Eat, Tango, Study

Tuesday

After agreeing to meet at 9:30 a.m., one of us was at the Hotel Restaurant at the proper time (I am rather sarcastic, but I pride myself on my ability to be on time).  We talked about the places we would like to go, and after 2 hours, we decided where to go.  We decided that we would like to explore the Boca area.  We walked around taking pictures everywhere we went.

After piling into a taxis, we eventually arrived at the Boca.  We walked around taking pictures of murals and wondered why there was a mural of the volunteer firefighters putting out a fire.  I surmised that there must have been a big fire.  I took a picture of a statue dedicated to the volunteer firefighters.  They really appreciate their firefighters.  I wonder whether or not any of them were women.

We eventually arrived at the Museo Quinquela Martin.  The artwork of Argentinian artists was in the museum.  The included paintings, sculpture, and even the decorative pieces that are placed on the front of ships.

One of the most moving paintings looked like a father who is dying and includes the wife crying and a child playing on the floor.  The painting was very large, at least 20 feet high, and the colors were dark shades of black, brown, and dreary whites.  The painting depicted the deep sorrow that was felt by the future widow of the dying man and little child playing peacefully with a toy seemingly unaware that the father is dying.

Later in the day, we went to the Botica de Angel.  This is one of the most unusual places that I have ever visited.  It seemed like one room led to another room, which was somehow inside another room.

There was artwork everywhere, on the walls, on the ceiling, and even the toilets had works of art painted on the inside of the bowls!  A picture of Shakespeare was painted on the bowl of one toilet.

The astrological signs of the zodiac were painted on a wall.  When our guide answered our questions at the end while we were enjoying cups of coffee, he said that Angel asked everyone, "What is your sign? (referring to astrological sign of the zodiac).  Angel was born on Sept. 5th, and he was a Virgo. He also died on September 5th.

My father, Ray Hayes, was born on Sept. 5, 1932.  He was also a Virgo and an astrologer.  I think he would be very happy that I am having this wonderful opportunity to see Argentina and Buenos Aires.  My dad passed away on March 25, 2002.  He has been gone 12 years, and I miss him every day.  I know that he would be proud of the accomplishments that I have made in college and keeping my GPA so high at UNM.  My dad loved music and opera.  He took me to many operas at San Diego Opera in Southern California.  My dad played violin in his high school orchestra.  I have a deep appreciation of the skill it takes to play a musical instrument.  I used to play guitar, and I love to sing. I really loved hearing the great singers at the tango show a few nights earlier.

Now, returning to the artwork at the Botica de Angel.  There was one room painted yellow, and this room was dedicated to coffee and the drinking of coffee.  The coffee in Argentina is made the way I like it, very strong!  In the coffee room, there were tables with coffee cups and a coffee pot.  I took many pictures of the room because I love coffee!  Every morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I drink three cups of coffee so that I can function.  The coffee is so good in Argentina that I do not have to drink so many cups to get the same effect!  Muy bien!

In Argentina, there was a time when brothels were legal.  I am embarrassed to say that I also took a picture of the rather racy painting at the Botica de Angel that would have looked good on the wall of one of the Argentinian brothels because one of the women in the picture was half-naked.  I also have a rather fuzzy picture of Shakespeare that was painted on the inside of a toilet bowl.  Even the bathrooms in this place are decorated well!  Statues of people were in the showers, and they were dressed in clothing.  I suppose they represent the people who might take a bath or shower (except for the clothes).

We all viewed a film about Carlos Grandel.  He died in a plane crash.  He was a very famous writer of tango lyrics.  His funeral was huge!  The were thousands of people crying about his death.  I tell my husband, Pat, that when I die that thousands of people will mourn my death.  I would also like to be buried like Eva Peron!  Pat laughs at me when I tell him this!

Monday

Monday was the day for going to the bank to exchange money!  WooHoo!

After listening to Señora lecture us about our projects, we were off to the money exchange.  After we all had some pesos, it was off to shop and observe while we shopped.  Eventually, we all headed to Avenue de Mayo to Cafe Tortoli for some coffee and dessert.  I have pictures of the cafe.  Please go to my Facebook account to see pictures till I can figure out how to add them to the blog!

We also went to a tango museum, and we shall return there on Wednesday for a workshop.  The tango museum contained much information about the history of tango, and they had many pictures and instruments.  They also had a library.  I am looking forward to hearing Spenser play his saxophone and to see Javier play his clarinet later in the week at this same museum.

