Day 55: Sunday in the Park with cheshcat

Today's picture was taken at the site of the so-called "Club Atletico" in the barrio of San Telmo. This grim archaeological dig is located underneath the on-ramp to the Autopista 25 de Mayo (i.e. one of the main highways). The building that was demolished during the construction of the autopista was used as a detention centre -- complete with torture chambers -- during the military dictatorship that ran Argentina from 1976 to 1983. During that time, the military waged a Guerra Sucia, or Dirty War, on the population in which disappearances of the people who opposed their regime were common. The desaparecidos, or disappeared, number about thirty thousand. Many are believed to have passed through the Club Atletico. The site is now under construction as a memorial-in-progress, adorned with murals, sculpture, and other art. Today's picture is one of many that I took beneath the highway.

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Being Sunday, today had a very different feel than the rest of the trip. cheshcat and I spent most of the day in the southern barrio of San Telmo, which has an older feel to it than all of the other areas of the city that we have visited (e.g. Palemo, Microcentre, Puerto Madero) except for Monserrat, where the cabildo, the catherdral, and the Casa Rosada are located. On Sunday, San Telmo has a fair-like atmosphere, as Calle Defensa is closed to automotive traffic and set up with street vendors. In brief, here is what we did today:

#1) Sleep in after yesterday's adventure. Wake at noon, leave the hotel at 1:30pm.
#2) Stock up on supplies at local grocery store. cheshcat saves a butterfly's life.
#3) Taxi to San Telmo and wander down Calle Defensa, browsing the local street vendors and wandering into an occasion store.
#4) Like a true junkie, get my fix of fresh squeezed orange juice.
#5) Walk down to Plaza Lezama and get lunch at a restaurant of the same name.
#6) Wander around the Plaza Lezama, alleged site where Pedro de Mendoza's founded the first Spanish colony in what would eventually become Buenos Aires. On Sunday, the Plaza is set up as a craft fair.
#7) Walk several blocks to see (and photograph) the mural Educacion y Esclavitud (Education and Slavery).
#8) Walk a bit further to see the site of the Club Atletico (see above).
#9) Take a taxi back to Calle Defense and continue making our way through the street vendors.
#10) Make our way up to the Plaza Dorrego around 6:30pm.
#11) Sit at a table in the plaza drinking agua con gas and jugo de naranja while watching the outdoor milonga taking place at the plaza.
#12) After finishing our drinks, move in closer to see the dancers better. A milonga is the way most portenos experience tango. These were not professionals; anyone could get up and dance.
#13) After leaving the milgona, we went about a block away to listen to some spontaneous drumming that had erupted. A good crowd gathered and the energy was lots of fun.
#14) Get our daily dose of helado while continuing to listen to the drums.
#15) Hop a taxi to the location of our evening's entertainment -- name not currently remembered!
#16) Arrive at the combination restaurant and theatre before anybody else, thus securing seats at the table right in front of the center of the stage.
#17) Enjoy a dinner of Spanish and Argentine foods, with special care taken by the staff to prepare vegetarian fare for me.
#18) After dinner, and immediately before the performance began, cheshcat and I each received a surprise submarino from the waitress. I say "surprise" because it was not an option on the drink menu.
#19) Experience our first Flamenco show. While much more a part of Spanish tradition than Argentine, there are several Flamenco venues in Buenos Aires. After seeing tango at two dinner shows, one bar, and two milongas, we figured it was time for something different.
#20) Eat dessert at the show's intermission. I had a fruit salad -- very Argentine -- while cheshcat had a Spanish custard.
#21) Watch the second act. cheshcat enjoyed the Flamenco in "Strictly Ballroom" and was delighted to finally see some in person.
#22) Marvel that dinner plus the show for two of us had only cost us a total of forty pesos (about $13.50 USD), not counting drinks. Yes, we got half off by purchasing tickets at the equivalent of TKTS on Saturday, but that price is still amazing!
#23) Pay for our drinks, tip generously, and request that a cab be called to bring us back to our hotel.
#24) Return to the hotel. Update LJ. Make a plan for tomorrow. Get ready for bed...

