Justice for Silvio

Thursday 31 August 2006

There was a huge demonstration in the Plaza de Mayo today, calling for better security. We left before it really got started, so we didn't see much. But it was all started by a man named Blumberg, whose son (Silvio) was kidnapped, by people aided by the cops, and beaten to death two years ago. Now he is demanding more cops on the streets and a higher age of incarceration and punishment for juvenile delicuents. (Right now, Argentines under 18 cannot be held responsible for any crimes, and cannot be punished at all unless they are orphans without guardians.)

Underground

Wednesday 30 August 2006

Many Spanish colonial cities had a system of tunnels built under them, to move troops, important persons, and messages. Buenos Aires is no exception, although the tunnels here are shorter, only connecting a few main churches and government buildings.

Ryan and I took a "tour" of these today, which turned out to be rather shorter than expected, dealing briefly with the house above, and rather less briefly with the gift shops connected to it. We actually were not allowed into the tunnels, but only glimpsed them from the entrance. Ah well.

At your local newstand . . .

Tuesday 29 August 2006

Today's photo is not on this site, but is rather available through a link, because it may not be appropriate for younger or more sensative viewers. (There is nudity.)

But I wanted to put it up anyway, because it is something that has definitely shocked me about Buenos Aires. At every single newstand, on every single corner, pornography is for sale. And not just Maxim or similar "gentleman's magazines," but hard-cord, full nudity, everything you could ask for porno. Guys, girls, everything. So, there are breasts staring right out at a kid buying a puzzle book, a grandmother buying a religious magazine, an innocent foreigner buying a newspaper. This photo was taken on the corner of two very major streets, near my apartment.

Right, so here's the link.

Self Portrait 1

Monday 28 August 2006

Cranes

Sunday 27 August 2006

Here are some cranes, down by the river. This is my first successful experiment with longer shutter speed - 2 seconds, baby!

San Telmo Antiques

Saturday 26 August 2006

San Telmo is a part of town known for its antique shops. Here is one that made me very, very nervous.

I am Taiwanese if you please

Friday 25 August 2006

This picture is primarily for my friends in Taiwan. As you can see, after years of fighting such things, I have finally given in, and ex post facto become Taiwanese. Yes, that is a jade dangly on my cell phone. (Only there for practical purposes, I assure you - Ryan and I have the same model, and needed a way to tell them apart.)

Alfajor

Thursday 24 August 2006

So, some of the delicious food I was talking about. This is called an "alfajor," a kind of cookie sandwich that is very popular here. They are made with various combinations of cake, cookies, chocolate, and dulce de leche, a kind of rich caramel. And they are heavenly.

The Ataneo

Wednesday 23 August 2006

This is the Ataneo, the coolest bookstore I've ever been in. A converted theater (the boxes are now reading nooks, on the left there, and there is a cafe on the stage, not shown here), it is four stories of delicious books, with an art exhibition on top. It had such a neat atmosphere that I wasn't even that disappointed I didn't find what I wanted.

Not La Chanfle

Tuesday 22 August 2006

An acquaintance invited us to a concert to see her cousin's band, La Chanfle. This is not them, this is the band before them, but these guys were terrific.

As you can see, I am still working on that "holding still in low light" thing.

Dia de San Martin

Monday 21 August 2006

As today was the Dia de San Martin (well, today was the day off for it, anyway, the actual day was last Thursday) I figured I'd put up a picture of his tomb. Argentines seem awfully fixated on death, after all, and celebrate the deathdays of their heroes instead of the birthdays or other important dates.

San Martin was a national hero who helped liberate the country from Spain, by the way.

What's really funny, I think, is that when he died he was living in France, and so his body had to be shipped from there. In a coffin, obviously. Along the way it stopped in a Uruguay, I believe, where they honored him with another coffin. When he got back to Argentina, of course they had to add their own coffin. So, now he is inside three different coffins, each larger than the first. This makes for a very large national hero, and he didn't fit inside this tomb any more! They still put him in (in the big brown base, not the black thing on top) but they had to put him at an angle. So, he's not standing, nor is he lying down, he's kind of reclining inside there.

My new boyfriend

Sunday 20 August 2006

We went to a party this weekend celebrating the 14th anniversary of an art space in a town near Buenos Aires. Here I am dancing a traditional dance with a traditional piece of cloth over my shoulder. Accompanied, as you can see, by a handsome Argentine man.

