Buenos Aires

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Beautiful Buenos Aires Doors

One outstanding feature of Buenos Aires architecture is the doors. Of course, the doors on important buildings are very fine, but so are many on ordinary apartment buildings. I’ve always meant to sketch a series of them, and I finally started. Here are the two I did this week.

Yesterday I was going up Ayacucho Street to visit a friend — and quaff some more New Year champagne — and I stopped to sketch this beautiful black wrought iron door. I had noticed it before, so I went prepared with my sketching materials.

It belongs to a restaurant, and the stonework above it is just as beautiful as the door itself.

The second one is a lovely honey coloured wood, also quite popular in buildings made predominantly from cream coloured stone — well, I don’t know if it’s actually stone, but I mean the building material is cream coloured. I sat on the doorstep of the building opposite to do this one, and I asked the concierge what the building was behind the door. He shrugged and said it was just a residence, “nothing special”. Mind you, it must be quite a residence, but anyway I just love the door.

I cheated with the third one, as I actually did it a couple of years ago. Now this is an important building. It belongs to the Argentine Navy. It was a blistering hot day, and I found a cafe kitty corner to the building and sketched it while eating fruit and cheese and drinking a cool glass of white wine!

Finally, on my way home today I saw this performance and couldn’t resist photographing it. Two men on the ground pulling ropes, two more men on a high-up balcony pulling the other end of the ropes, lifting a couch up and over the balcony rail. When they saw me taking the photo, the guys on the top couldn’t help showing off a bit, and I had a moment of panic that they might drop the couch and it would be all my fault. But no, all was well.

Just moving day, Buenos Aires style!

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Bienvenido 2018!

I’ve now brought in my second New Year under the fireworks in the Puerto Madero barrio of Buenos Aires. It’s one of the best places to see them, and it seems more and more people are discovering you can do that without spending a fortune on the expensive waterfront restaurants. In fact, because their music is playing loudly all evening, outside revellers can take advantage of it to dance along the edge of the water and across the bridge! If we need to go to the washroom, we just nip into the Hilton. My friend Lola calls this being “gypsies in the palace” — I like it!

I did shoot some video, for for some reason I couldn’t get any to load up to YouTube so that I could put them here. I did get one up on FaceBook though, and you can see it here.

Like everyone else, I’ve been pondering what kind of year 2017 was for me. Although of course there have been a few downs, there have been many more ups and on balance, for me at least, it was a pretty good year.

Over the past few years I’ve definitely been on board with the idea of spending my money on experiences rather than “stuff”. In fact, I’ve been actively reducing the amount of stuff in my life and that’s an eye opening experience in itself. It occurred to me that I live in Argentina for almost half the year in a tiny furnished apartment with no surplus stuff, so why on earth do I need bulging cupboards full of stuff at home in Toronto? The answer is that I don’t, and I’ll be actively working on that when I get back there in early May.

I began and ended 2017 in Argentina, and I hope to do the same in 2018, although I also plan a little bit more travel this year. That’s a much more fulfilling way to spend my money. Do you agree?

I’m having a bit of a lazy day today, and then I’m going to a friend’s house for even more champagne. And then tomorrow it will be back to normal. Although I do love Christmas and New Year, I’m always secretly relieved to get back to the work and leisure activities of my normal life.

I hope you are enjoying sharing my Argentine life through this blog and the occasional FaceBook post. Thanks for all your likes, shares, comments and emails. I’ll be back with more normal posts this week.

Happy New Year, Feliz Año Nuevo, y un 2018 prospero y feliz!

Helen

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Marcela and her dogs

A common sight in Buenos Aires is the professional dog walkers, some with as many as a dozen dogs walking along the street. I don’t know how they keep the leashes from getting tangled, but for the most part the dogs know what they’re supposed to do and stay in order quite well — although the occasional little yapper can disrupt things quite nicely!

There are several parks and green areas that seem to be popular gathering places for the walkers and their charges.

This is Marcela. I met her on my morning walk today. I quickly snapped the first photo as I walked behind her, but when I caught up with her at the crosswalk I started to chat to her. (Vida and Patti, you should be proud of me!) She has sixteen dogs in her charge, although only twelve with her(!) Some of these ones are small and were lost among the bigger ones, but I counted them and there were indeed twelve. One of them, a black lab, belonged to her.