Day 55: Sunday in the Park with cheshcat

Today's picture was taken at the site of the so-called "Club Atletico" in the barrio of San Telmo. This grim archaeological dig is located underneath the on-ramp to the Autopista 25 de Mayo (i.e. one of the main highways). The building that was demolished during the construction of the autopista was used as a detention centre -- complete with torture chambers -- during the military dictatorship that ran Argentina from 1976 to 1983. During that time, the military waged a Guerra Sucia, or Dirty War, on the population in which disappearances of the people who opposed their regime were common. The desaparecidos, or disappeared, number about thirty thousand. Many are believed to have passed through the Club Atletico. The site is now under construction as a memorial-in-progress, adorned with murals, sculpture, and other art. Today's picture is one of many that I took beneath the highway.

---

Being Sunday, today had a very different feel than the rest of the trip. cheshcat and I spent most of the day in the southern barrio of San Telmo, which has an older feel to it than all of the other areas of the city that we have visited (e.g. Palemo, Microcentre, Puerto Madero) except for Monserrat, where the cabildo, the catherdral, and the Casa Rosada are located. On Sunday, San Telmo has a fair-like atmosphere, as Calle Defensa is closed to automotive traffic and set up with street vendors. In brief, here is what we did today:

#1) Sleep in after yesterday's adventure. Wake at noon, leave the hotel at 1:30pm.
#2) Stock up on supplies at local grocery store. cheshcat saves a butterfly's life.
#3) Taxi to San Telmo and wander down Calle Defensa, browsing the local street vendors and wandering into an occasion store.
#4) Like a true junkie, get my fix of fresh squeezed orange juice.
#5) Walk down to Plaza Lezama and get lunch at a restaurant of the same name.
#6) Wander around the Plaza Lezama, alleged site where Pedro de Mendoza's founded the first Spanish colony in what would eventually become Buenos Aires. On Sunday, the Plaza is set up as a craft fair.
#7) Walk several blocks to see (and photograph) the mural Educacion y Esclavitud (Education and Slavery).
#8) Walk a bit further to see the site of the Club Atletico (see above).
#9) Take a taxi back to Calle Defense and continue making our way through the street vendors.
#10) Make our way up to the Plaza Dorrego around 6:30pm.
#11) Sit at a table in the plaza drinking agua con gas and jugo de naranja while watching the outdoor milonga taking place at the plaza.
#12) After finishing our drinks, move in closer to see the dancers better. A milonga is the way most portenos experience tango. These were not professionals; anyone could get up and dance.
#13) After leaving the milgona, we went about a block away to listen to some spontaneous drumming that had erupted. A good crowd gathered and the energy was lots of fun.
#14) Get our daily dose of helado while continuing to listen to the drums.
#15) Hop a taxi to the location of our evening's entertainment -- name not currently remembered!
#16) Arrive at the combination restaurant and theatre before anybody else, thus securing seats at the table right in front of the center of the stage.
#17) Enjoy a dinner of Spanish and Argentine foods, with special care taken by the staff to prepare vegetarian fare for me.
#18) After dinner, and immediately before the performance began, cheshcat and I each received a surprise submarino from the waitress. I say "surprise" because it was not an option on the drink menu.
#19) Experience our first Flamenco show. While much more a part of Spanish tradition than Argentine, there are several Flamenco venues in Buenos Aires. After seeing tango at two dinner shows, one bar, and two milongas, we figured it was time for something different.
#20) Eat dessert at the show's intermission. I had a fruit salad -- very Argentine -- while cheshcat had a Spanish custard.
#21) Watch the second act. cheshcat enjoyed the Flamenco in "Strictly Ballroom" and was delighted to finally see some in person.
#22) Marvel that dinner plus the show for two of us had only cost us a total of forty pesos (about $13.50 USD), not counting drinks. Yes, we got half off by purchasing tickets at the equivalent of TKTS on Saturday, but that price is still amazing!
#23) Pay for our drinks, tip generously, and request that a cab be called to bring us back to our hotel.
#24) Return to the hotel. Update LJ. Make a plan for tomorrow. Get ready for bed...