I have read and heard about this city so much that it is difficult to discover it on my own. But: I love it!!!!
The porteNos (the people from BA) are really nice, i just entered in conversations everywhere with them. The only weird thing is this "piropos" (saying nice things especially to women). An old men (around 50!!) stopped in front of me to tell me: Que Belleza (what beauty). Julia told me the other they a man asked her if she could tell him how to get into the depth of her heart. :) The have evoluted the italian ciao bella i guess :DTalking about feelings, they are considered egoistic and melanchonic, to tell the truth i dont feel this so much. And one has to regard their nearby past, the dictaduras, the hyperinflation (where nearly all the middle class people lost their savings) - all still echoing in the newspapers and in the air.
Argentina has the least indigenous percent of the population, and in great part because of the immigration from Europe even in the 20th century. There are supposed to be german and even ucranian colonnies! And Argentina has the largest jewish minority worldwide, around 300 000. Thsi fact becomes even more interesting knowing that many Nazi officers escaped to Argentina during Peron·s presidency. It was Peron personally who helped them, and of course got a lot of gold for it. Peron liked the ideas of facism, which is okay, but strange to imagine he liked Hitlers ideology. Probably he and his wife did if for the money. The bastard nazis arrived on ships disguised as Red Cross monks, with fake passports. Argentina only declared apologies in the last years to the jewish for having hosted the nazis, the matter had not even been talked about till latlely... The streetnames and places are of two kind: or the neigbouring countries and other argentine provinces and cities or more or less 2 magical dates of their history. 9th July and 25 may. 1810 and 1816. The first was when the first indipendent governement was elected (by indipedent i mean, not of the spanish crown - gobierno de patria) and it was in 1816 when Juan San Martin declared the indipendence. He is the national hero, having his statues everywhere. Actually the main square is called Plaza de Mayo and from there starts the avenida de 9 julio, which is the world·s widest street with more or less 16 lanes!
On plaza de mayo is the famous Casa Rosada, pink house. The colour`s legend is that a president wanted to make peace between the red federalists (those who wanted indipendent regions) and the white unitarists (who wanted BA to be the center of the new free country). So the president wanted kind of to please the federalists with their red colour...
It is from its balconies that Evita and all the others talked to the crowds, and of course madonna was singing there as well. I thought it was higher, but it is not :) Today we took a free guided tour inside, because it is still working as the offices for the current Presidenta. Presidenta because it is Cristina Kirchner, or she is just called Cristina in the newspapers... She and her husband (who was the former president) are continuing on the peronism side... Peronsim they say, can only be understood by argentines, i will try to understand it, we will see, ha! Here there is no left or right, only peronistas or anti peronistas.Plaza de mayo and Casa Rosada
Strikes or manifestations are every day more or less, we have also bumped into one. I have read in the news that the schools have lost about 15 schooldays this year because of various strikes. So the children go less clever into their christmas holidays. Okay this is one thing which i find really funny: seeing Christmas trees in this heat! The summer is starting, there is the smell of flowers, ah christmas is coming - said Julia our host. And because of spanish traditions they eat really heavy food at christmas time in the 40 degrees :) And just like in Spain they go out to party on the 24th, after having had a dinner with the family.
It is easy to find the way around - the streets are long and always prependicular or horizontal. This might be the reason that they measure everything by "cuadras" (one block bewteen two streets). And there are barrios (quarters) all with different atmosphere. San Telmo is one of the best, with cobbled streets and designer shops and trashy atmosphere with lot of artists. Palermo is the tango district and to go out. Microcentro and Congreso are the business and political districts. Puerto madero has some incredible skysrcapers and a park full with interesting animals (at least for central european eyes:) : parrots and big big lagartos (http://biofilia.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/lagarto-ocelado.jpg). I find the city quite green for being a mteropolis, much of its green area was created by a socalled Thass french landscape architect long time ago. He even took wide plants from inside of the country to the at that time very european city. So now you can see many tropical trees with huge trunks. ANd my personal favourite is that with the purple colours, it is everywhere now in the spring.
The first metro in LA was here in 1913. Julia said the trains are still from that time... And you can open the windows :D And it is never boring because or musicians are coming or you can buy anything from beggar selllers from chcolate till little hair pins.
And big news for gays: the first couple can get married by the order of a judge. Acually, marriage is not legalised yet, but the union yes, first country also for this in LA.
And i read some intersting thing: Argentina is the safest country on this continent, (ah no, the first is CHile), with only 5,3 deliberate murders for 100 000 inhabitants (the LA average is 25)... I dont know, for me it looks a lot!! And then they went on explaining that it is reaaaaally good that 75% is from personal conflict... now i am really quiet!
I was in the national museum of Fine arts and i discovered one hungarian!! Gyula Kosice (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyula_Kosice). The other funny argentine hungarian story is that of the ball pen. One time my argentinien friend, Ceci was making a presentation about her country in Spain. She was proudly announcing that the ball pen was an argentinian invention. I had to shout: NOOOOOOO! The hungarians have a mania with having invented half of the planet and i am no exception. It was Laszlo Biro, more hungarian he couldnt be by the name! Later it turned out that he emigrated to Argentina and licenced the ball pen (birobe in spanish, and biro in italian) there. Lajos Szalay (a great graphist admired by picasso as well) is also considered argentine by many. BUt cant hungarians do something great at home, por favor?
Tonight is the noche de los museos (museums night), we might go. Or to a party in a hostel. I wanted to go today to the museum of Xul Solar (http://www.xulsolar.org.ar/xulobras-i.html). He was insired by the magical paintings of Klee. The museum was closed. I will have to check it in january.
And tomorrow we are heading for Rosario. See you there
ciao ciao
We all know that Argentina is also known for its tourist spots and if you plan on going there and you don't have a place to stay, here's just the perfect place for you.
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