All this heat which lasts late into the night provides a convenient backdrop for summer celebrations which occur during the week and on most weekends of February: free public entertainment such as Raggae concerts, Rock concerts, Theatre pieces, Folkloric concerts and dances, Murgas (carneval parades), puppet shows for kids, drive in movies for adults - and kids, and Tango shows, Milongas and concerts. All open air affairs in eleven park or plaza venues, all immensely popular, and all - from my perspective - of very high quality.
So nothing else to do but join the throng....at least for some of the tango events
With a prior detour to another one of Buenos Aires 'historically significant' bars/restaurants. The Bar Federal in San Thelmo...
Mementos from the bar's past adorn the walls
The bar used to be a grocery store around 1864, sometime during that time the massive wooden carved arch over the bar has been crafted and stayed in place ever since. Great for a little cafecito or a cerveca with a few 'picadas' - appetizers - for lunch.
El Federal was closely associated with El Munich, an old German style brewery and beer house, where no one went for pastas and lemonades, but for 'salchichas con ensalada de papas', (sausages with potato salad) or 'jambonon con chacrut' (smoked pork with sauerkraut) combined with a German cerveza or a vino Mosela (Mosel wine) and complemented with loads of 'pan negro y picante mostaza' (black bread and hot mustard)
Although wine is the 'national' beverage of Argentina, cerveza runs definitely a popular close second.
In la Boca, in view of Puente Viejo at the Vuelta de Rocha, in front of touristy Caminito, a large stage has been erected, fronted by an even larger platform, which is covered with rubber mats, to serve as dance floor.
Low tide - there is some tidal action here in the Rio Plata - and steamy heat turns the Riachuelo into a bit of a odourous mudflat, waters of one of the 5th most polluted rivers covering the worst of the unsavoury mess.
However, this does not deter from the general enjoyment of music, dance and show...
The line up of entertainers for the tango oriented summer performances is nothing short of impressive.
World Champion tango dancing couples (yes, there is a world championship conducted every year in Buenos Aires, lately won - to Argentinas shame - by 'foreigners' from Colombia, Venezuela and Japan) hold a 'public free Tango class' and then give an example of their highly perfected and elegant tangos.
Tangoistas may recognize names like Maria Ines Bogado y Sebastian Gimenez, Jonathan Spitel y Betzabel Flores, Max van der Voorde y Solange Acosta
A few tourists attend, mostly to watch and try a couple of tango steps, but the local Argentinian die hards are out in force.
Old....
...and young, everybody loves to dance.
These boys practice with each other. Tango - in its starting days early 20t century - was first danced by pairs of men, to kill the ennui of waiting for their turn with a 'gatita' - a lady of easy virtue and of strong work ethics.
There is no stigma to dancing with same sex parters, and the boys are oblivious to those kind of details anyway.
Some dancers dance with 'the one who brung them', but others follow the normal Milonga protocol of 'cabeceo', the nod across the floor, to invite a stranger/partner for a set of tangos.
Just because it is a rubber floor, does not mean that the 'tacos altos' don't come out. One just has to watch that stiletto heels do not catch in the cracks.
There are no 'guarda ropas' where one may deposit personal belongings, and leaving them unattended anywhere is a sure bet to find them gone within a couple of minutes. People dance with backpacks, shopping bags, belly bags, shoes bags, and nothing seems to impede the 'abrazo cerrado', the close embrace, so typical of Buenos Aires tango.
Anything goes, as long as one can 'caminar, girar, pivot'....walk, turn and pivot.
Here, the world champions of Stage Tango of 2008, Cristina Sosa y Daniel Nacuccio, cast a critical eye on the 'first steps of tango'.
Big brother leading little sister through tango steps, these little kids are surprisingly good at it, and Tango is as much part of growing up for some Argentinian youngsters, as MacDonalds outings are for North American ones.
Never beyond a cheek to cheek, dreamy eyed passionate tango...this is NOT yours truly.
But, I 'lucked' out and was asked to dance with a real pro, incredible! I could follow steps and maneuvres I did not even know. So much for a dancer who knows how to 'lead', the great secret to harmonic Tango dancing.
Dancing aside, Tango apassionados are really here to listen to their favourite Tango singers and orchestras.
Here, Jairo, at 40 years of age is one of the 'younger' ones in the line up for summer concerts. Continuing family tradition, his son played the drums for this performance. Jairo is a household name in Argentina, he has a trademark horsey smile, that captivates and charms.
Jairo had to interrupt one of his songs mid-breath and mid-bar, when at the near by football stadium La Bonbonera (Boca team) exploded fireworks to mark the retirement of Martin Palermo, a favourite player.
Once the sound and light interruption stopped, Jairo launched back into song.
The main attraction for the local Tango music fans are the 'relics' of past Tango glory. Alberto Podesta and Juan Carlos Godoy, 87 and 92 years old, and still singing. Maria Grana, la Diosa, whose strong voice, rubenesque form and blond mane belie her advanced years, gave a stunning performance.
Amelita Baltar, who looks as leathery as if she has smoked a million Marlboroughs, and survived them all so far, still croons the most moving tango stories in - what else - a most smoky voice.
Adriana Varela, the youngest female at 52 years, will close the cycle of Tango concerts.
All singers - and orchestras - are top class performers (still) and it is a privilege to hear them before it is 'too late'.
Argentinians in attendance go crazy at the first bars of an old well-known and loved piece, and burst into eternal applause at the end of them.
It was a bit much for old Godoy, who at 92 was giving encore after encore, sang with strength and feeling, only once loosing steam with his voice breaking. He paused for a little while - and then re-launched the entire song. But - he delivered every one of his songs to the last applause standing up, if a little bent, but a proud 'cantor y Argentino'.
