scroll down to read

BUENOS AIRES

   Buenos Aires is a beautiful and diverse metropolitan city that serves as the capital of a nation of proud and passionate people. Although recovering from several years of economic depression, it is hard to find evidence of hard times or self-pity in any of the people of Buenos Aires. In fact, many of the people I met were very proud of their country and their city.

   They have only recently recovered from the Dirty War which lasted from 1976 to 1983 and was carried out primarily by Jorge Rafael Videla's military government. The citizens of Argentina itself were the principal targets of this war, in which over 30,000 people were estimated to have “disappeared” for actions that were considered “subversive” to the ruling military regime. Countless human rights violations were perpetrated against many innocent people in secret detention centers under the pretense of driving out Communist influences in the country.

   Most of these atrocities were carried out with the approval of the US and other countries as a means of controlling the spread of Communism. Fortunately, the government has recently open new investigations and made arrests of people who were involved in the Dirty War. The people of Argentina hold on dearly to their freedom now, and celebrate it every year with a holiday called Nunca Mas…which means “Never Again”.

   Despite its tumultous past, the city is a place of interesting architecture, artistic expression, and other passionate pursuits. Although the city has an old-world european feel to it, it is by far one of the most modern and thriving capitols in South America. The French inspired architecture that dominates most of the larger buildings give the city skyline a dignified appearance. Public art and sculptures abound in the streets and parks of the city, from the working class neighborhoods to the manicured walkways of the high class district.

   One of my most interesting experiences involved a piece of public art entitled “Floralis Generica”. I had seen photos of this sculpture and thought it looked interesting, but when I went to find it…I was floored. This thing was gigantic! It was a massive flower with enormous petals made of shiny metal that reflected the sky and the lights of the city, which would close in the evening – an amazing feat for something so huge!

   As I wandered around the city, I found many other interesting sights - Some very eclectic and often amusing artwork, quite a few old or broken down cars, beautiful and colorful people, and an array of picturesque parks.

   One of these was the Botanical Garden, or as I like to call it, “Parque de los Gatos”. The park was quite beautiful with its multi-hued falling leaves from different species of enormous trees, the romantic design of its traditonal glass conservatory, and variety of statuary. But the most interesting thing to me were the cats…everywhere! The park was full of them, in one small square I counted over 50! London has it’s pigeons, central park its squirrels, but in Buenos Aires…its cats! I think people without pets would adopt the cats and feed their favorites everyday.

   Moving on from the cats, I came across…dogs! In fact ten or twenty dogs tied to one person! Busy professional types in BA often hire professional dog walkers to take Spot for his daily exercise. However, it looked to me like the dogs were taking them for a walk! Another humorous thing were the number of sweaters I saw on the dogs there. It seems that people Buenos Aires have a high fashion sense, but I think they are taking it a bit far…

ANTIQUES MARKET

   On another day I ventured in to the older part of the city, San Telmo, to catch the weekly antiques market and a street festival that was occurring on the same day. The market was like a treasure hunt in your great grandmother’s attic. There were handmade relics and ancient artifacts from one to two hundred years old, that were being sold for a steal. Leather whips and “bolas” hung alongside silver spurs in the stalls of aging gauchos. Handwoven lace and delicate jeweled fans with matching silver filigree purses adorned the booths of former tango dancers. Decorative hand painted signs advertised shelves full of brightly colored bottles illuminated by the afternoon sun. Local artisans and entertainers peddled their creations and performances in the surrounding streets.

   I came across a group of musicians gathered outside of a cathedral, playing exquisite tango music for a gathering crowd. Some couples danced as the music echoed through the facades of the ancient buildings.

NIGHTLIFE

   As the sun descended on the cobblestone streets, the sky lit up with flaming colors, silhouetting the bare branches of the tree lined sidewalks and illuminating the proud monuments in the center of the wide avenues. I stopped into a local tavern to wait for some friends. This place looked like one of those designed “theme” bars you might see in the states, except everything in here was authentic. The taps and tables and paintings and photos were all over 100 years old it seems. Which of course made the beer and peanuts taste even better, especially when served by an old guy in an immaculate black and white uniform.

   I was soon to discover that dining is something that the Argentinans are very passionate about…especially when it comes to meat. It was hard to find a restaurant that didn’t serve some form of “parilla”, a selection of grilled meats. In fact, in some places you can eat almost every part of the animal, including heart, liver, pancreas, stomach, intestine, tongue and throat…yummm! I actually enjoyed the heart (spicy) and the “sweet breads” or “mollejas”…but the rest of that crap you can give to the dog…blah!

