View again after a very hot day

Welcoming Maisie into the world.

I bought a bike with the help of some Christmas presents! She is amazing- pink, with a basket, beach-cruiser style. I love her, and she is called Maisie. So to christen her, myself and two friends cycled to La Boca. This is on the other side of town so it took about 2 hours each way. We cycled through the city and saw the sites and then along the river to see the tortoises and then into La Boca. La Boca is an old part of the town painted in super bright colours. It is super touristy and loads of tango shows on the street, but its good to visit at least once. There is also the Boca Juniors football stadium which is the most famous club in Argentina and its where Maradona played and managed. We had an amazing parilla together to get our strength back for the ride home, we got the Parilla for two people so I cant imagine how many cows would be needed for a parilla for three people. Its common to get talked to by some interesting people but also some crazies, as you can see Nicole being talked to by a superbug. We never got to understand why he was wearing the costume but weirdly it feels slightly normal here and just part of the daily routine.

La Noche de los museos.

Once a year the whole of Buenos Aires opens its doors. Museums, parks, grand houses and even Zoos were open this year from 8 in the eve until 4am. Argentines are definitely night owls so this timing suits them (perhaps even a little too early for them but I guess the early opening hours are for tourists) I was lucky enough to be around for the biggest event so far with over 300 locations open overnight with each location supplying a exhibition or activity for example tango shows, music, additional pieces or rooms which are not normally on show. I went first to the Holocaust Museum. Its a complicated history with Argentines and WW2. A number of Nazi's fled to Argentina with the help of the Red Cross including many high ranking Nazi's. The museum is a discussion on what it was like for Argentines to live, work and play with people like that in their society living undetected and essentially free citizens. Many had jobs and families and lived a good life here with the money they earnt during the war. Many were welcomed by the government at the time. With this still in the minds of the Argentines its a very interesting museum to visit. There were even survivors of the concentration camps at the museum giving talks so it was a fascinating dynamic. Later I went to Congresso. This is their parliamentary house. They vote, discuss and do all the usual things here. It was amazing to visit and to go inside. Congresso is modelled on the White house and I believe much of the inside of Congresso is similar to the white house. There is also a pink room. This is for discussions and less formal meeting and was painted pink by Eva Peron as she deemed Congresso to be too masculine. Finally on our way to the Pink House we passed a 1 month old puppy. He was super cute and we spent about half an hour holding it and playing with it. It was so sleepy and dopey and was so sweet. I was very close to running away with it!

Ballet at Teatro Colon

I went to the Ballet at Teatro Colon and saw Manon. It was absolutely incredible. The theatre is similar to the old theatres in London like the Royal Opera House. Full of gilt, chandeliers and red velvet. It is truely stunning. It is actually not doing too badly ticket and audience wise which in this economic crisis and the stuggles in Argentina is amazing. The cast was twice the size of most you would see in the UK still with full sets and costumes which are not being cut from the budgets of top UK theatres so it really was a treat to see it. I have never seen Manon before but it is an incredible ballet, the story of old- love, money and death. The music is beautful with a repeating theme coming in and out and giving goosebumps everytime it appears. With pa de deux's galore, fight scenes, comedy and a slow death it has all the passion and excitement without it being too heavy. I was gripped to my seat and almost repeated my 5 year old over-excited wave to the ballerinas!

Lightning storm from my balcony

This month there has been incredible lightning storm after a humid day. Sadly I cant capture them on film very well but from my balcony I can see buildings being hit by lightning, sheet and fork lightning and I can see it moving across the city. Its stunning to watch. Here is my attempt at catching lightning on film ( I need to improve my reaction speed!)

Trip to the Polo

I went to a Polo match on Sunday. With perfect weather and a lovely trip outside the city it was just what I needed. Everyone was so effortlessly elegant and typically Argentine by knowing everyone and kissing joking with everyone in the crowd. I love that here they don't seems to have age groups, everyone is friends with everyone and its not the young'uns keeping themselves separate and the older people being more sensible or quieter. Everyone is a friend and everyone is a joy to see.
We got talking to some people after the polo and had a glass of wine while discussing the ins and outs of Polo. Being Argentine they invited us to visit their stables and farm one weekend and have a go at Polo. I am looking forward more to the swimming pool and fields but I will definitely give Polo a go (I am not sure if I should warn them that I am the clumsiest person on the planet first. I don't want to break a horses legs with an over-enthusiastic swing of the stick!)
All in all it was a typical Argentine day- sun, Polo, ice-cream, wine, talking to randomers, making friends with randomers, meeting randomers friends and family, invitation given by randomers. Love love love this country.

Photos from a day with the camera and my lovely model Nicole