Art and Futbol (Buenos Aires Part 2)

 I had decided that I would try and get all the pictures edited before getting started on writing this up. After over a week, I'm a bit sick of adjusting the "pop" and "tint" slider bars and need to write a bit.

Our days weren't exactly themed as I mostly grouped things by distance and their schedules, but there was plenty of art and futbol on these two days.

Sitting just next to our hotel was Teatro Colon. After a pretty solid hotel breakfast of pastries (medialunas being the classic Argentine breakfast pastry) ham and cheese sandwiches, and coffee, we walked briskly through the rain, hiding under awnings as possible and made our way to what we thought was the front of the theater. As we were to find out the next day, the theater was built before the avenida 9 de julio and so the back of the theater is to the main road. 

Walking in, we saw a large group of elementary school-aged children and a sign announcing that the main hall's lights were being tested and would likely be off. Two great reasons to try and do this another day.

Leaving the theater for our next spot, we decided to try and figure out the subway (or subte) system. I like to do this in every major city we visit. It's a way to see the city as a local likely sees it. Plus, you generally save money. After struggling with the card system (including thinking that the kiosk worker was saying "ticiticitaca" at me), we got on a train going the opposite way of where we wanted. Getting off, we were staring at the signs and maps on the wall looking reallllll touristy. An older man dressed... errm not so nice, approached us. Now, in my experience, when you're looking like a tourist and "that" guy comes up to you on the subway, they generally want money. So, when he said he could help, I blew him off and kept walking. He yelled "Hey, answer me! You look lost and I'm just trying to help!" We stopped, he annoyedly gave us directions (which turned out to be wrong) and then said "Answer me, crazy! We're good people here!" (Contestame, loco! Somos buena onda) The dude wasn't wrong. 

Leaving the station, I pulled up Uber and noticed that the ride would cost only a few cents more than taking the subway. That ended up being our only foray into the subway. 

Our next stop was El Monumental, stadium of River Plate. I can't think a perfect analog for them in US sports but they may be best compared to Real Madrid. Their record of national and continental success and the fact that they are the "rich man's club" of the city with their location in an affluent neighborhood makes "Los Merengues" the best comparison I can think of.

Considered to be the largest statue of a soccer player in the world, here's Angel Labruna. He played for River Plate from 1939 to 1959 and is the all time leading goal scorer in the Argentine league. This bronze statue was made in part by keys and other objects donated by River Plate fans

Legendary coach Marcelo Gallardo captured in a statue lambasted for his... noticeable excitement at hoisting that trophy

The museum was mostly empty on a rainy weekday morning, so we were able to wander almost at our leisure. It had a cool design, as there were small rooms off the central hallway covering a decade each. They had placards for each championship season with videos or photos of important moments from the particular season, along with statistics and the roster for the season. Additionally, there was a video playing that discussed the decade's world history with a focus on Argentina. They also recreated a room from a key moment from that decade's Argentine history alongside artifacts from the time period.

The first championship was an amateur championship in 1920

this picture was so much cooler in my mind's eye

OK, so Mila's the better photographer

recreation of a newsstand the day after Argentina's 1978 World Cup victory

The top of the hallway opened up into the impressively outfitted trophy room.

The discs were early Argentine league championships

Mila and some continental trophies

ball from a 1958 game vs Manchester City

model of the current stadium

team crests throughout history

El Monumental

We'd waited in the rain for a few minutes and still couldn't get a picture with me in the shot solo

no such problem for this lady

We grabbed an Uber to another (well, the first that was actually where Google says it is) of the designated food stops of the trip, La Mezzetta. It was highlighted on the Netflix show I mentioned last post, Street Food Latin America.

I mentioned last year that I would be retiring to Epikouros Tavern in Delphi, Greece. Now there's another retirement contender. Nearly all of the employees were 60 or older. From the men scuttling around the ovens in the back to the quick-witted, days-from-retirement senor passing out orders, to the patient men taking orders and passing out drinks. 

The line at the counter wraps around the tight interior of the entire restaurant and there are only high tables and banks, no seats in the place.

Argentine pizza is thicc, explaining why they eat with a knife and fork. The most famed Argentine pizza is the fugazzetta, with what looks like 7 pounds of mozzarella and caramelized onions. 

I think I was more excited but she does pose well

where the magic is made

I got the fugazzetta and the ham and peppers pizza. easily two of the best slices I've ever had.

We ate standing up at the tables with the throng of people before getting an Uber for the next stop. However, we had some time to kill so we walked down the street,

saw some cool street art, and grabbed one of the best coffees I had all trip at Vive Cafe. 

