Yesterday I went to the annual Christmas Fair at the British Embassy. Last year I was disappointed because it was billed as the annual garden party, so I was expecting something quite different! Anyway, as a Christmas Fair it was quite nice.
We had a lovely day for it, with the temperature more the way it should be, as it has been a little below seasonal. Bought some plum pudding for Christmas dinner and did a little Christmas shopping (including for me!)
But I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to Christmas in summer!
Before going to the BAIN event last night, Venetia and I stopped off at the studio opening of our friend Osvaldo Puente, a talented and innovative artist. His studio is in a beautiful old building with original wrought iron features and elevator — unfortunately my photo missed this, but it also has a high, high, high skylight ceiling.
Osvaldo uses actual earth in his paintings, combined with old photographs, pieces of lace and more to create evocative pieces that make you think as we as enjoy visually. You can read more about his art at his website at http://www.osvaldoeduardopuente.com/
Last night was the holiday party of Buenos Aires International Newcomers, commonly known as BAIN. It’s my favourite of the expat groups I belong to, mainly because there are quite a lot of Argentine members too.
The event was held at a restaurant I hadn’t been to before, Cabernet in the barrio of Palermo. It was fun meeting up again with folks I hadn’t seen since I left in May, many of whom were welcoming me “home” and that felt good. Here are some photos of the evening.
Two late nights this week — and work to do next day! That’s Buenos Aires!
Last night Venetia and I went to an event which we had misunderstood from the announcement. We thought it was a guided walk to see some of the flora and fauna of Argentina, but it turned out to be a lecture — all in rapid Spanish! We weren’t up for two hours of that, so we left. After a walk around the lovely Parque Lezama, we decided to look for a place to have something light to eat. It was a bit too early for typical Argentine dinner, so we thought some tapas and wine would be in order.
We walked up a lovely street called Caseros in the barrio of San Telmo, and discovered Napoles. We had both walked past the window before and were intrigued but never went in. Tonight we did, and what a discovery it was.
I made a quick video from some photos I took, but if I had photographed all the cool things it would be a feature length movie! It was a huge place, filled with an eclectic collection of artifacts — statues, busts, pictures, vintage clothing, full size cars and more!
We sat at a table near the front and enjoyed some provoleta (a typical Argentine dish made of grilled provolone with herbs and spices) and a glass of mellow Malbec, while glorying in the fantasy all around us!
Check it out.
Ricardo Hadis is one of the people I met socially last year in Buenos Aires, so when he came to Toronto on a business trip a few months ago, he invited me to spend a day with him. We had a great tour around the St. Lawrence Market area and then had lunch at the Distillery District and dinner in a great French restaurant — can’t remember the name.
When he celebrated his 75th birthday here in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, he invited me to his party. And what a party it was! It took place in a lovely Italian restaurant called Giuseppe, down by the river. The theme was heavily Italian influenced, but there was one fun Mexican song, and lots of Argentine ones which I didn’t know but clearly the locals did!
I forgot to take a a photo along the waterside outside, but you can kind of see it through the window behind the performers in the video. Note the birthday candle Argentina style! I hope you enjoy the video.
By the way, YouTube seems to have disabled the ability to stop related videos coming up at the end. If anyone knows how you can still do this, would you please let me know in the comments? Gracias.
A week ago today I arrived in my new home, and a busy week it has been. Not too many exciting things to report on the blog though, but more just settling in stuff and reconnecting with friends.
I did post about my deserted street, which was that way because of the G20 summit going on here this week. Many of my friends hunkered down or “got out of Dodge”, but I just pretty much carried on as usual. It was weird though.
If you know me well, you know I haven’t watched television for years. I decided to switch on and see the G20 coverage, which I did for a few hours yesterday. I saw all the dignitaries arriving, some staying at the Alvear Palace hotel down the road, which was the reason for so much of my neighbourhood being cordoned off. I have to say that with the miserable faces of Trump and Putin, our smiling Justin was a pleasant contrast! I think I will start watching the news on television, as it will be good for my Spanish.
Last night there were helicopters flying overhead until quite late, so I think most of them have left. At least the intersection was open again this morning when I went for my early morning walk, although the cafe I chose is quite near the hotel and it was still pretty deserted. I’m sure all the local businesses will be glad when this is all finally over.
It’s hard to believe this is December 1. With all the preparations for leaving back in Toronto, I forgot it was getting close to Christmas, and of course it’s summer here (although not really very hot yet) and not what I think of as Christmassy. But the “Felices Fiestas” signs are being to appear in shop windows and I’ll soon have to do some Christmas shopping!
Buenos Aires has been more than usually chaotic this week as we prepare to host the G20 summit. It officially started this morning, but things have been crazy for the past two days. I had a meeting at a local cafe on Wednesday, and the women I was meeting were over an hour late — stuck in the mad traffic!
