It was certainly a different kind of tango experience — in stark contrast to the milonga I had danced at in the afternoon! Here’s Venetia’s short video.

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Jazz Concert at La Biblioteca

On Friday night I went with some friends to a concert in a little club called La Biblioteca. It’s a small, intimate space with shelves full of old books on all the walls.

The singer was Joanna Maddox. She is a jazz and blues singer from Atlanta, but she has made Buenos Aires her home and has built up quite a following. Check out the video and you’ll see why.

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I had an argument in Spanish — and I won!

If it’s true that you really know a language when you can conduct an argument in it, then my Spanish is almost there!

Today was one of those days in Recoleta when none, and I mean none, of the bank machines was giving out any money. It happens relatively often, and although a couple of years ago this used to freak me out, now I know it’s just the way it is. After trying about four banks with no result,  I happened to see one of the employees at another bank and I asked him when the machines would open again. He said an hour and a half, so that was fine. I knew I’d get money then.

That wasn’t the problem though. In one of the banks, the machine swallowed my debit card and then shut down, and wouldn’t give it back. I knocked on the door of the bank proper, and a very “important” security guy told me the bank was closed. This is how it went:

Him: The bank is closed.

Me: I know, but the machine swallowed my card and won’t give it back.

Him: The bank is closed.

Me: I know, but I need help.

Him: I will ask my colleague. (There followed a conversation between him and a young woman.)

Him: The bank is closed.

Me: I know, but I need my card back from the machine.

Him: The machine is closed. Come back tomorrow morning.

Me: Tomorrow morning? But in the meantime I have no money. What do you want me to do?

Eventually he did come out, pressed a few buttons and the machine spit out my card. I didn’t get any money, but at least I got my card. I went back to the machine on my way up to the cafe for my after-dinner glass of wine, and got the money. Buenos Aires — you have to love it!

But all this was in Spanish, so in the end I focused not on the frustration of the situation, but on how proud I was of my Spanish! I think the thing is that when you are arguing, you don’t slow down to worry about how you’re saying things, you just let it all come out. Anyway, it worked!

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La Noche de las Librerias

Wow, what a fantastic idea! I’ve mentioned before that Buenos Aires is chock full of bookstores, and that Porteños really appreciate books and authors. Well last night proved that.

In Toronto we have Nuit Blanche, an overnight celebration of art galleries. The Buenos Aires equivalent is La Noche de las Librerias, or the night of the bookstores. It’s not all night, but everything does stay open very late.

Avenida Corrientes, where you can find bookstore after bookstore for miles, was closed to traffic. All the bookstores we went into were very busy, and not just with browsers. A lot of money was changing hands. Venetia (in the first photo) bought a lovely photo book about Patagonia, and I bought a history magazine with information about the great Argentine hero General Jose de San Martin, known as El Libertador.

As you can see from the photos, these are real bookstores selling books — not the candles and gift items North American bookstores have been forced to focus on. And it’s not that Argentines don’t have technology — they do, but books are still books down here. I love that.

And outside on the street, a live jazz concert was going on to complement the book celebration. The lovely soft, late summer weather was just right for walking too, so all in all it was perfect.

Oh, and I couldn’t resist photographing this — a book of Scottish actor Ewan McGregor’s life in pictures, in Spanish! My family in Scotland will get a chuckle out of that!

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Another ‘Research’ Event — and a Bonus Surprise for Me!

Last night I went with five women friends on another “research” trip for the new book. It was also International Women’s Day, which is very big down here, so a nice way to celebrate. We were Cecilia, Venetia, Joanna, Lola and Gillian.

Bar Sur is a very old establishment in the very old barrio of San Telmo, where many of the Bares Notables are to be found. It’s tiny, dark and very cozy and intimate. I had spoken with Beatriz, the proprietor, last week, so she knew we were coming and welcomed us warmly.

We ordered wine and picada, and sat back to chat and wait for the show.

Bar Sur claims to have the oldest tango show in San Telmo, and I believe it. The signed photos of tango stars of the past around the walls testify to its tight ties with the music and dance of tango.

There’s no stage in Bar Sur, so the performers sing, dance and play right there on the floor beside the tables, which makes you feel almost like part of the show. I particularly liked the bandoneonero and the two dancers, who beautifully evoked the soulful sound of tango, which was emphasized even more because of the very dim lighting. I’ve put some photos of the iside here.

You might be wondering what the surprise bonus was. Well …

While some of us were taking advantage of a photo opp with the dancers (see the end of the first video), I told him I actually wanted to dance. He didn’t say anything at the time, but before the end of the show I looked up to find him in front of me, giving me a cabeceo — invitation to dance!

I separated Joanna’s video of this, as I didn’t want to put it beside the real dancers, but take a look and let me know what you think.

Of course if I had realized I was going to be part of the show, I would have worn my tango shoes!

We still have a lot of bares notables to see, but it will be hard to top that one just for the experience! See the videos below.