Yes, THAT Cemetery

I am not a big fan of cemeteries. My dad died when I was 12 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Toledo. That was my first real exposure to cemeteries, which freaked me out at the time and for a long time after.

As an adult, I learned to enjoy walking around the lovely Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus (looking for James Thurber's grave with "the last flower" on the headstone) as well as windswept cemeteries on Nantucket, which feel haunted by drowned sailors and whalers. 

Even though I have had zero interest in touring Pere Lachaise when in Paris, I felt somewhat compelled to visit the grand necropolis of Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. I did not rush there. We had been in the city for a couple of months before I ventured there on a beautiful spring morning. I went alone because Boy has been full of questions about death, skeletons, and ghosts lately. I know it is natural for children to be interested in death, but I am not always ready to give the answers.


I found the Recoleta Cemetery creepy yet serenely peaceful. Hearing mourning doves seemed appropriate, and I heard no city sounds at all (once I left the crowds behind who were wandering around looking for Eva Perón's grave). Feral cats sleeping in the sun added to the tranquil nature of the setting.

I enjoyed it so much that I ended up going three more times during our five months in the city. 

see the caskets???

Even if death or the celebrity of death makes you uncomfortable, one cannot help but marvel at the gorgeous, eclectic monuments and the overall scale (14 acres) of the place.

Although most of the facades and graves are well cared for, many are not. It is common to find dilapidated family crypts with broken glass and trash inside. Wooden caskets are completely visible as are family photos, dead or plastic flowers, and dirty lace coverlets over the caskets. 

Some masoleums have numerous tiny caskets stacked on top of one another -- not sure if they held babies or cremated remains. In the ones you can see inside, there are also narrow steps going down with five or so caskets stacked on top of each other.

Here are some beautiful things in the cemetery that resonated with me:

resting putto

a bronze relief honoring a doctor

a life-size sculpture honoring a woman who founded a school

larger than life, this is mounted against black granite

                               

                              art deco beauty and simplicity -- I love the typography

a sculpture honoring a blind woman with her dog: she was killed in an accident on her honeymoon

                        

                      one of the very few reminders of death in the Recoleta Cemetery

Hot Dining Trend: Puerta-Cerrada Restaurants

Husband wonders where the restaurant is located.

Puerta-cerrada (closed-door) restaurants are hot in Buenos Aires. I had read about the trend in Time Out and the New York Times as well as on a few blogs, so we were eager to try it. 

This dining experience was started by a few chefs who opened their homes and serve their specialties, their whims, what is fresh, what they can get their hands on, and/or what is coming up in their own gardens. 

Part of the fun is that you don't know if there will be two or 20 people dining with you. You also are not told the exact location until you make the reservation.


Comparable to speakeasies in the 1920s, we questioned the tax, health codes, and legality of the whole situation.

These dinners are cash only. We went with friends from the U.S., and had memorable, relaxed evenings. We also met some interesting foodie expats and travelers from around the world. Although we have had a lot of great meals in Buenos Aires, Husband and I were sorry to not try a few more puerta-cerrada restaurants. We highly recommend it.

I did not take pictures of the food some reason but here is what we enjoyed.

Cocina Sunae was by far the best Asian food that we had in Buenos Aires in five months. (We found Asian food in general to be bland and overpriced. Sushi in BsAs is particularly bad, with cream cheese used on most rolls -- yuck.)

• Primer paso: wontons with beef and pork, served with a Thai sweet chili sauce
• Segundo paso: Goi Con: fresh Vietnamese hand rolls with pork, shrimp, vermicelli rice noodles, mint, cilantro, and peanut sauce
• Tercer paso/Plato principal: Gaeng Gong: shrimp stewed with red curry and coconut milk, bamboo shoots, and cherry tomatoes, served with steamed rice
• Cuarto paso: fried banana roll served with homemade green tea ice cream

Cost was $95 AR per person, plus wine.

