On alternate mornings in Buenos Aires, I would stop at the bakery next to my apartment and purchase "dos medialuna" for seis pesos (less than $1.50). The medialuna are shaped like a croissant. However, the outside is soft and brushed with a sweet glaze. While the inside is airy, the dough is sweeter and heavier than a French croissant. I ate the medialuna with Patagonia Wild Berry Jam that I bought at the local Disco supermercado.
I'll confess- I brought a few medialuna home with me. One I ate on the plane when we landed at 6:00am in Houston. Another I gave to a friend who is an avid bread baker. Secretly I hoped he could duplicate them here in New Jersey. I kept the last one on reserve in my freezer, and ate it this morning with the wild berry jam. Is it reason enough to return to Buenos Aires for fresh medialuna?
According to friends, the Escuela Argentina de Tango is the place to take tango classes. So, after barely 24 hours in Buenos Aires, I went with mi amiga Susanna to attend two classes with her favorite instructor, Jorge Firpo. Mind you, this is after an early morning run, walking for a couple of hours, and a full lunch at La Posada de 1820. The "executive menu" offers a mid-day special, generally between the hours of 13h y 16h. (1:00-4:00 pm). This particular restaurant serves three courses for 34 pesos, or under $10. Soup, main dish, dessert. Mineral water or wine are extra, and nearly the same price. laposadade1820.com.ar/
The first class on salon style tango started at 5:30pm and was 90 minutes long. The second class which started promptly at 7pm was Vals- Giros y Contragiros. A "giro" is the term used for a molinete. The classes were well attended, with a balance of men and women. (An aside- one of the guys in the class who knew Susan from last summer, began to talk to me in Spanish. When I said, "No habla espanol", he replied in English that he thought I was Argentine!) By 8:30 after both classes ended, my feet and legs were about to go on strike. There was no way that I would have energy for a milonga! Instead, we went for wine, a snack, and conversation.
On YouTube, there are many videos of Jorge Firpo. Here's one of Jorge dancing a vals at the school. I think the man standing against the mirror in the black shirt is Roberto, someone who was in my class, too!
Throughout my stay in BsAs, I took one or two classes on most days. Along with the classes with Jorge Firpo, I especially liked the women's technique classes with Aurora Lubiz. Being in the class of women and working together in pairs or groups to practice balance and adornments was probably more beneficial than the mixed classes. Hopefully, I can find a similar class in NJ or NY, since it's a bit far to get to BsAs every Saturday at 11:30am in order to take one of Aurora's technique classes!
tangopulse.net/interviews/aurora_lubiz.php
To find the most famous store for tango shoes in all of Buenos Aires, Comme il Faut, you must know the exact number of the street address, Arenales 1239. Along Arenales, there is no sign. The number is on the side of the building and a walkway leads to a group of fancy boutiques. CF is listed in the directory posted on the left side of the walkway. Pass three shops, walk upstairs, buzz and enter the store.
Once in the store, you will notice something unusual for a shoe store, no shoes on display. Sit down and a sales clerk will ask a few questions. What is your shoe size? What color would you like? What heel height? I asked for size 38, black or purple, medium heel. Then, she brought out boxes and boxes of shoes to try.
In less than an hour, I selected a pair: violet and bronze, medium spike heel. Muy bonita. The price was less than I paid two years ago for a pair in New York City. Each shoe was slipped into a pouch of its own. Included was another bag to carry the shoes to a milonga, so everyone would know where you bought your shoes. All placed into a black and white CF shopping bag.
Two weeks from today I fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina! I made the arrangements so long ago, I still have a sense of surprise that the trip is, in fact, going to happen. It's a long flight; the first leg is three hours to Houston and then 10 1/2 hours to BsAs. A friend who I will meet there is flying tonight. She says, "It's a journey."
I have three goals in Buenos Aires: tango lessons, tango clothes, tango shoes. Of course, I am also interested in sightseeing and possible excursions. Recoleta Cemetary; MALBA (art museum); Iguazu Falls; Mendoza; Montevideo, Uruguay. Speaking of Uruguay, I read that the song, "La Cumparsita", which is traditionally the last song at a milonga (tango venue), was composed by a young man in Uruguay and it was originally a carnival march. You can listen to the song through this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_cumparsita
I've rented an apartment in the neighborhood of Recoleta, which has avenues similar to Park Avenue and Madison Avenue in New York. The apartment is quite small, but clean and in a good location. I'm near the subway and bus, and just about everything else I might need! Today I began to organize which clothes to pack. It's a bit of a challenge since it's late winter/early spring there and the temperature range has been between 40 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. With our recent triple digit weather, it's difficult to imagine feeling chilly enough to wear a sweater or jacket.
Here are some startling numbers in the Afterword (p. 315)
"Today most Americans have their tissue on file somewhere. When you go to the doctor for a routine blood test or have a move removed, when you have an appendectomy, tonsillectomy, or any other kind of ectomy, the stuff you leave behind doesn't always get thrown out. Doctors, hospitals, and laboratories keep it. Often indefinitely. In 1999 the RAND Corporation published a report with a 'conservative estimate' that more than 307 million tissue samples from more than 178 million people were stored in the United States alone. This number, the report said, was increasing by more than 20 million samples each year. ... They sit in lab freezers, on shelves, or in industrial vats of liquid nitrogen. They're stored at military facilities, the FBI, the National Institutes of Health..."
The question remains whether the use of human cells without consent is ethical or not. That is one of the central questions asked in this book. Cancer cells were scraped from the cervix of Henrietta Lacks without her knowledge. The cells were labeled "HeLa" and her name was not attached. These cancer cells reproduced profusely, when normal cells did not. It was decades before the family knew that Henrietta's cells were in labs around the world and being used for major breakthroughs in science, such as a vaccine against polio.
