Why go to Buenos Aires?

I shocked all my dance partners at the recent Blaby milonga by saying that I got better dances here than in Buenos Aires. So, why go to BsAs?

It is one of the major cities of the world. There are a number of stunning buildings and plazas. Teatro Colon is an Opera House of worldwide importance. Evita's pink palace (Rosada Casa) is full of the romance of the Eva Peron time. You can walk on the balcony that she (and Madonna) used to address the people. The museum about her is excellent and the attached restaurant is a must. Fresh flowers are put on her mausoleum every day.

There is a free walking tour and an excellent bus tour which allows you to explore San Telmo, La Boca and other districts.

We have chosen to stay in Palermo which is a reasonably safe area and has a collection of individual (not international) designer outlets to suit everyone. There are cafes and bars to sit outside and drink wine and eat good food. The junction of Armenia and Costa Rica is the focal point.

Then there is steak! Don Julio's Parilla is wonderful. Maybe there is better but do not waste time looking. It is better steak than you will ever have tasted before.

Then there are shoes! Several shops devoted to tango shoes. Some even sell men's shoes. Comme il Faut for about £80.

Then there is tango! So much tango to dance and so much to absorb. Cafe Tortoni with all its memorabilia. The house Troilo lived in, now a cafe. The house Carlos Gardel lived in, now a museum. The iconic Confiteria Ideal where you must dance your first milonga. So many milongas to choose from, all with their own character and charm and clientele that you will begin to know. And they will begin to know and welcome you.

So it is not about how many dances or even how good those dances may be, it is about being steeped in tango in all its forms. It is about mixing and dancing with real portenos and being part of the biggest tango scene in the world.

If you just want to improve your dancing, stop in the UK and take lots of private classes with the great teachers we have here, but you will miss a life changing experience!

Setting benchmarks

Rosanna and I attended 29 milongas in 24 days (I miscounted the days in a previous post - easily done when you have two sleeps in a day!). An average of 1.2 milongas per dia! I have a mind to set this as the benchmark to be achieved by visitors to the BsAs scene, with the proviso that at least 2 weeks are spent in the City.

It has been suggested (Regina) that while the four of us were together we completed 7 milongas in 4 days, with an average of 1.75 per dia. However I consider this to be just a sprint and not comparable to the 24 day marathon!

The challenge is there for fellow tangueros.

Milonga Fatigue

What is Milonga Fatigue? Is it possible? Do alcoholics take pleasure in not having a drink? Do addicts welcome a break from their habit?

With two dancing days to go we have clocked up 27 milongas in 24 days and after an afternoon milonga, both heaved sighs of relief that we were going to stay in for the evening! The sad conclusion is that, either we are sad people, or that we are not true tango obsessives!

We have danced where the old folk go (El Aranque) but so friendly, where the young set dance splendidly (Club Villa Malcolm, Club Furgol), still friendly but more concerned with dancing amongst themselves. We have been where everybody seems to be, as the floor was so packed (Salon Canning). We have been to where it is very informal and they learn from great dancers (La Viruta and Horacio Godoy's team), to very splendid surroundings and a well dressed clientele (Salon Siranush). There are so many lovely venues, Sueno Porteno, Gricel, Obelisco Tango where the second time you go, you are greeted like old friends and are given a better table! And, of course, we have been many times to the place that shouts tango as soon as you climb those stairs, Confiteria la Ideal. 

We have danced to live orchestras (sometimes the entrance fee has been increased to £3 for that evening!) and three bandoneons reaching a climax is something to behold, visually as well as aurally. 

Is the dancing always wonderful, is the floor craft supreme? No it certainly is not! I am an intermediate dancer and generally go soon after a milonga starts and rarely get to 2 or 3am. Maybe the advanced dancers go late and mix with the teachers and the performers and have wonderful dances when there is space on the floor. Except at Canning where the floor craft has to be good because of the density of couples, it is not particularly good. There are many leaders who embark on a move involving 3 steps backwards! They do cross lanes and some insist on throwing legs out and spinning round to the disruption of all around.

