One final La Rioja event and then 9/25 on to Buenos Aires
Argentineans eat small breakfasts. Coffee, media-luna (small croissant shaped sweet), bread, jam and fruit. Nothing like a "typical" American breakfast. My last morning in La Rioja I decided to break ranks and go for a ham and cheese omlette. Since Argentineans eat eggs almost any other time than breakfast what arrived was a huge portion of scrambled eggs with ham and cheese. While we were eating a young boy of about 8 came into the restaurant to beg. This is not unusual there. We had just finished paying the bill. The young boy eyed the large portion of eggs still left in front of me. Unsure of what to do I gave him some pesos and started to leave. As I left I turned around to see the waiter giving the boy what was left of my food. I was thankful and relieved. I will never again hesitate in that situation. It seemed such a simple decision after the fact.
Buenos Aires is fabulous. It is a bustling city that reminds me of a cross between New York and Paris. The architecture in much of the city is in the French style. I must admit that after 2 1/2 weeks in La Rioja this city girl was happy with the change of pace. Instead of the La Rioja style fiesta music and a quiet dinner at the apartment my friend and I went with two medical students from Buenos Aires to a fun Greek restaurant where we broke plates when the traditional Greek dancers swirled about the floor. They provided the plates...When we left after midnight the dramatic differences between the last two weeks and then struck me like a thunderbolt. The children of La Rioja could not close their eyes and even come close to imaging an experience like mine. How fortunate I am.
The National Museum of Fine Art in the Recoleta section of Buenos Aires has art from across the world. It is a vast collection mostly donated by wealthy collectors from Argentina. From Gaugin to Pollack and sculptures by Rodin (The Kiss one of my personal favorites) to a Pre-Colombian collection it is certainly worth the visit. Also wandering through the cemetary where Evita Peron is buried is truly a trip through the history of Buenos Aires. Massive crypts with carved marble statues and reliefs make for a fascinating tour up and down row after row of majestic mausoleums. The most interesting part is that unless the family still pays to maintain the mausoleum they fall into disrepair and decay. A true work of art can be right next to one that has doors that are broken, shrines that have weeds growing through and around them and wooden caskets that appear to be disintegrating. It is quite eerie even in broad daylight. A "hippy market" that has grown into its own event on weekends is a great place to find handcrafts from local artists and artisans. Leather and woven items are the best buys. Unlike in Europe the American dollar is strong in Argentina at almost 4 to 1. Tomorrow we are off to San Telmo with the students. It is the home of the Tango. I feel lighter here. It is much easier when desparation does not follow you down the street asking for a peso.