Being here, and eating dinner at an Argentine friend's house afterward, I felt like I was really in Argentina for the first time. Speaking in Spanish, surrounded by Argentines, it was an excellent time.

Home Sweet Temporary Home

Saturday 19 August 2006

There are thousands, maybe millions of examples of beautiful European architecture in Buenos Aires. Almost every building is covered with carvings and decorations. Intricate wrought iron balconies, grape leaves around doors, and graceful lines all around.

This, however, is where I live. I moved into this apartment today. It's actually not bad on the inside. Nice roomates. And, best of all, it's cheap.

Cafe Tortoni

Friday 18 August 2006

We did a scavenger hunt today in Buenos Aires, the treasures were historic locations. This is the oldest cafe in the city, where many famous artists, writers, and tango singers (including Carlos Gardel himself) have been known to hang out. We had a hot chocolate there, and enjoyed the atmosphere.

Beneath

Thursday 17 August 2006

Some road work is happening down the street from our hostel. (More jackhammers, grrrrr) When they tore up the concrete, they found cobblestones below. This is a neat old city.


P.S. As you can see, I am not always punctual with this "every day" thing.

Shots heard cross the world

Wednesday 16 August 2006

You see a lot of posters here dealing with the conflict in Lebanon. Judging from the number of Stars of David that appear in the obituaries, there is a large Jewish population. And down the street from here you can find the Ray Fahd Islamic Center. This poster here says "Israel out of Lebanon and Palestine!"

Los nudos

Tuesday 15 August 2006

This tree not has not only spikes, but eyes as well. It must be some kind of super-villain of trees. An evil mutant criminal tree. There were big seed pods on it too, maybe they explode when you provoke it. I don't know, just don't mess with this tree.

Yo Soy Antonia

Monday 14 August 2006

I am Antonia.

The Redcoats are coming!!

Sunday 13 August 2006

In the Plaza de Mayo, downtown Buenos Aires, there was a renactment of the "reconquista" today. Soldiers, canons, gunshots, villagers fleeing, and lots of smoke. No one died, though.

Two hundred years ago today the British were expelled from BA by a ragtag group of locals (aided, by the looks of things at this recreation, by the Spanish troops in snazzy blue uniforms) and went home "with their tails between their legs." Only to come back a year later, and be beaten back again. The Argentines and the Brits seem to have a lot of bad blood between them.

Church

Saturday 12 August 2006

Back in a Christian nation, looking at churches instead of temples. I am currently working on holding the camera still - churches are a good place to practice.

Don't cry for me . . .

Friday 11 August 2006

The famous Casa Rosada. That is the balcony from which Juan and Eva Peron, among other politicians, made their speeches to the crowds below. Today, the plaza was mostly full of pigeons.

Bare Halo

Thursday 10 August 2006

She and four other women stand across the street from the Basilica of San Fransico.

Disappeared

Wednesday 9 August 2006

On the streets here you occasionally see reminders of the darker chapers of Argentine history. This poster is one of these, a remnant of the "Dirty War," a time when the military government was busy ridding the country of dissidents, their families, and many people just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The title reads "It's been thirty years since her disappearance." The text describes a mother of four who began asking questions and getting involved in politics after her son was kidnapped. This earned her an abduction from her own house. Hundreds like her were taken, almost all of them tortured and killed, often dropped out of planes into the river. These missing people are far from forgotten, and there are still marches every Thursday in memory of them.

Evita

Tuesday 8 August 2006

We went to the Evita Museum today - they have everything from old paychecks to dresses to earrings to her brother's clock. Not much history, but a lot of adoration. And her funeral was 14 days long, can you imagine?

Last Minutes

Monday 7 August 2006

La Calle Florida

The meat is coming now.

Sunday 6 August 2006

I likely ate more meat in one night at a "parrilla" in Buenos Aires than I have in the past year.

Woof

Saturday 5 August 2006

If teaching doesn´t work out, maybe I can become a professional dogwalker . . .

Off I go

Friday 4 August 2006

¡Hola! Welcome to my photoblog -- one photo for every day while I travel around Argentina and beyond. Today, Friday August 4, 2006, I arrived in Buenos Aires. And I´m off!