The event officially starts today, and I live just a block away from one of the centres of action. The Alvear Palace Hotel is surrounded by 50 police officers and you can’t get in or out of the intersection. It’s strange to watch the television coverage and see my neighbourhood, which is usually buzzing with traffic, empty and quiet.
I did go out for my usual walk this morning, but turned left instead of right, away from the Alvear Palace, and it was fine. Most of the cafes were closed (unusual), but the one on the corner of my street was open so I sat outside and enjoyed the unusual peace! Here is what my street looks like on this strange morning.
A friend made an interesting comment the other day. G20 is an organization for the most successful economies in the world, of which Argentina certainly isn’t one. But they are virtually closing down the Argentine economy for at least two days to host the meeting, as well as spending untold amounts of money on the event and the surrounding security. Seems daft, doesn’t it? I don’t know what Argentina will get out of this, but I hope it’s something good.
Anyway, I for one will be very happy to see my city back to its normal state of chaos next week!
It’s only four days since I arrived, and I haven’t stopped! Between walking around the ‘hood, eating in familiar places and seeing friends, I’ve hardly had time to draw a breath.
Today I spent some time at Venetia’s place as we planned our trip to Chile in January. We had thought of including a couple of days on Easter Island, but honestly the cost was just too much for the few days we could manage, so we dropped that plan. But we will be doing a winery tour — Chilean wines are lovely — as well as a day trip to Valparaiso. More on that as the time draws near, but for now we at least have our flights booked.
The city is preparing to be pretty much shut down over the next few days as we host the G20 summit. Transportation will be drastically reduced or shut down altogether; certain areas of the city will be so tight you won’t be able to get in or out, etc. Venetia and Viviana are “getting out of Dodge” — they asked me to join them but it’s a bit soon for me. I’m going to take the chance to buckle down and get some work done for my very patient clients! My friend Gary made an interesting observation. The G20 is a gathering of countries with the top economies in the world. That definitely doesn’t include Argentina, yet they are pretty much shutting down the Argentine economy for three days for the party. I’m not sure what Argentina will get out of it all, but hopefully it will be something good. I remember the chaos it created in Toronto, and I think everyone here will be glad when it’s over.
Well, I’m here. I just spent my first day in beautiful Buenos Aires, and it is as magical as ever!
The trip down was pretty good. The Air Canada direct flight was good, but just v-e-e-r-y long! My Canadian friends Joanna and Gary met me at the airport, which was great. I had not one but two long naps yesterday, and then after a casual dinner with other friends, I was in bed by 10.30 am and slept till 9 am this morning! So I should be caught up.
But of course there’s no rest for the wicked, so I was out and about today with my friend Venetia. We had coffee at La Biela, one of my favourite spots, and I was surprised to be warmly welcomed back by one of the waiters!
There was an international festival on today, so we went there for the afternoon. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day and the jacaranda trees are in full bloom. We ate Syrian street food for lunch and watched some dancing from different countries.
After that we went to the racetrack. Watched the horses walk around the paddock and then saw a couple of races before coming home. I am sunburnt!
Here are some photos and a short video from the day.
Well, A5 (Argentina 5) is over and I’m now back in Toronto. To soften the blow of leaving Argentina, I had a little four-day vacation in Panama on the way home and enjoyed it very much. Here’s a little video with a taste of the various aspects of Panama I saw. I couldn’t figure out how to do voiceovers, so couldn’t tell you on the video what you are looking at. Instead, here’s a rundown.
The first couple of photos are of downtown Panama City across the bay. It’s basically just like any other big city today, but I didn’t stay there. I stayed in a sweet little hotel in the Casco Viejo, the old part of the city, which is quite lovely. The old buildings are undergoing a sustained program of renovation and they are doing a great job.
The young woman in the photo with me is Sandra, a Panamanian friend of my friend Cecilia from Buenos Aires. She invited me along on a night out with some of her friends, which I enjoyed very much.
But the highlight was undoubtedly my foray into the jungle, via Gatun Lake. This is the biggest manmade lake in the world, created by blasting away actual mountains so that ships can pass through on their way to the Panama Canal. We saw big container ships passing by. But the main attraction was pulling in to the edge of an island and having monkeys come visit us and take fruit from our hands. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I had to keep reminding myself that these were not zoo monkeys, but wild animals in their own habitat. And then holding a tiny baby crocodile in my hand — amazing. Thanks to my friend Luis for this adventure.
The last photo was a lucky moment. I was just hanging around the square in front of the cathedral when this young woman in Panamanian national dress showed up for a photo shoot and she graciously posed for me too!
Here’s the video:
So that’s it for A5. Now I’m ready for spring to be really here so that I can enjoy my northern home here in Toronto.
Tomorrow is my birthday, and I’m having a combination birthday and return party. Looking forward to seeing lots of my Toronto friends.
I will resume the blog in late fall, as the time approaches for me to return to beautiful Buenos Aires for A6! Thank you for following my exploits and for your comments, and I look forward to taking up where this leaves off.
