30 Jan 2012 - A little more local colour....

The new headline, overshadowing every other national or international event right now, is the fact that BOCA defeated RIVER 1 - 0 in the 'Superclassico', the 'pelota del ano', on Sunday in Mendoza.

BOCA Juniors, one of the two major soccer teams in Buenos Aires, has its home in the poor barrio of Boca in the south of the city, and Rio de Plata team (RIVER) carrying a subtitle of 'los Millionarios' obviously has its home in a wealthier neighbourhood, Barrio Norte near Recoleta and Palermo.
It goes without saying, that they are arc enemies, Portenas are born with DNA and Genes, that either turn them into a fanatical follower of one or the other team. Whenever those two teams play each other, war is declared in the city, and it is not safe to wear anything that resembles the team colours of one or the other team.
The 'final', i.e. Superclassico, was held in Mendoza this past 'Finde' - Argentinian for Fin de Semana, or weekend. Only four trouble makers were detained pre-game, and are spending game time behind bars, for causing major disturbances during ticket sales a couple of days ahead. Line ups for tickets stretched for miles, police in riot gear and mounted on horseback kept access to the 'boleterias', ticket windows, strictly under control.
These ticket windows are made to withstand riot attacks. They are small one foot square holes in a thick wall, barred of course, and at about 1.70 height - small people cannot even look inside. Money and tickets are exchanged through these little 'slots', like openings for guns in a bunker.
And now: the Big Pelota (fight) is over, Boca not only won by her one and only goal of the game, but the fans are making sure, that River 'feels the pain of defeat'. At game's end, Boca fans brought out wreaths, waved black flags, lit thousands of candles inside the stadium....River is dead, at least until next year's Superclassico'. Fears of past game violence, especially after fans clobbered another fan of opposing team whilst he was laying in a hospital bed, recovering from yet another fan war.





Ah, for the Beautiful Game:
Two chickens dressed in River team colours, armed with guns: How could River ever dream of intimidating the Great Boca Juniors... they could not even frighten a grown up chicken!

Only one goal (one should have to listen at least once, when the crowd breaks out in a long drawn out shout of GOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!) scored by Monche, and co-celebrated by Blandt....

A Boca player (in blue and yellow) and a River Player (in red diagonal stripe) in mid-game...

The only line ups that out-do the length and duration of Soccer Game ticket line ups, are right now the SUBE (Public transport) pass queues. No fan violence either, nor riot police. They are all over town, several blocks long, people standing in heat and lately rain, waiting up between 5-10 hours, to apply for the little card, which I managed to obtain without any trouble beginning of December. The onslaught of applicants is now so massive, that during the first day the line ups were several blocks long. And the limited application offices closed at 4 p.m. - the SUBE employees decided to quit and go home leaving hundreds of applicants standing empty handed after their long hours of waiting.

The queues continue and multiply, and now there are little 'temporary offices' with laptop equipped tables under 'SUBE' umbrellas in the most odd places, in large SUBE buses parked on Plaza de Mayo, in 'El Shopping' malls with little SUBE outlets, to meet the overwhelming demand. The lines are just as long there as before, but at least now the 'offices' are open until 8 p.m. People look as if they won the lottery, once they walk off with their newly aquired SUBE pass.

Why the sudden drive and rush for these - rather convenient - passes?

The Government advised, that bus fares and commuter train fares (which will accept these re-loadable SUBE passes) are rising on the 1. Feb for anyone using cash instead of one of those electronic passes. By how much the price goes up, is still a well kept government secret - one day before implementation!

But subway fares just rose 117% and people fear that buses and trains may copy-cat the rise. 13 million people in Buenos Aires, most of them riding public transport, a challenge...even issuing 200.000 passes a day, it will keep the temporary offices busy for a while.

Interesting, how a 'democratic' government can decree such actions without public participation....surprise surprise!!!

Not knowing, what financial hit passengers may face tomorrow, everyone is out trying to get this electronic pass before the mystery of the price increase is unveiled.

