Buenos Aires

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Clean-up Week!

This seems to be a week of cleaning up for me.

First, I tackled this cupboard. It’s a marvelous space, but I had just been careless about keeping it in order. There was also a lot of wasted space because the shelves are so tall, and I wanted to make better use of the space. The left side is for all my painting supplies (and other unrelated things that seem to have crept in there unobserved!) and the right is what I euphemistically call the stationery cupboard — although it’s more of a catch-all.

Anyway, one day last week I got fed up with it, and I went online and ordered a boatload of plastic baskets and containers and set about making changes. The right side is done (and looking fabulous), but the paint side is not finished, only because I ran out  of containers. So this morning I went out and bought some more, and I expect to finish it tonight. I will send an “after” photo.

Then there’s the balcony. Ah yes, the balcony. When I moved in a year past in March, there were six big planters filled with lovely red geraniums, as well as some beautiful clivia and other bulbs that surprised me when they appeared last fall. The geraniums bloomed all through last winter, but this year — nothing.

Unlike my brother, who inherited the gardening gene from my mother, I’m not a natural gardener. The cleaning lady used to water the plants on Monday and I did them on Thursday. Well, she hasn’t been here for over four months, and during that time I barely managed to keep up my own weekly chore. No wonder the poor things got discouraged.

Anyway, I was looking out there last week and I felt ashamed, so I decided to do something about them. My friend Venetia, who is one of those people who loves to get her hands in the dirt, came over yesterday to help me, bringing three lovely little flowering plants with her. I had bought a small lemon cypress tree, some pots and soil. Oh yes, and some plant food — you guessed it, I had never thought of giving them any food!

I have to empty a couple of the big pots because they became infested with an invasive plant. My brother, who has had experience with invasive species, strongly advised me to empty them and start over with fresh soil. Also, some of the bulbs had a mysterious blight of some kind (OMG, I’m starting to talk like a gardener!) There’s a lot of soil in the pots and it’s kind of heavy work, so I’m just doing it a bit at a time. As the photo shows, it’s a work in progress, and I’ll post another one when it’s ready for display.

And when that’s done, there are many plants on the bedroom window ledge (outside) and more along the passage outside the kitchen! Stay tuned.

 

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A Tango Legend at 93!

I’m missing tango more than I can say. So much so that I was a naughty girl and broke the rules!

A friend who lives close by invited me to lunch, together with two male friends of hers who also dance. Just the four of us. We all work at home so don’t have to go on buses or be close to others regularly, we all wear our masks and take as much care as possible. Although the others didn’t wear masks, I wound a long chiffon scarf round my face just to be on the safe side. So we mitigated the risk as much as possible, and it felt wonderful to be dancing again!

Wouldn’t you know, just as we were getting into the swing and planning to dance every couple of weeks, the government clamped down again! Shops and hairdressers etc. are still open, but we’re not allowed any gatherings in homes at all, not even with family. So back down in the dumps again.

Here’s a video that cheered me up to no end. This woman is called Blanquita, and at 93 still dancing as you’ll see. In this video she’s dancing milonga, which is a faster form of tango with intricate footwork — I love dancing it. Her footwork is still impressive — and so is the fact that she’s still able to wear tango shoes! I hope you enjoy it.

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I’m Feeling Down

I haven’t posted for a week simply because there has been nothing much going on to write about. But today, I feel more down than any time since all this started on March 20.

Today, two iconic Buenos Aires eating places announced they would not be able to open again after the quarantine is over. One is La Biela, the famous cafe around the corner from me that I’ve talked about a lot in these posts. I can’t imagine the area without it, especially in the summer when so many of us spend so much time on its legendary patio.

Then, to make matters worse, the government is mulling the possibility of going back to phase one of lockdown. We have reached 1,000 deaths, most of them in Greater Buenos Aires, and the numbers are going up. But people are already losing patience, and there were huge pot-banging demonstrations on the weekend. Everyone has been patient and, for Argentines, remarkably obedient up till now, but that is changing.

As you may know, I have been working on a new book about the Bares Notables of Buenos Aires. La Biela is one of the most famous of them, and now it is gone. I can’t finish the book for now, because I’ll have to wait and see how many of the others will reopen.

I fear for my beloved Buenos Aires.

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The City I Love

This lovely video was sent to me by my friend Maria Elena, an Argentine who has lived in the United States for many years. She is a woman about my vintage (!) and had been thinking for several years about coming home to stay. She finally made up her mind and booked her flight — for June 5. Well, there goes that plan! She now has one booked for September, and I pray she will be on that one. I asked if this video made her feel homesick and she said it absolutely did.

If you understand Spanish you’ll get even more out of this beautiful video, but even if you don’t it will give you just a taste of the city I love, Buenos Aires. It’s mi lugar del mundo, my place in the world, and I feel blessed to have found it.

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View from My Balcony

My building and the one next door share what is called a pulmon de manzana. Manzana usually means apple, but in this case it means a block. So the phrase means the lungs of the block.

It is a common garden, usually quite lush with palm trees and other greenery. This is the one I see from my balcony, and in fact from my living room window.

I’m on the 3rd floor, which in Canada would be the 4th floor as the street level is called the planta baja and doesn’t have a number.

There are quite a few dogs in the two buildings, and when I looked down this morning these three were relaxing in their personal backyard!