The cells are still used today. In fact, a friend of mine who is a high school Biology teacher told me she has HeLa cells in her lab refrigerator at school.
In the early afternoon, I took a long walk through the park near my house. My path crossed with a man who was walking two beautiful greyhounds. They were both rescue dogs, one light brown male and one light gray female, ages 6 and 4 respectively. The eyes on the dogs looked human-like. The male walked with a limp, due to an injured foot pad. The owner told me the dog already had five surgeries and one broken ankle. We got to talking about the basic inhumanity of dog racing. He commented that even though the racing itself doesn't generate much revenue, the tracks have other forms of gambling that are profitable. The dogs have short lives as race dogs, and if not adopted they are killed. Thousands die each year.
To me, the dogs look fragile with their long, spindly legs. However, they are quite strong and can live 10-13 years with reasonable care. Interestingly, while I often see people running with other breeds of dogs, I've yet to see an owner and a greyhound out for a jog together.
This morning at 9am in Brookdale Park, there was a lovefest of runners and walkers even though the temperature was registering 22 on my thermometer! It seemed everyone had the same idea at the same time: the sun is out, the roads are dry, there's no wind- let's go for a run! Those conditions are about as good as it gets for winter running.
When I got home, I thought about the book by Haruki Murakami entitled, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. The book is a combination of memoir, training log, and travelogue as Murakami, who lives near Tokyo, prepares for the 2005 NYC Marathon.
"Muscles are like work animals that are quick on the uptake. If you carefully increase the load, step by step, they learn to take it... as long as you take your time... they won't complain- aside from the occasional long face- and they'll very patiently and obediently grow stronger." (p. 71)
The Travel section in today's New York Times features an article entitled, "The 41 Best Places to Go in 2011." After I read the list, I asked myself, "Where is the first place I want to go in 2011?" My response was quick- Mexico.
As soon as I got home from Mexico last summer, I wanted to return. I wanted more of the food, the light, the quiet beauty of San Miguel, the noise and bustle of Mexico City. However, since I often feel that way after a trip, I knew my inclination at that moment was not an accurate measure. But, here I am six months later thinking about an extended visit to Mexico, most specifically to San Miguel.
The Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico states, "Many people say that San Miguel is a bit like a Mexican Disneyland for foreign (mainly American) retirees." I hate to think of San Miguel in that way, but it is partly true. Out of the 62,000 residents of San Miguel, more than 10,000 homes are owned by foreigners. There is a large American ex-pat community; many people in San Miguel speak English. The city is small, welcoming, safe and incredibly beautiful.
While I was there, I stayed at the Casa Quetzal Hotel. I'd recommend it 100 percent, as would many others according to TripAdvisor. The owner is Cynthia Price, who is from Vermont. Along with a prime location and wonderful hospitality, the hotel also has pancakes with real maple syrup for breakfast. http://www.casaquetzalhotel.com/
My days in San Miguel consisted of a cooking class and market tour; walking and browsing; Bellas Artes art school; fabulous, fabulous food ; sunshine; Talavera pottery from the Mexican Connexion; a side trip to the city of Guanajuato; music at the plaza in the evening. My only difficulty was finding a place to run. I tried one day, but the roads are steep and cobblestone, so I was very cautious. Also, the streets are not in a grid, so it wasn't easy to create a mental map. There is a Starbucks near the main square (much to the displeasure of the locals) and I used that as a handy landmark. http://www.casadesierranevada.com/web/omig/sazon.jsp http://www.experience-san-miguel-de-allende.com/bellas-artes-el-nigromante.html
Soon I will have to decide what to do in the new year. My study of Spanish has fallen by the wayside, so resuming my practice is also one of my resolutions. While a return to Mexico is at the top of the list, there's also Barcelona and Argentina- where I can combine Spanish and tango. They all sound good to me!
It's been months since I've written- far too long. I didn't want to write any new entries until I finished writing about Mexico, so then I didn't post at all. Now it's a new year and a return to my blog is high on my list of resolutions.
One of the highlights of my trip was a day immersed in the lives of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. My student and I went to San Angel to see the adjoining studios of the two artists. The buildings are connected by a rooftop walkway. Stairs run along the side of Frida's studio so that Diego could climb through her kitchen window. Given his size, I wonder how often he used those stairs. (Fortunately, there are also front doors!) The story is told that they both worked side by side until one day Frida came home to find Diego making love to her sister. Even though he had a reputation as a "womanizer", this was too much for Frida. She left and never returned.
Instead, she went to La Casa Azul, the "blue house", in Coyoacan. This family residence is now a museum, filled with furniture, artwork and artifacts from Frida's life. Nearby is the Trotsky home, now also a museum. When Leon and Natalia Trotsky first arrived in Mexico, they lived with Frida and Diego. Then, after a "falling out" (i.e. Trotsky's affair with Frida), he and his wife moved to a home a few blocks away. This was the home in which he was brutally attacked with an ice pick by Ramon Mercader on August 20, 1940. Trotsky died the following day.
After visiting La Casa Azul, Jay and I were joined by his wonderful girlfriend who lives nearby. We dodged the rain and ate a late lunch of soup, beer and mezcal. They went on to her house for a visit, and I headed back to the hotel in Mexico City to get ready for my departure to San Miguel de Allende the next day.
NB- The most recent novel by Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna, is set in Mexico. It is a mix of history and fiction. The main character is Harrison Shephard, a writer, who spends his youth with Diego, Frida, and Trotsky.