On a more entertaining note...Cosquin, a town in the Province of Cordoba, is about to close this season's National Festival of Folcloric music and dancing.

Palavecino, Soledad, and Los Nocheros being just three the most famous and beloved musicians of the many performers gracing the open air stage.

The music is fabulous, gets right into ones bones and even ones soul. These people can sing and play and dance....

Los Nocheros, true to their name, started their gig at 2 a.m. on day nine, with the entire Plaza of Cosquin still filled to the last corner with wide awake aficionados - grandmas, parents, teenagers, babies - the works.

If anyone wants to get an idea of the atmosphere of the place, just click on the link below. Not only gives the home page an idea of the history of the festival backed by a couple of songs, but there are videos of the performances held this year....Am going there next year should I be around for it...

http://www.aquicosquin.org/home.html

And Cristina, La Presidenta, is back at work. Trying to change the Constitution, so she can be re-elected for a third term. Hmmmm....precursers for another little dictatorship in the offing? Local politicians, both in the opposition (which is more decorative than effective) and some 'kirchneristas' are agreed that Cristina Kirchner is the most powerful individual on the scene, as well as the most powerful President in this country - ever.

Inflation at 30%, country suffering economic troubles, unemployment sky high, infrastructure falling to bits, agriculture devastated after killing draughts, and government coffers practically empty, nebulous deals and strategies re Malvinas (Falklands), Mining etc etc.... may one soon cry again, Argentina??? Well - I hope not...

28 Feb 2012 Glamorous Living in Recoleta

The word Recoleta evokes images of ornate crypts and cypress dotted paths through an urban cemetery, but it is also a treasure trove for anyone with a yen for art museums, Parisian urban architecture, haute couture, haute cuisine, expansive green spaces and parks, haute society and monuments and 'haute' prices.


One takes the bus to the centre of this wealthy barrio, walks a couple of blocks along apartment buildings, which could be mistaken for Parisian dwellings, and arrives at one of the many parks: Plaza de Nationes Unidas, dominated by a giant shiny sculpture, Floralis Generica.





The Floralis Generica stands 20 meters high, steel and aluminum, surrounded by a mirroring pond. This flower opens every day at Sunrise, and her giant petals close again at night.




Here is her stem, skillfully hiding the intricate mechanism, which makes this flower come alive morning and night.

A lotus of gigantic proportions....

Shopping arcade underneath the cemetery of Recoleta. The Institute of Design is located within as well. Outside the ample arches, fronting a number of parks (Plaza Thays, Plaza Francia, Urquiza, Uruguay and Chile) are hundreds of tables, served by different restaurants.

Opulent interior design, from stark and minimalist, to traditional and sumptuous...

Little hand applique'd top for a toddler to match with the silver spoon in his little mouth...

Above 'El Shopping' in the same block as and part of Recoleta Cemetery rises Basilica Nuestra Senora de Pilar, the second oldest church in Buenos Aires, consagrated in 1732.

Inside the Basilica we see outstanding Spanish colonial artwork, a baroque silver plated altar originally from Peru, and a small religious art museum, which is located inside the old convent of the original Padres Recoletas.

Strolling along Avenida de Libertador, monuments compete for attention. Here the monument of Plaza Francia.

Another monument, this one dedicated to Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, our dear notorious Evita. She looks a little thin and worn out, as she did at the end of her short life.

Another monument of a mounted hero, (General Urquiza?)placed on top of an artificial hill in Plaza Urquiza. The general probably enjoys from his high perch an unobstructed view of the silty Rio Plata

Being an enclave of Buenos Aires High Society or Nouveau Riche, Embassies from many countries make their impressive homes in this barrio.

Peru and Italy are just two examples.

And then one reaches the Museo National de Arte Decorativo.
In 1935 this magnificient residence was turned into a museum without changing any of its contents and appearance, when wealthy Don Matias Errazuriz, after the death of his also wealthy wife Dona Josefina de Alvear, sold it to the Argentinian Government with the condition that it would be kept as a museum.