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The Liberator

During my first visit to Argentina, way back in 2014, I read something in a guide book that struck me quite forcibly. The writer said that all famous Argentines — including politicians, generals, artists — were polarizing figures.  They all had their supporters and detractors.

Except one: General José de San Martin — El Libertador.

When I read that, I was immediately intrigued, and the more I read of San Martin the more fascinated I became.

He was known as El Libertador because he liberated from Spanish domination

My sketch of the monument in Plaza San Martin, Buenos Aires

not only Argentina, but also Peru and Chile. He was a brilliant soldier and, by all accounts, respected by those under his command as well as the population in general. In every Argentine city I’ve visited, there is at least a street and more often a square named after him. The one in Buenos Aires features one of the most beautiful monuments in the city — and there are many beautiful monuments here.

A couple of years ago, there was an event featuring all the bookstores on Avenida Corrientes — and there are lots of them. Old fashioned bookstores that actually sell books, and that night they were open until one o’clock in the morning. All busy, not only with browsers but with buyers. That night I bought this book about San Martin.

I began to read it and found it fascinating, although reading a history book in another language is quite challenging. I took it back to Toronto with me, but didn’t continue reading. When I moved down here I brought it back with me, and this week I came across it again on my bookshelf.

Yesterday I started to read it again, and I’m impressed all over again by this man they call The Liberator. He earned his title honestly and it’s no surprise he is probably Argentina’s greatest and most loved hero.

Viva El Libertador!

 

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Partying Lockdown Style

Yesterday was my friend Vivi’s birthday, and we decided to have a virtual party for her! We logged into Zoom at 7 pm, champagne at the ready.

These are two attempts at screen shots — difficult with a glass of champagne in one hand. On the left, the birthday girl is in the large foreground shot. I am on the top left, then our friends Joanna and Gary who are currently at home in Canada, Vivi again (not sure how that happened), Cecilia wearing her party hat, and Gillian ducking for some reason.

In the second one, Venetia is second from the left, but her Internet was so bad she eventually had to leave. Gillian, back from ducking down, is in the large image.

We were online for over an hour, and it was fun even though a bit chaotic!

Happy Birthday Vivi!

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More things I’ve accomplished during lockdown

  • In the absence of my cleaning lady, cleaned my apartment. Most of us will be giving these worthy ladies a bonus when they come back, but in the meantime since I’m doing the work I feel I should be paid. So I’m putting away what I pay her every week, and “when all this is over” I’m going to spend it on something I’m not allowed to do now — I hope it won’t be tango shoes, as that would mean we’ll have had a very long quarantine!
  • Continued to experiment with cooking. Can I now say I love cooking? Not yet, but maybe one day. But I am eating well, and I’m saving quite a bit of money I usually spend on eating out.
  • Held an online creative writing time with three of my writer friends. We used to be in the same writers’ group here, but now one is in Chicago, one in London and two of us still here. It was so successful, and so nice to reconnect, that we’ve decided to do it every Friday at least until we are released from captivity.

Have you done anything you’d like to share? Put it in the comments.

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The Paris of South America

After years of conflict, Argentina achieved independence from Spain in 1816. This coincided with a period of great wealth (in the upper classes at least), and the country — especially Buenos Aires — was ready to build and expand. The problem was, there weren’t enough professionals here to design the buildings, and they looked to Europe for help.

It would have been a bit dicey to be looking for immigrants in Spain, as they had just managed to get shot of it, so they turned instead to France. That’s why many of the magnificent palaces and government buildings that were built during that time have a strong French influence. Here are just a few of them.

Palacio Paz, which stands across from the beautiful Plaza San Martin, was actually built in the early 20th century as the private residence of the Paz family. It now belongs to the government, and houses the National Military Museum and Library.

Palacio Paz

Galerias Pacifico is a high end shopping mall, and it’s worth a visit just to see the building itself. The most striking aspect is a high dome featuring a fresco ceiling — not something you see every day in a shopping mall. It was modelled on one in Paris, but I can’t seem to find out which one. (Please write it in the comments if you know.)

Galerias Pacifico

Artist rendering of the inside of Galerias Pacifico

The French Embassy is arguably one of the most beautiful buildings in Buenos Aires, and it’s certainly one of my favourites.

French Embassy

This preponderance of French architecture is probably what led to Buenos Aires being known as the Paris of South America. This title is disputed by many today, as it was also a lifestyle back in the 19th century and that is completely changed now.

Although the number of French people in Buenos Aires is substantial, they are not as noticeable as Italians or other groups, largely because they assimilate well and there aren’t many French communities. But if they are not visible, their architecture certainly is. And a good thing too.

French food fairs are held several times a year, either in Plaza Francia or the grounds of the embassy itself, and they are always packed with people eating yummy food.

Tango

As I said in the last post, tango was introduced by Italian immigrants from the poorer classes who were mainly dock workers. So it was not looked upon with favour by mainstream Porteños. However, in the years before the First World War, it made its way to Paris, where the people embraced it with enthusiasm. On the principle that anything the French favoured must be good, upper class Porteños began to pay attention, and soon it took its place as an essential part of Buenos Aires society. So the French borrowed our national treasure and then gave it back — merci!

I hope you enjoyed these two posts about Buenos Aires. If you did, let me know and I will do more from time to time. In fact, being locked down until who knows when, I might plan a few more in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, stay home and stay well.