Places to go, things to smell
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
El Mercado de San Telmo
Anyone who follows us knows that we have a fondness for markets. Fondness? Maybe obsession is a better word! So please indulge us once again while we show you around Buenos Aires' Mercado de San Telmo.
First a little context: San Telmo is one of the oldest and most famous of the city's barrios. It's had its ups and downs over the years, from humble port-related industrial roots to almost becoming an upper middle class neighbourhood, to suffering a Yellow Fever epidemic that drove away its nascent bourgeoisie. The area has had a romantic "faded glory" quality for a few decades. It is fitting, then, that it became home to the retail side of the city's many antiquarians. It's principal street, Calle Defensa, is lined with antique shops filled with the trappings of yesteryear, ranging from what can be charitably termed "junque" to the most superb of artifacts.
Rather well hidden behind the streetfront commerce of flea marketing is the old San Telmo market. Unless you approach from one of the streets beside or behind it you may well miss it. From Calle Defensa it is entered via a passage lined with a few tattered stalls hawking cheap jewellery and old posters, and home to a rather unpromising looking little café. We watched many a tourist give a quick peer in and keep on walking. At the back of the passage, though, one suddenly notices some steps and an impending sense of spaciousness. You gaze into this mysterious place and take in a jumble of fretted ironwork and a hazy atmosphere before succumbing to its allure.
Down the stairs you go and you are instantly standing in another era. This, in reality, is what gives the market its present day appeal- a sense of the past. Truthfully, it's not much of a place to shop for food these days. We did see a few vendors who had beautiful fresh produce, and with more variety than found in the big supermarkets, but they seemed pretty lonely. There are also a few places to eat or have a coffee, but much of the market is now occupied by the same variety of second hand stores that pepper the neighbourhood.
This is probably just as we'll because if the wares being sold were of more interest you'd probably forget to look up at the remarkable structure and try to imagine how wonderful it must once have been to come here to do your daily marketing. It's a magical atmosphere!
OK, since you asked, we did do just a little browsing in the vintage shops. Fortunately for us the men's fashion trend so popular up north of carrying a bag with handles has not yet manifested itself in Buenos Aires, or else this classic find would not have awaited Jay's eagle eyes.
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El Mecado de San Telmo
enter from Calle Defensa
between Estados Unidos and Carlos Calvo
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Friday, November 9, 2012
Frida Friday!
So, who's seen the Frida and Diego exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario? We're dying to go!
image courtesy http://leizner.tumblr.com/
Stop by our Tumblr page today to check out Frida Friday!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Memories of a perfect day in Buenos Aires
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Let's not kid ourselves....it has been wet here the last few days...really wet! But the plus side is that when the sun comes out, as it did today, everything is blissfully green and the spring "aroma" is....just simply divine! It is never much fun when it rains when you are on holiday but...we have taken it as a sign from the gods to "slow it down, fellas"! So we listen, as hard as it may be...naps, reading that new novel bought just for this...and just enjoy it! ....but when the sun returns!!! Oh my! We are children!
Today was one of those days! It is spring here after all, so that is a huge bonus in the olfactory department. As in everywhere else in spring, things are 'a-blooming' and there is no better hue of green than "early spring green". We had noticed on a previous trip a "bijoux" of a museum not far from our place, and since the weather was to clear why not give it a try? Added bonus, the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo was free on our chosen day! Since the museum only opened at 14:00 we thought that a morning visiting the surrounding parks might be grand! We were not disappointed! Along with the aforementioned "greenness", flowering trees and monumental statuary surrounded us, all this a mere 5 to 10 minute walk from our home base! A chance encounter of a single file of "leaf cutting" ants proved awe inspiring, their huge wind-challenged endevour stretching dozens of meters from their destination!
Our journey continued through yet another park where we discovered in the distance one of Buenos Aires' most iconic sites, that of the "Floralis Generica"... Needless to say many pictures were taken at a site that we really had not thought of seeing!
We continued our way passed phenomenal "brutalist" architecture, across the busy avenue where we spotted, again in the distance, the National Library. We took note that after lunch and our museum visit it was only a short walk to this architectural marvel. Lunch was a simple, light affair that suited us just fine before our arrival at the magnificent French inspired chateau where an incredible exhibition of art from various museums in the "La Marche" region of Italy did not disappoint! The chateau was a fine example of late 18th bourgeoisie, with grand rooms including a miniature version of the hall of mirrors of Versailles! Then as is our habit here, a short stop for a "cortado" on a sun dappled terrace in the Museo before our next stop, the National Library!
The Biblioteca Nacional did not disappoint, in all it's '70's architectural concrete splendor, made even better with the mid afternoon sunlight giving us the opportunity of multiple photos! We continued on, feeling energized, through the leafy well to do "barrio" of Recoleta to the must stop of any visit to Buenos Aires, Recoleta Cemetery.
The "light" of the late afternoon proved to be the perfect opportunity for many moody, textual photos. Crowded, overgrown and even, dare we admit, somewhat "romantic" in many ways, we return here every time we visit this incredible city to pay homage to "Evita", along with the many laid to rest here in this most bustling and amazing part of Buenos Aires.
By this time we had ventured quite far from home and it being just after 18:00 we thought our best plan would be to take a cab home. This is one of the many joys here in BsAs! Cabs are so plentiful and inexpensive that for much less than you might expect, you can get a great ride to your destination and if you are as lucky, as we were this day, have a cabby playing wonderful old school tango! The ride home from Recoleta to Palermo home base was a whopping $4.00! What's not to love?!
Today was one of those days! It is spring here after all, so that is a huge bonus in the olfactory department. As in everywhere else in spring, things are 'a-blooming' and there is no better hue of green than "early spring green". We had noticed on a previous trip a "bijoux" of a museum not far from our place, and since the weather was to clear why not give it a try? Added bonus, the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo was free on our chosen day! Since the museum only opened at 14:00 we thought that a morning visiting the surrounding parks might be grand! We were not disappointed! Along with the aforementioned "greenness", flowering trees and monumental statuary surrounded us, all this a mere 5 to 10 minute walk from our home base! A chance encounter of a single file of "leaf cutting" ants proved awe inspiring, their huge wind-challenged endevour stretching dozens of meters from their destination!
Taxi photo courtesy PhillipC on Flickr
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Watch for our post on the wonders of Recoleta Cemetery,
coming soon!
Watch for our post on the striking Biblioteca Nacional,
coming soon!
*******
Watch for our post on the wonders of Recoleta Cemetery,
coming soon!
Watch for our post on the striking Biblioteca Nacional,
coming soon!
Sunday, November 4, 2012
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