Glacier Perito Moreno in Calafate, Province of Santa Cruz in Argentina, has made the head lines today. Every four years or so, a large ice-bridge which forms at the bottom of the glacier, sixty to a hundred meters in height, stages a spectacular collapse. Hard to predict exactly when...but this time around TV cameras and hundreds of tourists were lucky to witness the event.
Before, During and After...
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| Going once, going twice.....sold! |
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| A few seconds later - nothing remains of the large icy arch 60 meters in height (equivalent to a 15 story building) |
Strolling around El Congreso in El Centro of Buenos Aires, one may see all kinds of 'manifestaciones' - protest marches. This time around, instead of the usual collection of propaganda flags and pot drumming sessions, a rather picturesque collection of protesters: Gauchos of Salta.
I am not quite sure, what they were protesting about, but I think it had something to do with creating a 'Day of the Gaucho'...
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| El Congreso, site of Political turmoil, and back drop to regular protest marches and demonstrations |
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| The only thing missing - Los Caballos |
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| Spurs and all - but no horses! |
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Sandals instead of spurred boots - one makes concessions in the Big City...
On the tango side...the milonga community has lost another long time milonguero Aldo Ferrer, who at about 90 years of age still was a regular attendant at Salon Canning and at Los Consagrados. Elegant, courteous, impeccably dressed at all times, accomplished milonguero...I have danced with him a few times, and saw him a couple of weeks ago at Los Consagrados, still 'cabeceo-ing' successfully to the ladies at the milonga. In his prime years, he was one of the most powerful figures in Argentina, Ministry of Finance, various Ambassador positions etc etc etc...with tango in his blood.
A few days later...he has joined the tangueros in the sky
Aldo Ferrer, here with Julia Doynel, organizadora of Sueno Porteno.
Confiteria Ideal...rumors abound. Some maintain, that the most famous venue of Argentine Tango will be closed at the end of the month for 'renovations' (which are definitely needed), some say, that it will close down permanently, as the group of owners cannot see eye to eye as what to do with the place. If it closes, it will be a huge loss to the City...to milongueros and thousands of tourists, who are drawn to this elegant café (see Last Tango in Paris, see BBC's documentary Confiteria Ideal Tango Salon) to experience 'what Buenos Aires Tango' is all about... |
Back to La Boca and Caminito, to have a look what the 126th anniversary of Benito Quinquela Martin's looks like. Well, his statue stand unrecognized by most in front of his museum, which was 'dressed in his colours' to celebrate the day.
The Museum is 'dressed up' from the ground up...however, for some unfathomable reason - it is closed!
Behind the colourful curtain , the passage has turned into a pretty tunnel adorned by Quinquela hues
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| El Caminito at one end of the passage... |
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| ...and someone selling what looks like old car seats at the other end... |
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The City Emblem peeking through the panes of colour....
The only activity connected to Quinquela's anniversary at this time of the day, is a 'paint in' by school children from various La Boca schools
Some 'works of art' are quite impressive...
Not quite Quinquela, but a beautiful rendition of a sailboat heading into a sea of colour
Lovely Colours in a painting of a Kite...
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The Main Attraction....I could not figure out, what drew the attention of all these school children away from their task of painting like a young Quinquela...all of them concentrated on the polluted surface of Riachuelo...opposite direction to the museum...
Well, floating in the middle of one of the 'camalotes' (floating beds of vegetation) were a few things of beauty, like this water hyacinth...in this photos surrounded by greenery - the oil, the plastic, the garbage, keep a low profile...
But, the objects of the general admiration were these two 'tortuguitas', pizza sized turtles, who took their ease on one of the many dead logs in this cesspool of Riachuelo. I am not so sure whether the drab grey is their actual colour, or if their shells are covered with an oily coat...but here they were, poking their snouts into the air, which today was rather thick. The odour of Riachuela could make even a turtle faint. How they survive here is a total mystery.
Slick and flat, odorous and ugly, the surface of Riachuelo...separating La Boca from Avellaneda
To return home, one walks toward the bus stop of Line 152, which goes directly to Plaza Italia in Palermo, my part of town. Waterfrontage here in La Boca is not exactly prime real estate...
But, even here, without the tourist attractions, the souvenirs, the crowds, there are hidden gems. Just across from the parada (stop) of bus 152, a neglected building in ruins...with this marvellous stone carving on it's façade...hardly anyone notices it, but it tells about the history of La Boca - just as much as Quniquela's paintings do.
There are many 'raised' entry ways in La Boca...I have not been able to find out the reason but suspect, that Rio Plate may have reached unusual heights at some time, and all usable space is located above the 'high water mark'.
Seen through a bus window, dozens of architectural marvels in an advanced stage of decay grace La Boca...no one seems to care, that a national heritage is left to die
Definitely La Boca, note the elevated entry, the depiction of Puente Avellaneda....
Patriotism is a national past time, and historic hero figures transcend today's division of party politics...wall mural in La Boca
Bus stop in La Boca.....no signs, no seats, no nothing....you just have to know where it is located..
Public Works in action.....since years...
Trucks entering, keep clear....it says. But how any truck could navigate this entry way is beyond my comprehension.
Street Art in La Boca...this one for a Kindergarten...
We started this post with a protest by Gauchos, we close with another one by different militants. This one takes place at the Facultad de Derecha on Paseo Colon...not sure what for. But, our bus driver takes note, and diverts to the next street (people usually figure out where to catch a diverted bus) and things just roll on...
Whatever...all these manifestaciones seem to merge together into an incomprehensible whole...
One gets home after a while...at leat these guys were not burning tires top get their point across..
What else to do...but keep on dancing. La Papusas of Sueno Porteno of 9 March 2016