Eat, Tango, Study

Sunday

The day began with more free breakfast!  Pictures included.  Coffeeee!

Wheeee!  The pastry is a little sweet, and the coffee is nice and strong.

I ventured out to get 3 bottles of water sin gas.  I only paid 30 pesos.  It was a little store very close to the hotel.

Javier started us out with a walking tour.  We saw a movie theater that showed the same movie every day of the year, Stairway to Heaven.  It was full of people every day.

We saw where the Congress conducts official business.  We ventured near the Casa Rosada the the Cathedral.  Because it was going to be important that we learn to venture out on our own, Javier abandoned us.  Ay Dios Mio!  We were given strict instructions to stay in groups of at least three people.  He suggested that we continue down the street, and five blocks later we would find restaurants.

We broke into our groups of three or four people and ventured on our way.  I was in a group with Dayra, Elise, and Maria.  We had lots of fun shopping!  There were plenty of matte bowls, and Dayra was able to find just the right ones at a good price.

Maria found a great knife for her dad.  The owner of the knife shop explained that the handle was from the horn of a bull (actually a cow).  So that the dairy cows do not get hurt, each year the horns are cut, and the next year they grow back. 

I was able to find a small leather notebook holder that included a calendar for 2014 that was in Spanish.  The front cover was red, and it included a map of South America.  I have been memorizing the countries in South America and where they are located on a map.  The red leather notebook holder was accurate!  There was also free engraving of the name.  My name is engraved on the back.  The artist burned the name onto the back with a tool.

We began hiking our way back hoping to meet another group.  We were 15 minutes late, and the others had already grown tired of waiting for us.  That is okay because we were late.

We continued on and went back to the hotel.  We arrived about 2:30.  Some people were going to Coto Market.  By this time, I was very hungry.  I thought about going someplace very close for lunch, but I realized that I did not feel safe going alone.  After going to the corner and taking a peek, I went back to the hotel and asked where I could find good pizza very close to the hotel.  The hotel restaurant!  I had a small mozzarella pizza for 48 pesos.  I ate the whole thing!  I think that I should not worry about the calories because I did so much walking with the group.  We had fun.  I have some pictures.

Time to rest up for tango lessons later today.

Before tango lessons, a small bus came to pick us all up.  Our teacher,

Dr. Celia Lopez-Chavez, was finally able to rejoin us.  She had been recuperating from her fall on the sidewalk near our hotel.  The sidewalks in Buenos Aires are not in good repair.  There are holes and spots where the sidewalk is not smooth and even.

It was very fun to see our teacher with her foot in a blue stretchy brace around her foot resting it on a footstool.  She was able to go with us to tango school because she had rested her injury for two days.  When she got x-rays, she was able to find out that no bones in her foot were broken.  Muy bien!  Her loving husband waited on her and got her ice at 3 a.m.  What a guy!

We also met the hermanas (sisters) of Dr. Lopez-Chavez.  Her sisters are Myriam and Sylia.  One is a Cancer born on July 2^nd (my birthday)!  The other is a Scorpio born on October 26^th (the day before my husband’s birthday).  I have an interest in astrology because I am an astrologer.

On the way to tango school, Senora told us about the history of the places we were passing.  She was eager to learn what we had been doing in her absence and what we had been learning about each of the streets and buildings that we had been passing.  The big street, Avenida de Nueve de Julio is very large.  It is so big that there are areas of cement in between so that you can get across without getting run over by a bus.  There is also a hotel that is very expensive at the end of the steet.  The name of the hotel begins with a C.  Tom explained that the rich people stay at this hotel and said that it is not safe to walk around near the hotel at night because people are out to rob the rich people. 

When we arrived at tango school, we waited downstairs till our lessons were to begin.  In one case behind glass were some very beautiful matte bowls.  I have pictures of them.  There were also record albums and record album covers depicting famous tango singers (pictures of these also).  I think that I also have pictures of what looked like silver knives on the bottom of the glass case that contained the matte bowls.

In another glass case there were tango shoes that looked very old.  These tango shoes were in many colors, and they looked as if they had been worn long ago (picture).