It was designed by French architect Rene Sergent, finished and occupied by the rich couple and their two daughters on the18 Sept 1918. Its interior lay out is a fascinating mix of architectural style...baroque Louis 15th dining room, Regency style ball room, Art Deco Bedrooms, and a Tudor style grand hall. Auguste Rodin was supposed to design the palace, but the parties could not agree on a fee.

It immediately became the centre of intense social life. Don Matias and Dona Josefina had filled the grand mansion with more than 4000 works of art, which they collected during their stay in Europe where Don Matias acted a a diplomat for the Chilean government. Most notable are works such as Flemish tapestries, oil paintings by El Greco, Fragonard, Boudin, Manet, French sculptures and outstanding pieces of antique furniture.

Impressive entrance to the mansion, with a coach house on the left of the large portal. The charming coach house has been converted into an eclectic gourmet restaurant called Croque Madame. French of course...

In the surrounding courtyard, shaded by large trees, are Sunbrellas, white covered bistro tables and cushioned chairs, where the local 'hautes' hang out. A Quilmes cerveza is served in a icebucket, a breadbasket arrives with fresh warm tostadas and a dollop of Pate. I ordered Gnocci Parisienne - why not.

Superb service, and very discreet. Amongst the haute cuisine designer clothed women and the suited and 300 dollar tied men, dined a few more casual guests with their children, enjoying a little almuerzo (lunch).

Perfect place for what the French call a 'cinq-a-sept', clandestine little love affairs to be savoured after a little 'repas', a two hour time slot, after work has finished (maybe) and before the family expects the errant lover back home for dinner.
There were definitey a few rather 'enamoured' lovers of a certain age, obviously married but not to each other. Well groomed gentlemen, maybe governmental officials on 'special assignment', and women equally expensively turned out, turtle doved themselves through their 'petit dejeuner' and a bottle of wine, preparing themselves for more delicious things to come beyond the wrought iron fence of the Croque Madame....

Oh, cherie, this is not what it looked like in the Kama Sutra!!!

Well, despite the somewhat enhanced level of restaurant, the final bill for a main course, a Quilmes and the appetizer was less than 16 Can Dollars - including gratuity. I like that kind of high life!

Inside the mansion-museum - entrance 1.25 dollars - a dining room of different dimensions....

The Grand Tudor hall....only showing a small part of it...

Here is the view from the first balustrade, which acts like a passage to enter a number of female bedrooms facing the garden, and another lot of male bedrooms facing the Court of Honour, the entry drive and court - where Croque Madame is now located. All with private baths, as big as a Vancouver Condo, and a few 'private connecting doors' between bedrooms to hide nocturnal visits from prying eyes.

Well, if one needs a certain je-ne-sais-quoit to enjoy this city, I suppose one can find it here in Recoleta.

As Jorge Luis Borges, the famous Argentinian writer, said

Siempre he sentido, que hay algo en Buenos Aires, que me gusta. Me gusta tanta, que no me guste a otras personas. Es amor asi, celoso.

I always felt, that there is something in Buenos Aires I enjoy. I enjoy it so much, that I do not enjoy that other peolpe enjoy it. It is Love, then, jealously.

26-Jan 2012 - Glamorously Dead in Recoleta

If one belongs to the old money aristrocracy in Buenos Aires, there is only one place to live in the City, and only one place to spend eternity - Recoleta.
Ergo, the most exclusive cemetery is in the dead centre of town, surrounded by upscale beautiful apartment blocks, dating back a century or more. Here in Recoleta is the most expensive urban real estate, whether it concerns a dwelling for the living, or a family crypt for the dead.


A detailed map, marked with sectors, crypt numbers, aand main and secondary 'streets' greets the visitor. To the left of the map, is a detailed list - with crypt number - of the "Who is Who" in Paradise.



Of course - all tourists have to head first to the Duarte Crypt. They are lining up patiently around a block of crypts, to finally arrive at the most famous of them all, gaze a few seconds, take a photo and proceed under guidance to the next crypt of - albeit lesser - interest.