Interestingly, several of the dogs belonged to visitors, one from Houston and two from London, and they seemed to be fitting in nicely. I asked her if it wasn’t difficult to control so many dogs, but she said no because they get a nice long walk and then when they get to the park they are ready to lie down!

It turned out Marcela is from Salta, so I told her about my trip there a couple of weeks ago. Small world indeed.

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Aaaah — Limonada casera!

On a sweltering hot day in Buenos Aires, there’s nothing like this delicious homemade lemonade that many of the cafes serve. It’s usually flavoured with fresh mint and ginger — yummy.

Yesterday was one of those limonada days. Here’s mine. I had to wait a while for them to make it, but boy was it worth the wait!

At night, after eating at home, I went to my favourite outdoor cafe for a cool glass of white wine and some people watching.

Yes, this is definitely the life for me!

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Christmas Day — and something new

Having celebrated Nochebuena with my Argentine “family”, I celebrated Christmas Day quite differently.

In the afternoon I went out to sketch. Not a great one I’m afraid, but I enjoyed sitting in Plaza Vicente Lopez making it. People were lying around in bikinis sunbathing, which was surprising enough that I had to record it!

In the evening, a small group of women from one of the expat groups I belong to got together for a potluck dinner at one of their homes. She has a beautiful apartment in Palermo, with a lovely little outdoor area filled with plants. We spent the evening out there chatting, eating and drinking — the perfect girlie night!

Standing waiting for the bus home around midnight, with the temperature still hovering in the high twenties, I actually said out loud, “It’s Christmas!” just to remind myself. We’re now looking forward to New Year’s Eve, and hoping the weather holds up because it will be an outdoor celebration.

Something different

It occurred to me that I could give you a better feel for Buenos Aires if I made some little short videos of some of the places I like to go. I won’t schedule them on any particular day, but just when I’m out and about and think you would enjoy seeing where I am.

In today’s video I’m on Avenida 9 de julio, near the beautiful building that is the French Embassy. I hope you enjoy it.

 

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Nochebuena

In Argentina, the celebration is more Christmas Eve than Christmas Day. It’s called Nochebuena, or literally the good night, and it’s a time for family and friends.

So of course I spent it with Cecilia and her family, who have become my Argentine family. This year my friend Venetia joined us — a former chef, so a good person to have around the kitchen! We had a delicious dinner featuring a huge, delicious roast ham, lots of salads and a lovely traditional plate whose name I can’t remember but it was basically beef with a creamy tuna sauce. Apparently Nochebuena dinner wouldn’t be complete without it.

I’m rubbish at cooking most things but I do quite well with dessert, so I went old school and made a trifle — generously dowsed with rum!

I wish I could remember to take photos of the food at these events, but I never do, so you’ll just have to imagine it.

It’s a beautiful day and I have a few hours before getting ready for the next event, so I think I’ll go out for a walk and maybe even get a sketch done.

Hope you’re having a great Christmas wherever you and and whatever you’re doing.

Feliz Navidad from beautiful Buenos Aires!

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Christmas Shopping in the Sun is just Weird!

I just have a few gifts to buy for friends here, and I finished buying them yesterday. It’s very weird to be thinking of Christmas and buying gifts when it’s 30 degree or more outside and the sun is splitting the trees. I quite like it, but it takes a bit of getting used to.

When I mentioned this to my tango teacher last week he laughed and said he had spent Christmas in Japan a few years ago and had the opposite experience. He kept thinking, “This isn’t Christmas, it’s cold. Christmas is hot and sunny!” I guess it’s whatever you grow up with.

I had a new Buenos Aires experience last night — I went to the movies! I’m not a big movie fan even in Toronto, and I’ve never been here before. But my friends Venetia and Raul go often and they invited me to go with them last night. We met at Raul’s place first and had “picada” — cold cuts, cheese, nibblies and wine, which is a good way to start any evening in my book.

Is this your idea of Hercule Poirot?