When the tango professionals were ready for the students, we climbed some stairs to arrive at our lessons (Thank goodness there was an elevator for Celia.  Her husband loves her, but I am not sure if he would be able to carry her up the stairs!)  LoL

The tango professionals were well-dressed.  The woman wore a black dress, and the man was elegantly dress in black and white.  He wore the special tango shoes, and I think that they were black and white.

Once they had given instructions about tango, the woman lined us up in rows and pointed to where she wanted us to line up.  Now it was really time for the fun!  Some of us looked like we knew what we were doing, and others looked like they did not know their left foot from their right!  I was one of those unlucky people.  Once I had done the cross-step and had the left foot crossing the right foot, I had no idea what to do next!  I was stuck.  That is okay, because I was having fun.

Each of us got an opportunity to dance with the handsome young men in our class, Cole and Spenser.  Cole was well-dressed in a pink shirt and white tie with black stripes.  Spenser looked very nice in his purple shirt.  It was very fun to dance with each of them because they are both very nice people.  Cole was much taller at 6 foot 3 inches.  Spenser was a little bit taller than I am.  My height is about 5 feet 3 inches. 

We also had an opportunity to dance with the dance with the tango professionals.  My problem was learning to relax and drop my very tense shoulders.  Before dancing, my partner had me relax the shoulders.  Also, the woman follows the lead of the man.  Obeying another man goes against my nature, but I realized that he was the professional and took his lead.  Also, moving from the upper body is important.  I was grateful that we were not learning the very close dancing that I had witnessed at the milonga with the old people.  I think that I should only be dancing that close with my husband!

Of course, since we were all beginners, it gave the professionals plenty of opportunity to make fun of us!  I think that I was a lost cause at times, but I was learning.  It takes me a few practices of each step to get better.  Tom Chavez danced with me and gave me pointers.  He was able to do a few brief steps with his wife before she needed to sit down and give her foot more rest.

It was also very fun watching Celia and Myriam, the sisters of Celia, learn to tango.  It looked like they were having lots of fun.  They were able to dance with Cole and Spenser.  Neither of them speak English, and it was an opportunity to practice our Espanol.  One of them is a psychologist for children with learning disabilities, and the other is a teacher.  I wanted to ask what the psychological diagnosis for our teacher would be.  I am afraid that muy loco en cabeza is not a diagnosis (just kidding!).

After about an hour, our class over.  Our fun was not over, as now was the time for the dinner and tango show!  We went downstairs and waited for our tables to be ready.  We were then shown to a very big room with tables that were elegantly set with lots of glasses for water.  There was a wonderful wine at the table (picture).  Of course, we did not have the wine because most of us are so young.

Our dinner was already paid for by the college.  Therefore, we could eat like little piggies and not worry about the price!  Hooray! 

We were allowed to pick which appetizer, main course, and dessert we would like (pictures).  I chose the onion soup with croutons as an appetizer.  My main course was pasta shell filled with ricotta cheese surrounding in a tomato sauce.  Dessert was crepes filled with ice cream and drizzled with caramel (another picture).  I think that I am writing a food blog because the title of my blog is Eat, Study, Tango.  I spent lots of time writing about the great food!  Anyway, the crepe is called warm pancake in Argentina.  Celia explained that the warm pancake is a crepe.  Thank goodness for her explanation because I love crepes!  The dessert was wonderful!  The soup was divine!  Now I am a food critic!

After talking with each other for awhile, it was time for the show!

The highlight of the tango show was the singing of Don’t Cry for me Argentina en Espanol.  The singer sounded like her voice was alto, and she was an older woman, perhaps in the sixties.  Her voice was great!  Behind her were actual movies of the real Evita Duarte Peron which were played behind the singer.  At the end of the song, ushers waved the Argentine flag right above our heads!

The gauchos who were singing were dressed in black and had quite the personalities!  They loved to joke with each other.  At one point, they played the theme song for the movie, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  The music had a western theme, and gauchos are the Argentian version of cowboys.

One of the gauchos had rather long hair, and he encourage the dancer with the baroletas to brush them near his long brown hair.  He did so.  It should be noted that the baroleta dancer was excellent.  His skill with the instruments was amazing because he could get them going so fast and it appeared that they would hit each other, but they did not!  He also had personality and flirted with women in the audience by winking his eye at them.

The tango dancers were amazing.  They were both young and old.  The movements could be slow and sexy or fast and precise.  They usually dressed in black and white costumes.