One evening, several fellow travelers ventured out to what was considered the best steakhouse in the city. We had an amazing experience, with impeccable service, ridiculous spreads of gourmet foods and delicious steaks, several bottles of reserve wine and sumptuous chocolate deserts, finished off with a champagne toast…all for the equivalent of $20! I was quickly falling under the spell of Buenos Aires’ charms…

   Some say Paris is the city of romance, but I have to say that the beautiful and passionate people of Buenos Aires have truly stolen my heart. One night I was on my way to eat with some local friends when we heard some lovely tango music coming form one of the squares. We came upon a scene of mostly older local couples dancing the night away on impromptu wooden dancefloors underneath the amber glow of the streetlamps.

During the street fesitval, I saw eighty year old women dancing carefree to the rythym of a hippie drum circle. Couples rode by on old clunky bicycles and sputtered along in vintage autos. Store windows were filled with ancient sparkiling treasures and eclectic artistic fashions. This was a truly romantic city.

RECOLETA CEMETARY

   The romantic splendor of Buenos Aires also has its dark, mysterious side. The Recoleta Cemetary is where most of the monetary “elite” of the country are entombed. Even the vast hills of crypts in Pere-Lachaise can’t compare to the otherworldly splendor of this compact city of the dead.

   Row after row of tightly packed mausoleums and sepulchres lined the spotless streets, each one competing with its neighbors for grandeur and opulence. Ranging from gaudy to sublime in design, they were carved out of native stone or constructed from massive blocks of granite, marble or patinaed metal. Some were adorned with ornate cupolas and columns which contained fascinating and exquisite sculptures ranging from classical to modern in style.

I became lost in the details of this surreal city on a foggy day that was suffused with an ethereal light. Every doorway was intricately patterned with touches of art nouveau and art deco, egyptian and babylonian hieroglyphys, and often contained stained glass scenes or reliefs etched into their surfaces. Some were immaculately maintained, while others bore the signs of neglect from families that had fallen on hard times. You could peer through the cobwebbed and mildewed windows as if through a time portal...catching glimpses of dusty scenes that hadn’t been touched by human hands in decades.

The whole experience was reverant and darkly romantic, as sleeping souls whispered stories of ages past and lives lived. As a final act, the sky erupted into one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen, painting the entire scene in a wash of jeweled colors that provided the perfect backdrop for the splendor of this monument to those who have passed through the twilight of life.

LA BOCA

The following day I set out for La Boca, a colorful working-class neighborhood, and home to the Boca Jrs., the local futbol (that’s soccer to us gringos) champs. Well, I have to say that “colorful” is an understatement for this place. Psychedelightful Extravagasm might come close…

Most of the houses in this area were ramshackle constructions which I soon discovered were made from the deconstructed parts of boats. Either the sailors decided to settle down here (I can see why), or simply were forced to salvage unseaworthy vessels and this was the closest port they could find. Paint also seemed to be a salvaged commodity, since every wall, stairway, and door were painted a different clashing color to its neighbors. The buidings were eclectic and convoluted, often containing cramped quarters that housed numerous families.

The guidebooks said that this was a “dangerous” part of town after dark…the underbelly of Buenos Aires - where all the fun people lived! Artists, sculptors, writers, muscians, dancers, poets, actors, prostitutes, smugglers, and other “crazy” types called these mad conglomerated communes home. I must admit that I felt strangely at home here and the people I met were warm and inviting. Children played futbol in the streets, artists invited you into their homes, fortune tellers read palms at a card table, musicians wandered in and out of bars, and public art was everywhere…even in the strangest places.

There were huge murals covering buidlings and courtyards depicting workers and revelers in wild processions while papier-mache type figures beckoned out of doorways, windows, and balconies. It was truly a visual feast.

In the early evening…against all “practical” advice, we stopped into a quirky little bar for a few drinks. While we were there, a band began to play and an older gentleman started belting out the classics…I think. Following him, a young and energetic couple performed a passionate tango which was mesmerizing. They moved so fluidly and intimately that the audience was spellbound, wrapped up in the emotion of the dance. Some places charge a fortune for a tango show, but I think this small bar was the ideal place to get the true flavor of the heat and rythym of this most romantic dance.

My last night in Buenos Aires was a memorable one. It started off pretty badly, with a two hour bus ride stuck in traffic going to the airport, followed by a missed flight and a exhausted return to the city. But it was fortunate, because all of a sudden, I heard a loud raucous sound coming from the streets. People came driving and marching past waving flags, shooting fireworks, honking horns, and yelling at the top of their lungs…was it a political revolt?...a patriotic fervor?...a mad riot? No…the Boca Jrs. had just won the title game in the America’s cup!!!

These people go mad for futbol! Some guy was hugging me in the streets and drunkenly babbling something I couldn’t understand. The partying continued for several hours, almost keeping me awake as I slipped into delerious and slightly amused unconsciousness on my last night in Beunos Aires…