The reason for the intense interest is the fact, that Eva Peron, of the Duarte Family and wife of President Juan Peron, is buried here, deep underground on the very bottom of the multi-story subterranean part of the monument. She died at thirty of Ovarian Cancer, a fashion icon, a social reformer, a b-class movie actress, a national saint (or devil depending on one's political stripe).

After her corpse was spirited away and travelled furtively - carefully embalmed like a female Lenin - 26 years around the globe, in the company of about five wax copies of her body, she finally returned home and made it to Recoleta, despite her supposed lack of 'class'. Quite a number of people died trying to steal her, or trying to protect her from theft - all terribly clandestine and mysterious.

Why all the fuss about a corpse? For decades after her death, fanatic Peronistas wanted to possess her perfectly preserved body as a relic to feed the idolatry and political gullibility of the masses. Some attributed miraculous healing powers to her remains.

Now, not just 6 feet, but 6 floors under, robbery of her cadaver, which would in this era be designated toxic waste with all the chemicals it harbours within, is remotely possible, but unlikely.

Her husband, Juan Peron (the actual then President of Argentina a couple of times over), did not make the cut - he is buried in the Cemeterio de la Chacarita, where lesser mortals not belonging to the social elite have their own City of the Dead, with just as much pomp and circumstance as this one.

After the touristy must do, one walks around and discovers the parts of Recoleta Cemetery, which are less in your face, and more contemplative. This statue is one of my favourites - so much resignation...

Angelitos in every corner, marble wings stilled for eternity...

Maria Anglica Fernandez Vidal (nicknamed Cuca) died at the age of twenty.

Bronzed Jesus holding fresh Bougainvillae

Paved street after street, and alley after alley lead the way through a labyrinth of tightly packed ornate crypts and monuments..

Look from ground level of a crypt towards the 'first basement' lined with square boxes holding the dead. A grate, sufficiently large to admit bearers and their weighty loads, at the bottom of the stairs gives access to the next level down. How far down - who knows...

Modest 'ground floor' of a crypt , with a few smallish coffins under the sideboard. If one looks very close, a cemetery cat (lots of them around) is sleeping squeezed under the top of the altar and the top of the box underneath it at left. Cool spot for a siesta. The wrought iron door to the crypt had lost its glass insert...welcome to my parlor.

Dead and definitely long forgotten

Portals to one family's exclusive heaven...

Some are laid to rest in traditional carved wooden coffins, embellished with hammered metal adornments - and these things are NOT empty.

Some take advantage of economies of space, and just line up matched boxes containing ashes of their dear departed.

A plaque dedicated by friends to the dead Cesar A. Diana Lavallee - 1928

Enrique L Martines de Hoz 1901 -1944

And the Virgincita (little virgin) watching over all...

Not too many stone benches around, one searches for a convenient crypt step or marble top to sit for a while in the shade..

The Argentinian's Love of poetry is immortalized in many bronze plaques...here a poem to a girl called Maria Luz who died before her time and left ' on a ray of sunshine'.

And here she is - beloved Maria Luz in white marble...

One can walk for hours through this 'city' and find crypts with well known names - names of streets, avenues, monuments, parks, buildings, palaces, museums, subway stations, railway stations...and one finds many of the dead bearers of these names in this cemetery. A rather concentrated history lesson about personalities in Argentinian History and Culture.

Loved, and definitely not forgotten. Not a speck of dust, red velvet upholstered prayer bench, fresh flowers, candles, polished metal...the man in this photo is still alive for the person who loved him.

If not eternal, then temporary rest in peace for this feral cemetery cat. There are less of them now than there were a few years ago. Locals still take dry cat food into their lairs, fill little plastic dishes with fresh water - so they all look pretty fat.

However, their personal hygiene suffers somewhat, their fur looks as if they have slept in cobwebs and dust amongst coffins and urns all their lives. Maybe there is a funny taste to it, as they do not seem to clean themselves to often..

Room for more in the lower basements of the ghostly tenements...lovely gleaming stainless steel buggies on silent rubber wheels await the coffins of the next lucky dead...