We saw the new version of “Murder on the Orient Express”, and I didn’t like it much. I found it quite boring really, although the scenery and the production were certainly beautiful. The cast was outstanding — Johnny Depp (one of my faves), Judy Dench (another), Michelle Pfeiffer and more, but somehow none of them had much of a chance to shine.

Kenneth Branagh was the director and also starred as Poirot, and honestly I just couldn’t get into his portrayal. Venetia suggested I was just spoiled by all those years of David Suchet, but it wasn’t just that. I just didn’t think he was true to Agatha Christie’s original — he was too “ordinary”, and Poirot certainly shouldn’t be ordinary! And he had no twinkle in his eye!

I’d love to hear what anybody else thought of it. I enjoyed the picada more than the movie!

I have another tango lesson this afternoon, always something to look forward to. I think I might be ready to venture back to the milonga soon, and I’ll report on how that goes when I pluck up courage!

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Benito Quinquela Martin, fantastic Argentine artist

Today I went with my friend Cecilia to the Museum of Benito Quinquela Martin. I’ve wanted to go here for a long time but never managed to find the place, so today I asked Cecilia to take me — I’m so glad I did.
Quinquela Martin was a son of La Boca, a working class barrio down by the docks. His art depicts the life of the dockworkers of his day. It reminded me of the work of Diego Rivera, which also affected me deeply.
Quinquela Martin’s work is easily recognizable for its incredible use of colour and light. I’m afraid my iPhone photographs don’t do it justice, but here they are anyway. The second last is a high relief sculpture of the artist at work, mounted on the outside wall of one of the iconic cafes of the area, La Perla de Caminito. The last is a shot of his paints and brushes — imagine what those simple tools in the hands of a master created.

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I’m here – I’m really here!

And it feels as if I’ve never been away!

I arrived early yesterday morning. My friend Cecilia (who features in many of the ‘aventuras’ in my book) picked me up and took me to her house, where I had a few hours sleep and a welcome shower — it’s a long trip from Toronto.

 

By 3 pm we

“Yuletide carols being sung by a choir”

Always seems funny to see Santa in the summer weather!

were at the annual Christmas garden party at the British Embassy. It’s not actually as posh as it sounds — more of a glorified artesan fair really. But I met several of my friends there and it was lovely to be greeted so warmly.

I thought I would have an early night, but no. Cecilia informed me we had been invited to the birthday party of one of her friends, so off we went there at 10.30 pm. All Argentines, all Spanish speaking. I don’t know if my Spanish is better or worse, but it’s certainly faster!

So two parties in one day. I wonder if that’s a sign of things to come. I certainly hope so!

I’m at Cecilia’s house until Thursday, when we go off to Salta for another adventure, so I’ll post again then — unless there’s something fun in the meantime, which has been known to happen.

Soon I will put a sign-up form here so that you can sign up for updates.

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It’s finally come

The last day of A4 (“Argentine trip #4) is here. My apartment is wall-to-wall clothes and other stuff, waiting to be magically placed in my two suitcases. Packing to come home is always a bit of a nightmare for me, and after almost six months it’s even worse.

Would you believe I had to work today?? I delivered a client’s webinar from 2 – 3 pm, so couldn’t really get on with anything else till that was done.

But as soon as it was, I went out for a final wander around the neighbourhood, including coffee on the stage of El Ateneo Grand Splendid, the 100-year-old former opera house now doing stellar duty as a magnificent bookstore.

 

 

 

 

I had a lovely dinner last night with 7 of my friends at La Gran Parilla, the best steakhouse I’ve ever been in. It was lovely to have them all gather to say goodbye, or, as everyone reminded me, hasta luego! Yes, I plan to be back here in November, which makes it just a little easier to leave.

I cheated with the photo, as it’s from the last time I was there, but last night’s version was just as juicy and delicious!

I told everyone not to include me in any plans for today or this evening, as I do like to spend the last day on my own. No steak tonight, but I’ll be having empanadas in one of my local faves, El Sanjuanino, followed by a very self-indulgent apple crepe in La Biela. Then I’ll be off to bed, as I have an early start tomorrow morning.

Now if only I could twitch my nose and get all this stuff packed……