Although the dancing was awesome at a couple of places, many women (I only dance with the women) go, as we do to jive and salsa, for a social dance. They don't wait, have poor posture, are heavy, sometimes lock you into an embrace that inhibits any movements and you just shuffle round the floor. Often this is because they want to dance milonguero style, no pivots, just legs doing things. However I have had some memorable dances which will stay with me.

Of course this is just the man's view. There are only certain tango moves I can do and I attempt to do those with everybody. Sometimes the woman will be delighted and I have earned  kisses (ok, only once!), many a muy bien or bueno, and felt really good about the dances. But when the woman does not ocho, you have to modify the style very quickly.

Maybe the followers view will be forthcoming on this blog.

Spanish

I want to speak Spanish but I am very bad at it! I do not practice and this fills me with guilt. If you visit a country regularly I feel you should be able to communicate the essentials. I do know people who visit Argentina regularly and make no effort to speak a single word of the language. I don't think this shows respect.

I can sometimes compose a sentence and get the right thing to happen. I successfully complained that my Subte ticket did not work and I got a replacement. I booked a table but caused some confusion. Mediadia, middle of the day, straightforward. Add a media and it becomes half past twelve. But did medialuna (crescent moon or croissant) slip of my tongue? If so, I have booked a table at an indeterminate time in the best steak restaurant and will be served half a croissant!

Some you win, some you lose.

The Paris of South America.

The architecture in Buenos Aires is one of many reasons why it is given that title. There is no better building than Teatro Colon to reinforce the view. Teatro Colon is one of the major Opera houses in the world, noted for wonderful acoustics. We went on a tour, led by Paula, speaking English beautifully, and enjoying every aspect of the building, even though she will have walked around a thousand times. She communicated the privilege of being in the building to us.  It has a magic quality that every performer must feel and that will enhance their dancing or playing. 

I feel a better person for having visited and just touched on the history and grandeur of this special place.

There is a magnificent entrance with marble of different colours from different parts of the world, the ground floor having square cross section pillars. Upstairs the columns are round with altogether a softer appearance.  There is beautiful stained glass in ceilings and windows.

We were allowed into the main auditorium while a rehearsal for a ballet was going on. The stage is huge and the two principle dancers were performing exquisite leaps and pirouettes. There are seven levels of U shaped seating in this ornate setting and we were sitting where world leaders and royalty have sat, although for just 5 minutes!

It was awesome to be there and to attend an event has to be on the agenda for the next visit.

Peso Panic leaving Buenos Aires - by guest author Phil.

Pablo, my good friend and inspiring dance teacher, delivered me with plenty of time to Ezeiza airport for my homeward bound flight to London Heathrow.

Now after a stay governed by pound, US dollar and peso mental calculations of exchange rates, my relatively easy mission was to leave with none of my last 100 Argentine pesos. Emerging from having my thumb print and photo taken from immigration, I was declared fit and free to be let loose on the obligatory duty free area, which is impossible to step around, being immersed in over powering fragrances and a myriad of designer labels, all priced only in US dollars. Nothing for me here to blow my pesos on.

So, continuing to the usual souvenir places, should I buy more postcards and posters or even a chef’s hat printed with the large word TANGO? It was a no brainer when I spotted the overpriced cafeteria. Three medialunas (small crescent like pastries) and a cafe con leche, with a bottle of water, a ‘bargain’ at 68 pesos!  Though three times the price of my favourite porteño pastry shop on the corner of the street where my apartment was, I handed over my 100 peso note and received back, three crumpled and barely legible 10 peso notes with an equally disgusting coin.

 But (there is always a but, the porteños will tell you) I still remained with a those few pesos in my pocket, which was probably meant to be. It seemed that I just had to bring this back home along with the numerous and many happy experiences and memories from this compulsive and intoxicating city of Buenos Aires, shared with good friends.

Evita

Eva Peron died in 1952 at the age of 33 and is still an icon in BaAs. There is an image of her occupying the side of a building along the 24 (at our last count) lane Avenida 9 de Julio. As Che Guevara's  portrait is across Cuba so Evita will not leave Argentina. I think most people love her but some will hate her. She said "I have the love of the people and the hatred of the oligarchy". However despite doing do much for the poor , she wore the best Paris fashions.

