Buenos Aires Miniatures

Two weeks in Buenos Aires is a short time. But it was an intense time with not only lots of tango but also lots of sketching. I want to share with you a small collection of miniatures, traveling souvenirs, which by themselves have very little to do with tango. Or maybe they do?

Take a taxi in Buenos Aires...

TAKE A TAXI. Take a taxi in Buenos Aires and you are ready for adventure! With hawks eyes and their red "libre" sign on, their drivers spy for any pedestrian just ever so slightly raising their arm, let you get seated, wait for your directions and then you are on! These drivers LIVE in their Taxis. Micro clima and surround sound is fine tuned to their likes but is adapted once they note your reaction in the mirror. You are their guest and they make sure you get to your goal quickly, windig through traffic like snakes, proud of their driving skills. Roller coaster rides are less fun! Having ladies feel at home makes it necesary to flirt with them, signaling how beautiful they are and keeping eye contact through the mirror. When you get out at the end of your trip you are beamed back into reality, sometimes a bit shaky on your legs but an adventure richer.

A rainy day in the dance studio

RAIN. Rain in Buenos Aires seems to come about the city as a catharsis after a series of very hot and humid days. The air gets so dense, you could cut it in slices, the sky covers with clouds and when it becomes seriously unbearable, a thunderstorm breaks the trance and heavy rain poors down, flooding the streets and letting rivers flow down their sides, carrying heat, dirt and odors away. The air cools down and when finally enough water was shed, a new, clear and fresh day begins.

SERIOUS MEAT. There is no way you can experience Argentina without trying some serious meat. A lady answered our question, how Argentines survive with so little sleep, going out late late late at night without a siesta during the day with the statement: "Maybe that's because we eat so much meat!". Well... I had the best beef ever, cooked on a parrilla grill more or less on the side walk with tasty chimichuri and salsa criolla to go with it. Absolute heaven!

Behind the doors

BEHIND THE DOORS. You stand before one of those very high wrought iron doors in Buenos Aires with no names or signs or whatever indicating the life hidden behind it. You ring a bell, hoping it works and the door is opened from inside – an imense, unexpected universe uncoils, room by room, corridor by staircase, patios, rooftops... I have learned to enter these doors with exited expectation.

LA ESQUINA. Since the streets of Buenos Aires are laid out in grid form, the streets are very, very long and house numbers quickly become unmanageable. You indicate your address or the place you want to go to by naming the two streets that meet at "your" corner. This was "our" corner and we have memorized the two streets meeting here so well, we were able to declaim them even if just woken up from deep sleep.

WE CULTIVATE CULTURE. The porteños are very cultured people, as a friend said: "We cultivate culture". There are uncountable museums, galeries, theatres, concert halls, milongas, musicians, creatives, dancers... I was particularly thrilled by a former theatre turned into a huge bookshop with book shelves in the entire parquet and each and every balcony. From the café, located on stage, you have a splendid look into the beautiful theatre as well as into all the stage technique which has been preserved.

THE UNEXPECTED BEAUTY. I have been told before coming here that there are a few nice quarters in Buenos Aires with old buildings, but that a lot is derelict and ugly. I was not prepared for the beauty of Buenos Aires. The architecture is stunning, no bombs have destroyed the city, large parts were built in the same time when it was a booming, rich town. Every quarter has its own charme - there are representative and breath taking quarters and calmer ones, touristy ones and indeed quite derelict quarters. But wherever you go, there are charming details to discover such as this corner house on Scalabrini Ortiz y Norberto Manzilla.

A SWEET TOOTH. Porteños love their sweets. The number of heladerías in Buenos Aires must be record-breaking and those incredibles cakes, pies, tarts and other sweet creations you can find in the confiterías! The most famous sweets next to dulce de leche probably are the medialunas which come in three different gowns - those with butter (medialuna de manteca), a fluffly puff pastry with sweet glaze, those with grease (medialuna de grasa), thinner, much finer foliated puff pastry, and a third variety I have discovered with a yeasty dough and a distinct brioche-feeling to them. My favorites are definitely the medialunas de manteca!