The Big and Bad Buenos Aires

I could name this entry the same as the last one but that seems a little too lame. More appropriate "Sick and Sad in BA" or "In BA and Need a Hug Immediately." Those, however, seem too depressing so I'll focus on the amazing things I've done and seen, regardless if I was short on breath while doing them.

Traveling is my main passion and this week my face keeps being rubbed into the many reasons why.  I'll be the first one to admit that I knew very little about Buenos Aires, though having always wanted to visit it. I don't know if it's the romantic image of tango (thanks, Maksim Chmerkovsky!) or the unknown of South America. I can't quite put my finger on it and this week it hasn't become much clearer. What has become very obvious is how little I knew and how much I learned in the few short days I've been here. First thing first, I'm not actually in South America. I'm in any big European city. Madrid. Budapest. Hamburg. You name it, I'm here. This is no land of rice and beans, this is Italian pizzerias, finely dressed men and expensive grub. Very expensive, I may add.

On my first day here I took a walking tour of the center. I'm glad I did it right away as it gave me some basic knowledge of history and situated me geographically. The walk took us through the second widest avenue in the world (9 de julio), symbol of Argentina (obelisk), congress building as well as the house where the current president works (Casa Rosada). Our guide Gaston was hilarious and having spent 6 years at Lake Tahoe immediately took a liking to me and my roomie. Speaking of, I crazy lucked out with a roommate! When you rent a bed on airbnb and not a room (first for me) you don't quite know who you'll get. I got a professional violinist player from South Africa and she rocks. I'm even coming home with a CD. And I may or may not have invited myself to Cape Town next summer... but back to BA...

My SF Argentinian concierge, also know as Federico, has sent me numerous suggestions of things to do, eat, and see, answered bazillions questions about getting places and has been crazy helpful before and during the trip. To be honest, without his help, I'd probably be in bed all week because I feel that weak and awful and possess zero energy to actually plan for things to do. Luca and I took his Cafe Tortoni suggestion on the first day and had some delightful food. But Tortoni isn't really about food. It's about the atmosphere. Dark wood walls, large glass chandeliers and waiters in suits coming to take your order. Tortoni is one of the registered historical marks of the city, frequented by Argentinian celebrities of the past and now a must visit for anyone coming to BA.

Next door to Tortoni, there is an inconspicuous little door but the title says so much: Museo Nacional de Tango. We walked in and were offered to take the Tango class happening RIGHT now for free.  So about two minutes later, there was a "pinch me" moment... Am I really learning how to tango in Argentina this very minute? How does a Russian immigrant from Latvia get to do that? It wasn't just a fleeting thought, it's been something that has been on my mind since then. To call myself lucky is an understatement. I don't know what I am, but appreciative for sure.

The next day Argentina was playing against Switzerland in the World Cup. I don't know much about soccer but I love seeing others love it.  In the past, I've had my face painted for France, last week in Madrid I was rooting for Spain and now here I am in the current football capital of the world buying an Argentinian flag and going all out at a place called Locos por el Futbol.  Of course, I'm a bandwagon fan but being in a place of that title, you can't help but be sucked in, ooh and aah when appropriate and feel the passion of others. It's contagious and I love it. We ended up spending 7 hours at the bar, taking a short breather between the Argentina game and the US one. 

Yesterday, I discovered a gem nearby. In this loud, busy and bustling city lies a gorgeous Japanese garden. The photographer in me had a field day with amazing greens, bridges and silence of the gardens. Outside of living in Madrid and Hamburg, this is the longest I would have spent in a big city in my life. The gardens were a welcome retreat from bursting-at-the-seams Buenos Aires. I ended the day with a trip to the MALBA, a museum so new it wasn't in my guidebook. Wonderful collection of Latin American art by Diego Rivera, Botero, Frida Kahlo, Xul Solar and many others. 

Today, I followed another one of Federico's suggestions and went to El Cuartito. A pizzeria. I am not a pizza lover at all but I knew I'd eventually have to have some here since apparently that's the national dish (I still roll my eyes as I type this). Seeing how excited he got talking about this place, I had to make it happen. I'll give credit where credit is due: it was easily the best meal I've had here. 

After today's failed visit to a hospital to get some proper meds, I have to come to terms that I can't keep up my normal sightseeing routine. Usually I can see five, six things in one day. I can start early and go till very late at night. Just ask my poor 16yo students who couldn't keep up in Spain! It has become painfully obvious that I can do one or two things at most and need to rest the remainder of the day. It's killing me. There is so much to see and do here and I don't think I'll get to half of it. It's bumming me out to no end but something is better than nothing.  So here is to getting up and enjoying a tango show tonight. I got this!