Next stop was the Evita museum.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to take pictures in the museum. Located in one of the orphanages that she founded, the museum traces her short (though they would say infinite) life chronologically. She left squalor in the countryside to chase fame as an actress. She was modestly successful before meeting the famous (and twice her age) Colonel Juan Domingo Peron. They were married a year later and, after a little stint in jail, he was elected president in 1946. Peron and Evita were a powerful populist couple. Eva went on a European tour in 1947, making sure to visit notables from the entire political spectrum as Argentina had remained neutral during World War 2 but famously allowed high-level Nazis to flee to the country. Evita was a proponent for social reform, particularly women's suffrage and care for orphans. Each room of the museum showcased outfits she wore in important moments along with quotes taken from her autobiography. She died early, at 33, from cancer. An interesting conspiracy theory that I read is that as her health deteriorated, her behavior became more erratic. To try and alleviate her pain and possibly quell her some of her more outlandish statements, Peron is alleged to have ordered a lobotomy. Alas, she passed away weeks after the alleged operation and was given a state funeral, otherwise reserved for heads of state. Paintings, pictures, statues, and her name appear all over Buenos Aires and she remains an inspiration to not just Argentinians, but women the world over. 

We went for a walk as the rain had mostly cleared up. As I said in the last post, Buenos Aires is covered with green spaces. We walked through several plazas named after other nations.

A monument in the Uruguayan Plaza to their Liberator, General Jose Gervasio Artigas

Now the question: Is this dude following us? I thought we left him in Athens a year ago

The goal of our walk was the Floralis Generica statue. I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and not a little worried by the reports I'd seen of dengue fever and how it was even affecting some of the soccer  players. We were told it was the worst infestation in living memory.

This sculpture is listed as one of the top attractions in the entire city. Can you see why? Probably not. It's a big flower that, at this point, has a few petals on the ground and extensive damage done to others. The flower was originally built in 2002, it would automatically open its petals to welcome the sun in the morning and then close up in the evening. That function quit working within a couple of years but was fixed so that it could still be manually open and shut. Well... that quit working too. To top it off, a huge storm hit a few months ago, leading to the damage we saw.

that's a nice bridge

with some art on it

one of the prettiest examples we saw of this type of tree

After the flower, we walked through the parks and plazas (while slapping away at mosquitoes) on our way to a 300-year-old church, the Basilica de Nuestra Senora Pilar. We didn't have much time but, in truth, the place was pretty small. There were some displays talking about the Turin Shroud which were pretty cool but we were also in a bit of a hurry.

original brick that was found during renovations

There was also a little display about Carlo Acutis, who might become the first millennial saint.

We walked around the area a bit, Mila looking at birds and me looking at sculptures.

she decided that he needed some help

Mira!  A bird in a tree!

Afterward, we hurried back to the hotel. It was still mid-afternoon but we needed to shower and change for the night show.

made sure to wear my fancy socks

We were on our way to a tango dinner show at La Ventana. We had set it up via visit a city before travelling, so a driver would be picking us up from the hotel and taking us to the restaurant. I'm not sure if that was the best choice as it probably ended up being way more expensive than if we had contacted the locale on our own and taken an Uber. In any event, the driver showed up exactly on time (and we were actually ready exactly on time which is even more surprising). We had to pick up a couple of other groups, all at least 30 years older than us. Made me consider my entertainment choices. We were among the first people in the restaurant and there seemed to be at least two stages. After a short wait, we were taken downstairs to our dining and show area.

Looks like there's a display for each province... and Las Malvinas

I looked at the reviews on Google and I wouldn't suggest it. It looks like most people that marked them low had complaints with the contracted-out transportation company. The food was great, I thought my steak was better than the night before, and the service was also great. It was, as many reviews pointed out, an incredibly touristy spot. Which, is to be expected at a place catering to tourists. There was "that American" sitting near us but he stopped yell-talking as the show started. The dancers were tremendous, my knees hurt just watching them.

The two singers were also amazing, the older man leading us in a sing along and the younger woman just crushing Don't Cry For Me Argentina.

I'm guessing in order to give the dancers chances to change and recover, they only came out for a few songs at a time. These other acts also came out, playing more traditional music. This guy came out dancing his heart out with his balls on strings.

The show lasted roughly two hours with the different acts taking turns and also collaborating. Although we only had a small sample size, I'd say they were the best tango dancers I saw on the trip

obligado

We took the van back to the hotel, with much the same group but it was obvious that the Puerto Rican group had had a bit to drink. Can't imagine how that 6 am flight went for them.