Our day was over, and we headed home in a huge bus.  Time for bed.

Eat, Study, Tango

Saturday

We were ready for another exciting day!  Led by our tour guide, Lorena, we were driven by bus on a tour of the city.  There would also be plenty of walking to do when we got off at our stops.

We visited the Cathedral.  This is the church where Pope Francis said mass when he was bishop.  The church is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen!  The area behind the altar was decorated in gold all the way up to the ceiling.  When you look up at the ceiling, you can see paintings decorating the ceiling.

From the courtyard, we could see the Casa Rosada.  Evita gave her speeches from the balcony of the Casa Rosada.  This house is also known as the Pink House because it is painted the color pink.

We visited the cemetery where Eva Duarte Peron is buried.  The cemetery is in Recoleta.  The cemetery looked like it was built with white marble.  There was also lots of black.  This was a place where rich people are buried.  The families purchased the small areas of land, and they built mausoleums where the coffins are preserved.  There are small windows where you can look in and see the coffins.

Eva is buried in the Duarte Family Coffin, and her actual body is four meters under the ground in front of the mausoleum created by her family to prevent any desecration of her body.

Other families did not have the money to keep the sites where their loved ones are buried in good condition.  These sites are referred to as abandoned coffins.  They are in disarray and look very dirty and dusty.

Later in the evening, we went to a milonga where old people danced tango.  They danced very close together, and the music was not live.  They were dancing the old style of tango that was popular years ago.  The woman usually dances with the man for at least three tangos, unless she is not very fond of him and gives him an excuse not to dance.  These dances have a prescribed order to them, with a break in between dances.

Eat, Tango, Study

Friday

We arrived in Argentina, got to the Hotel Duomo, and half an hour later we were walking to a delicious lunch.  The ambiance of the restaurant was wonderful with pictures on the wall, pretty tablecloths, and clear glasses for our beverages.  We helped ourselves to salads, bread with butter and garlic, fish, and much more.  The main courses were steak, chicken, or spinach crepes.  The steaks looked great!  I can see why Señora raves about the Argentinian beef!

We had little time to rest, and we met in the hotel lobby at 5 p.m.  We found out from Tom that Celia had hurt her ankle while walking on the sidewalk that is full of holes and cracks.  It was raining, and the water covered a very large hole.  The doctor is going to visit her to see whether or not the ankle is broken.  I hope that she will be okay.

I got very wet in the rain, but my lightweight blue raincoat helped.  Dayna, Brenna, Maria, and I had dinner in a pizza restaurant.  I had the mozzarella pizza and two cokes.  The desserts were wonderful and huge!  We had fun talking and drying off from the rain.

Time to get warm!

Packing for Argentina

Today I am packing and doing laundry.  Lots of laundry.  Deciding what to wear has been a challenge.  I think that the other girls in my class are dressing to the nines (and sixes, and sevens, and eights).  I think that the last time I wore a dress was for my wedding!  LoL

I shall miss my husband, Pat.  I shall also miss our Golden Retriever puppy, Elsa.  Our cats are very self-sufficient.  I think Elsa the dog will miss me the most!

I am looking forward to spending time with my friends from my UNM Honors class.  I hope that I get to find out what it is like to conduct music from our teacher, Señor Javier Lovato.  I would feel so powerful if I were a conductor that I think it would all go to my head, and I would have a massive ego!  When I was young, my dad, Ray Hayes, would always play classical music on the car radio.  I would sit next to him and conduct the music.  I miss my dad.  He passed away on March 25, 2002.  I think he would be proud that I have continued my college courses.

Time to get the clothes out of the dryer!

Vaya con Dios,

Radine


March 13, 2014   Thursday

We had a meeting before boarding the plane.  We all sat on the floor in a circle.  Dr. Celia Lopez-Chavez gave use the bad news about the papers.  Only two students out of ten had papers that she liked.  She gave us a homework assignment to read about tango.  The good news was that there was $20 in a white envelope for every student.  The money was for us to use for travel expenses to research assignments while we were in Argentina.  Muy bien!

There was quite a bit of turbulence on the plane ride to Argentina.  I was on my way to the bathroom, and I had to turn back.  The flight attendant told everyone to go back to their seats right away.  We all did.  As Betty Davis might say, "Fasten your seat belts.  It is going to be a bumpy ride!