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.