The Eva Peron Museum is very atmospheric. Some of the rooms are darkened and showing original film of her addressing the packed Plaza de Mayo; it brings me up in goose bumps thinking about it. I would put this as number one of things for the tourist to visit (after Ideal for the tango obsessive). The restaurant is a winner as well (Shepherds pie with sweet meringue topping).

They offer free tours at the weekend, in Spanish and English, of the Presidential Palace, Rosada Casa. It is easy to spot this building as it is pink! The tour takes you through several rooms. One devoted to women who have made significant contributions to Argentina. Of course Evita is there. Although she never held any office, she made many trips overseas and set up trade links, aid to European countries and facilitated immigration.

Another room has pictures of non-political people who have reached international status. Tango stars such as Carlos Gardel, Anibal Troilo, Astor Piazzola. Footballers like Messi. But how dare they put up a photo of that little fat man whose "Hand of God" goal put England out of the World Cup. Such things are not forgotten!

The highlight is to walk out onto THAT balcony and for a moment assume the role of Evita looking down on thousands. A WOW moment!

Did we do enough for Phil?

Phil's visit to Argentina lasted 15 days and included the following:
20 Milongas
2 pairs of shoes
2 pairs of pantalones
4 Steak dinners at Don Julio's
2 lunches at Cafe Tortoni's
Innumerable empanadas
A few bottles of Malbec
A bus tour of BsAs
A walking tour of BsAs
Hundreds of successful cabaceos and much delight amongst the tangueras of BsAs.

I rest my case.
Me gusta Argentina!

Our Apartment

We like our apartment, which is good, since we have used this same apartment on 3 visits here. It could probably do with a coat of paint to liven it up but it has two bedrooms, one en-suite, separate shower room and kitchen and living room with balcony.

We are on the 13th floor and view the endless high rise blocks of this enormous city of 13 million. It is set in a small area which has a swimming pool and security gates, manned 24/7.

We have not met the neighbours but we know something about them. One cooks fish on an almost daily basis. I therefore suspect that they're a revolutionary group, opposed to things Argentinian. You rarely see fish on any menu (strange for a port) and it is expensive. Fortunately our front door fits well so the smell does not get into the apartment.

Another neighbour practices the drums. There seems no purpose in this although he/she might be undermining the love of music in this country. I have tried to move to his drumming and feel like an uncoordinated android. There is no rythymn but an occasional, perhaps every 17 hits with the drumstick, crash of a cymbal. Maybe studying for NVQ level 1, although failure seems inevitable. We are thankful that he does not practice at night.

Taxis in BsAs

I am a lot more sympathetic about the driving in BsAs than I was, but not enough to try it. It is the complete disregard for lanes that is frightening. If they took out the white lines then the free for all could be appreciated. The drivers really do allow one another to cut in. It seems the one going fastest should be allowed through - there will be a reason for hurrying. The horn is usually just to indicate presence but now and again anger if somebody is leaving a gap of more than a couple of yards to the car  in front. The drivers have to be accurate to about 4" in their sideways position as that is all that is allowed in overtaking!

Because I have learnt my numbers I sit in the front of the taxi to give the address, with my head about 3" from the meter, continually wondering if the seat belt locking mechanism will stop my hair being parted if there is an emergency stop.

Sometimes it is not the numbers that is the problem

Me: Gurruchaga 2266 ( that has got us home many times)

Taxi: Gurruchaga o Gurruchaga ?

Me: Gurruchaga 

Taxi: grunt (translated as ok)

What was the significance of uttering those identical sounding words? I am sure there is no other Gurruchaga, not even deep in the Pampas.

Same taxi driver

Taxi: bla bla bla bla......

Me: No hablo Espanol

Taxi: bla bla bla bla.... Stops taxi!!

Taxi: bla bla bla Buenos Aires bla bla ....

Me (now expecting to be thrown out into the street, so with desperation: Me gusta (I love) Buenos Aires, Me gusta Argentina.

Taxi: grunt (translated as good) and we resume the journey.