The next day was a planned late start. Well, late for 1/2 of us. I enjoyed a reader's breakfast (media lunas and coffee while reading) and we hit the road.

General San Martin Plaza

After the dreary day prior, we found a beautiful day for a walk and we walked to our first pair of spots, Monumental Tower (a.k.a. English Tower), and the Malvinas War Memorial, two spots I'll go into more detail about in my future post about that war.

originally donated by and named after British ex-pats, the name was changed during the war

After our neat pictures, we continued enjoying the sun, walking through the fancy mall "Galerias Pacificas" to the theater.

The other side of Colon theater

Well, the sign saying that lights might be off was still up but there were no field trips. We had to wait about 45 minutes before our tour was to start, so we ran to exchange some cash, only then realizing that the largest bill in Argentina is the 2,000 peso bill. Depending on the day, 2,000 pesos is worth $1.60-$2. So we were stuck with a very conspicuous wad of cash.

I hope I can make our tour guide proud and I'm also hoping that some of her interesting tidbits that I mostly forgot can be found online...

Due to its acoustics and architecture, Teatro Colon is considered one of the world's best theaters. Commissioned in 1890 with a planned finish date of 1892, the theater actually started it's existence in 1857. However, the city government wanted a grander theater with a grand opening to coincide with the 400 year anniversary of Columbus' (Cristobal Colon is how he's known in the Spanish-speaking world) arrival to the Americas. If you guessed that it would not be constructed in just two years, you'd be correct. It took 20. Many of the materials were brought in from around Western Europe and, if memory serves, this painted glass cupola was delivered from France. This falls in line with the nation's stated 19th century goal of fomenting European immigration and culture. There were some problems with the original architects of the revamped theater. Problems meaning the first two dudes wound up dead at the age of 44. I don't quite remember what happened to Tamburini, the first architect. His student and successor, however, came home early from work and walked in on his wife with one of the household staff. The architect, Meano, attacked the man and was shot for his troubles. All in all, a no good, very bad, day. The city avoided these coincidences (curse?) by hiring a much older Belgian (instead of Italian) architect, Julio Dormal, to finish the job.

this room was modeled off the Hall of Mirrors from Versailles

when we walked up we could faintly hear the sound of opera singers. They were holding auditions but finished just as we walked in

the chandeliers are modeled off the originals, but much of the theater was renovated some 20 years ago, particularly to repair painting, walls, and furnishings that had been smoke damaged by a century of patrons smoking and using flame instead of bulbs to light the building

"The Secret" Cupid whispering a secret to his mom Venus. Not quite sure why she's naked. Mila said that the secret was that he was going to make us fall in love. Insert "awwww" here

This statue was carved out of a single block of marble and shipped over the Atlantic. On the trip, one of Venus' fingers broke off. Instead of fixing the problem, the sculptor decided to leave it as is so that he could still say it was carved from just one block.

In the Hall of Busts they displayed busts of famous opera performers and composers. Beethoven only composed one opera but I guess that was enough to get him in.

From there, we entered the main auditorium. Luckily the lights were on, but the stage had construction going on and we were not allowed to take pictures of the stage or go to the main floor. We were, however, allowed to sit in the boxes directly in front of the stage about three levels up, considered to be the actual best seats in the house. As with any major theater, luxury boxes butt up against the stage, but notables more concerned with seeing a show than showing off tended to sit where we were.

she's trying to cover my belly

in the bottom left corner of the picture, you can just make out some blackened sections by the seats. These were the widows' seats. Recently widowed women were expected to shut themselves in and not participate in public life for two years after their husband died. While they could not likely see from those areas, at least they could hear. not so bad, right? Nowadays they allow widows to show their faces (I know, I can't believe it either!) and those sections are used as storage.

the orchestra pit can be raised or lowered depending on the show. Originally, the orchestra was located out of sight and the music entered the room from holes in the ceiling

we weren't the only group in the room

the chandelier can be lowered to the floor for repairs and cleaning but it takes hours to raise and lower it

After spending an hour talking and thinking about 19th century music, we decided to fast forward.

Mila can't miss it

We got a preview of the popular, upscale Puerto Madero area. While still a working canal and port, high-end shops and restaurants have cropped up all over the area.

Front Row Seats!

When in Argentina, you eat the sandwich made by Messi (not messy). He must have been stuck in the kitchen and couldn't come say hi.

