We have been
so lucky with the weather. The day is balmy and almost hot when we step
out of the hotel. On our walks we have noticed the huge bands of dogs,
often 10 or12 walking purposefully together held by two main leashes,
one in each hand of the walker, and we have wondered what happens when
all these dogs...you know...need to go. We get the answer when we see a
stressed out handler filling a large plastic bag in the middle of a
traffic stopping band of defecating dogs in the street. Not easy to bend
down and scoop with 12 relieved dogs milling loosely about on their
leashes, but they get through the moment and walk off again.
We take a cab to Palermo Soho, planning
to saunter through the area, which turns out to be charming - low houses
restored into attractive boutiques and restaurants - spread out over an
even grid of quiet streets, where some cherry trees are already in
bloom. We spot a vegetarian restaurant and have a meal of wholewheat
empanadas and a potato and egg tortilla, accompanied by fresh grapefruit
juice and a wonderful lemonade with mint and ginger. We pass the Diesel
store and take pictures for Victor. Later we stop for a ‘cortado’,
sitting at a table outside another restaurant. These outside eating
areas must have sprouted almost overnight with the arrival of the sun,
and they are invariably filled with animated groups of people turning
their faces to the sun - the opposite of what Brazilians do.
We return to the hotel to rest a bit
before a car picks us up at 4.30pm sharp. Universidad Católica Argentina
- UCA - lies at the end of Puerto Madero, long low redbrick buildings
interspersed with landscaped seating areas for the faculty and students.
We are really impressed when we see the spotless interiors, WiFi
everywhere, not a broken chair in sight, glass elevators, and a tunnel
which stretches below the several building blocks - almost like an
airport. This is about the best that we’ve seen - and we have seen a lot
of universities - we just didn’t expect to see such splendor in Buenos
Aires.
I can follow Oswaldo’s talk, given in
his fluent galloping Spanish, more or less, but get really lost when the
questions begin. It’s great to see people so excited about his talk.
And I think about that soon I’ll see him do the same in French. What a
guy!
We’re tired when we head back to the
hotel. The corpulent taxi driver is listening to interesting and
different tango music, which turns out to be a rare recording of
Piazzola and some guitarist who ‘died of tristeza’
because nobody listened to him. The driver speaks knowledgeably about
the music and the musicians, which reaches my tired Spanish-listening
ears more or less. Music is so amazing - you never know who’s going to
surprise you. After a while the driver says, ‘I appreciate American
rock...’ We don’t ask which.
After some
thought we discard the idea of eating out and turn to the camembert and
good red wine, we had laid in for just such a moment. I check my iTunes
for some tango, but alas, there is nothing and we listen to a
Portuguese guitarist, Paredes. Tomorrow I will buy Argentinean music!
PALERMO SOHO AND UCA
OSWALDO WAITS TO BE INTRODUCED BY HIS ARGENTINEAN COLLEAGUE, OSCAR ESQUISABEL
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