Buenos Aires

We slept well with almost no effects of jet lag; perhaps it was the steak and red wine. It was just as well as we had to be up early for our city tour of Buenos Aires. The early start was to ameliorate the worst effects of the heat. It was very sticky today, with temperatures well in excess of 30 centigrade and high humidity. No matter our guide Joy called for us just after 8am. Joy was passionate about her city and was interesting on issues like politics. It was great to have an experienced guide and she tailored the tour to suit us.

First stop was the Square of the 9 May that is the centre of power in Buenos Aires. So much so that some of it is permanently barricaded against demonstrations. There is a permanent vigil to remind people of the Falklands (Malvinas) war, and references to the mothers who protest weekly about the 30,000 people who were disappeared under the dictatorship. Joy’s mother was alive at that time and she told us how repressive life was and how most people lived in fear. She was particularly bitter that some of the perpetrators had been pardoned. On one side of the square is the main cathedral of Buenos Aires, as can be seen from the photos this was Romanesque in construction, more Italianate than Spanish colonial. Perhaps this reflects the large number if Italians who emigrated to Argentina.

One figure dominated the tour Eva Peron, our guide obviously revered her. On one of the high rise buildings in the main street there are two massive images of her, one of her oratory facing the powerful neighbourhoods and one of her in a more natural pose facing the working class neighbourhoods. Later in the day we were to pass the theatre where she first met Juan Peron, and of course finally a visit to her grave, well a small mausoleum.

We then spent some time in the old neighbourhood of Sao Telmo that comprises of old low rise buildings and is in the process of being gentrified. Here we stopped at the indoor market for a welcome coffee. The market felt very European in character much like the British covered markets. The streets were full of expensive looking antique and art shops.

By contrast our next stop was Boca a slum area many streets of which are dangerous. However there is a protected area near the river that claims to be the home of tango. Here the corrugated iron houses had been pained garishly, there were artists selling their wares and tango dancers on the street wanting you to take their photos. Here we see Marion practicing her steps.
Boca is of course home to the famous Boca Juniors football club, to my mind their stadium although older was situated not unlike Anfield right in a working class neighbourhood. Apparently the team’s colours of blue and yellow are a reflection of the Swedish flag. The founders had agreed to adopt the colours of the next boat that landed at the nearby port.

 

The river at this point had another interesting feature that reminded us of home, a transporter bridge. Just a little more modest than the one in Middlesbrough. This led us to a drive along the riverside and the docks area, which like downtown docks areas everywhere has been gentrified and is now full of expensive apartments overlooking the water. A quick treat was a visit to the magnificent Retiro station that unfortunately reflected the faded state of the Argentinian railway system. Our final stop was the upper-class cemetery where Evita is buried. Her mausoleum is quite modest compared to the extravagance of some of the others. Much gold leaf and to my mind tastelessness was in evidence.

So I feel that we have got a real flavour of Buenos Aires, it is obvious though that the economy is not strong. There is much evidence of poverty exacerbated by an inflation that today was reported to be running at 40%. It is no wonder that everybody is pleased to accept US Dollars. There also seems to be an intense politicisation underlying life.

Tomorrow we board the Seabourn Quest bound for the Antarctic, so updated will still be made but may not be so regular.

Al Carbon

When in wintry Scarborough I found a restaurant close to the hotel where we are staying, my objective was a typical Argentinian meal, steak. We were not disappointed. About 100 metres away at 7pm Al Carbon was empty, by the time we left at 9.30 it was heaving.

We had a simple meal, rib-eye steak, chips and grilled vegetables. It was superb, the steak was tender, easy to cut and radiated the most fantastic juices, Added to that we had a great bottle of Malbec, to give us the quintessential Argentinian experience.

The service was friendly and the bill reasonable, a great start to our holiday.

If ever you are in Buenos Aires, visit Al Carbon.

Arrival in Buenos Aires

Well I left you at Heathrow, that sounds like the title of some dystopian novel. A seven-hour wait at Heathrow is in itself slightly disturbing, broken up as it is by malt whisky, red wine, coffee and grazing on snacks.

The flight was great, we were on-time leaving and on a clear night had a great view of Poole Harbour and the Sandbanks peninsular. It just feels late to be eating dinner after midnight. Unexpectedly I slept well for almost eight hours and woke to bright sun streaming through the windows as we flew over Southern Brazil. Indeed the clear skies made the approach over the River Plate spectacular.