Well, it was time for another big switch. From the fanciest, modern neighborhood to

La Boca

We were told not to visit after dark. We were told to secure our cell phones and be on the lookout for pickpockets. We were told that going to a game is an unparalleled experience that should be embarked upon with caution. Beyond all that, we were told that we simply had to go to Boca.

We started at the Cathedral of La Boca, La Bombonera, the home of Boca Juniors. If River Plate is Real Madrid then La Boca is maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers. The blue collar team that has had its fair share of success along with a fanatical international fan base and a gritty local area.

the entire block around the stadium was abuzz with activity and covered blue and yellow, even though there was no game coming up

the colors, which are very close to my high school's are based on the Swedish flag. The legend is that the founders of the club decided that they would choose their colors to match the flag of the next ship that sailed into the port. A Swedish ship was next and so over 100 years later, they still fly the yellow and blue

Not a Boca alum, but there are representations of Messi everywhere

Like many European clubs, Bocas is a sports club, not just soccer. However, soccer is what pays the bills. They have the most South American titles of any club and most Argentine trophies of any club. (Yes, more than River Plate) Currently, River Plate is playing in the top South American competition, Copa Libertadores, and Boca is playing is the second tier South American competition, Copa Sudamericana. (Similar to the NIT if the teams that were eliminated from the second round of the NCAA tournament were thrown into a tournament against the winners of the NIT's second round. Teams that lost in the first round of both tournaments would have to try again next year.)

these little souvenir shops were packed full of goods. We stepped inside a couple. After being repeatedly warned about the neighborhood, I was a little leery about the guy shadowing us around the store. That is, until I realized he worked there and he was being leery about these damned tourists walking around his store touching things. touché sir

We were ushered to the museum entrance by a "helpful" guy that obviously got a small cut of our entry fee. 

con Dieguito

"El Pibe de Oro" Diego Maradona played a few seasons at the club, finishing his career there, and was often seen in the stands later in life. There's an epic picture of him in the stands with a CABJ jersey and smoking a cigar

The museum starts with an emotive video that highlights the Xeneize (the fans take their name from the Genovese dialect that was prevalent in the neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century) and how La Bombonera is the heart of the area. 

jerseys through the years

an animation showing the neighborhood on game day, bringing in aspects of the modern stadium alongside of how the neighborhood would have look 100 years ago

The differences between the museums also belied the differences between the clubs. Both lauded their history and titles. However, whereas River Plate had large sculptures and references to the political landscape of the nation and world, Boca Juniors looked inward, at the stadium, the neighborhood, and the fans.

some of the trophies from major competitions

A Diego wall

We could catch glimpses of the field at the cafe that is shared by the museum and stadium, but not much. Somehow all of the Platense teams playing in continental competition that week were playing away games. There would be no Argentine soccer games for us, unfortunately. However, the national sports channels were almost 24/7 soccer so we were able to watch a lot on TV when we were winding down for the night.

A game-worn Pele jersey

Dating back to 1906, the center trophy is the club's oldest

mural at the upstairs bar

the Man U boys, all three recently played for Man U

a game-worn Maradona jersey

OK, it worked. We're a Xeneize house now. It is hard trying to catch games on TV though

Mila hanging out w/Messi, Mafalda, and Carlos Tevez

The Boca neighborhood houses the Caminito, a touristy area of shops, restaurants and vendors stands. The best word to describe it is vibrant. Brightly colored, bustling, and loud, (in a good way) El Caminito attracts tourists from all over the world. We had been told to leave before dark, so we only spent an hour or so walking around and ducking into shops. Mila got a couple of mate lessons from some shopkeepers. It is interesting to hear that although the basics are the same, it seems that each person has their own twist on how to make the iconic drink.

Like many others we saw throughout the country, this mural decries the dirty war of the 1970s-80s. Thousands of people were kidnapped by the government and have still not been accounted for

can you tell which Messi is the real one?

we had to quickly snap a picture. A pair of young, pretty, wannabe celebutantes kept coming out on the balcony and posing for pictures as if the crowd wanted them in the shot

We ended the night in the trendy Palermo neighborhood, eating some very good pasta on a terrace. Mila also picked up a Carlos Gardel CD (yep, an actual CD) because she was worried that vinyl wouldn't make it home safely.

OK so that's days 2-3 of our trip. Hopefully the next post will be out more quickly. Completely unrelated to Argentina but in keeping with the original intent of this being a running blog, here's a terrible picture from last weekend's 10 mile trail run. I'll leave it as I DID finish and not in last place.