The flight was a bit of a celeb fest, Marion was sat across the aisle from Tim Rice while Timothy West and Prunella Scales were also spotted. Arrival in Buenos Aires was smooth. It seemed quite a way into town through heavy traffic and some very poor slum areas. There is not much green in urban Buenos Aires, it is also flat as a pancake.

Fortunately despite the early hour we were able to check-in to our hotel and it was great to have a shower. Outside it is very hot, about 32 centigrade and quite humid, so as we are quite tired we resolved to have a quiet start. There was an old style-shopping arcade with a great café near the hotel where we had a simple salad lunch. Fairly bizarrely it was under a dome with frescos portraying naked women.

I have discovered a restaurant near the hotel that specialises in steak, so tonight will be steak and Malbec. Perhaps some more celebrities!!!

In Transit

This is the first day proper of the holiday blog, however do not expect too much, I think today’s a little underwhelming. You can probably tell that from the photograph that shows Marion relaxing in a quiet corner of the British Airways lounge at Heathrow where we have a seven hour wait between flights.

As is typical of such occasions our connecting flight from Leeds was over twenty minutes early. Great views of London as we approached Heathrow, almost saw Laura in her office!!!!

In contrast Scarborough was wet and miserable this morning. As we had completely cleared up last night we had breakfast at the Watermark Café on the North Bay. You can see from the photo that it was very wet and miserable. Indeed the castle was invisible behind a blanket of fog and cloud. Still a full English breakfast has set me up for the day. We were all packed and ready when the car came to pick us up, we had forebodings because of the fog, but by the time we reached the airport it was a clear day.

So we are on our way to Argentina, more from a hopefully sunny Buenos Aires tomorrow.

Getting ready for our adventure

Well we are almost packed, just the last few things to put in. Marion ran a check-list as we tried to ensure that we did not forget anything. It is the first time that we have taken three suitcases on a holiday, but we are travelling from 30deg centigrade to below freezing, as well as having the gear for Antarctic landings.

It is fair to say that we are very excited, and also a little nervous not knowing what to expect from our first experience of cruising, let alone a visit to Antarctica.

I will keep a daily blog of our trip on this site, but be aware that it may not be posted every day as I am not sure what type of internet connection I will have. It may also not be possible to upload photographs immediately.

Seabourn maintain a voyage tracker with commentary and photographs. This can be found at https://my.yb.tl/seabournexpeditions/ there is a drop down menu on the top left and you simply access the latest voyage in 2018 from Buenos Aires. We actually set sail on Saturday 13 January. Our ship is the Seabourn Quest.

Appropriately here is a photo of the flag of Antarctica that Thomas gave to us.

Bon Voyage.

Poundbury

On Tuesday I visited my elderly aunt in Dorchester and then had lunch with my cousin Jane. What was remarkable was the “urban” village where we had lunch, Poundbury. This is on the fringe of Dorchester and is a development where Prince Charles had has a huge say in the architecture. It is a curious place that is difficult to describe.

 It is a hodgepodge of styles, many reminiscent of a sort of Eastern European faded grandeur. To me the centre lacks any coherence, the buildings are probably fine individually, but do not work when put together. Indeed they seem a little brutalist.

To me also it does not harmonise with the Dorset landscape, it shocks rather than delights. My cousin said that from a distance it reminds her of a prison. I would not go that far. The problem with architecture on this scale is that it has an impact on life, in a way that a painting or sculpture does not. So perhaps we should consider such experiments more carefully. Still I urge you to visit yourselves and make up your own mind.

Besides the sandwiches and coffee in the café were excellent.

Happy New Year

Ok I am starting the New Year with a little mixture. Firstly I was given a Go-Pro camera for Christmas. Here is my first attempt at using it with Marion as the model, in more ways than one. This may add to my blogs in the New Year, or alternatively it may just bore you a little more in the coming months.

Yesterday we drove down to Poole for the New Year. We had a celebratory dinner with Marion parents where the star was definitely Marion’s magnificent hot water crust hand raised turkey and ham pie. It tasted just as good as it looks. Otherwise we had a low-key celebration of the New Year, with the usual thoughts and wishes for the New Year.

2018 dawned with pouring rain, however as promised at lunchtime the sun appeared and it was a lovely afternoon. I took the opportunity to walk along the beach to Bournemouth and back. I think the promenade was more crowded than a summer’s weekend. There were even some crazy people bathing in the sea!!!! You can get the impression of the day from this photograph.

So Happy New Year to all my readers, thank you for sticking with it in 2017 and I promise some surprises in 2018, starting in January with South America and the Antarctic!