Casa Felix:

• Custom cocktail: Brazilian mojito with piperita mint
• Amuse bouche: nasturtium leaf with almond frittata
• Botana: chipa, paico criolla with sweet lime, fennel, and pea puree
• Appetizer: winter locro, suico pesto, grilled oyster mushroom
• Intermezzo: mandarin and kumquat granita
• Plato principal: pecan and quinoa encrusted sandperch; vegetable asado; Tempranillo, pine mushroom and strawberry reduction
• Postre: moist chocolate cake with aguaribay spiced pears

Cost was $150 AR per person, plus another $50 AR per person for the wine pairing. 

"Argentina's Napa Valley"

Alta Vista winery entrance with lavender and olive trees

In October, Husband and I sneaked away (sans Boy and Girl) for a quick trip to Mendoza, "Argentina's Napa Valley". Husband was invited there to give a lecture on the upcoming U.S.elections and the Tea Party movement, so I got to tag along.

Argentina has been producing wine since the 1500s, tracing its heritage to Spain, France, and Italy. Mendoza produces 70 percent of Argentina's wine. Much of the rest is produced to the north, near Salta, with only a few vineyards flourishing to the south, in Patagonia.

Until the 1990s Argentina primarily produced inexpensive table wine for the home market. Only with the infusion of foreign capital and investment (France, Italy, U.S., and China, more recently) was Argentina able to make its mark abroad and in the U.S., although Chile remains far ahead in exports.

Argentina's most successful grape, Malbec is enjoying its moment as the darling of critics and wine drinkers everywhere.

The region is framed on the west by snowcapped peaks of the Andes Mountains. (Well, that is what the books say and the pictures show, but we happened to visit while it was rainy and overcast.) Our wonderful guide, Gustavo Delucchi told us it only rains about 30 days a year. During our short stay, we neither saw the mountains nor did we take any pictures of the vineyards -- it was just too gray.

Mendoza irrigation

Since the area is high and arid, mountain snow melt is used for irrigation in a simple but effective way -- roadside ditches and channels that run through the vineyards. Very few vineyards use the drip technology that is common in other winemaking areas.

Mendoza has three wine regions: Maipu, Luján de Coyo, and the Uco Valley. Of the 800 wineries located in Mendoza, around 100 offer tours and tastings. Since we only had one day, Gustavo recommended that we visit Luján de Cuyo. He picked us up at the Sheraton Mendoza promptly at 9:30 am. The drive out of the city took about 30 minutes. 

We were glad that we had hired a guide and not attempted to drive ourselves -- the combination of multiple wine tastings and not-well-marked dirt roads would have taken away from the relaxing nature of the trip. 

Gustavo Delucchi

Gustavo was a perfect guide, giving us informative background information and history of the region, and on winemaking and local business practices. His English is excellent, but is clearly informed by MTV and reality programs from the U.S. He told us a couple of very funny stories, where, thinking he was being hip, he used words like "pimp" and 'ho" with clients from the U.S. and England. Husband and I laughed a lot. "For sure," also rolled easily off his tongue, although Husband has noticed that many Argentines say this when speaking English.

Gustavo's service was $550 AR (about $140 USD) for the day, which included transportation in a clean, newish car. We felt that it was well worth the cost. 

Our first stop was the Achaval-Ferrer winery where we joined a tour already in progress. Husband and I have toured wineries in Napa Valley and France, so a lot of the general information, process, and equipment was familiar. Where the tour differed though was when the guide took us into the inspection and labeling room. We were impressed that every bottle produced there is inspected under light (to look for sediment) before being hand-labeled and boxed.

Alta Vista cave

Next we visited Alta Vista. The first step down into the cool cave was almost intoxicating with the smell of oak and red-wine earthiness (you know this particular smell if you have toured wineries before).

The weekend before our trip to Mendoza, friends had shared a fabulous meritage from Benegas Lynch. Although it was not on our itinerary, Gustavo was able to make a call and get us in for a private tour. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip.

family dining room at Benegas Lynch A lovely woman named Cecilia (whose sister played field hockey at Ohio State -- small world) gave us a truly great tour of Benegas Lynch and the family dining room. A bodega with an interesting history -- including that it was once owned by the family that owns El Trapiche -- we saw meticulously kept business records from the 1890s as well as a guest book from the 1920s. Displayed throughout the home is an amazing collection of traditional ponchos collected by owner Federico Benegas Lynch (whose mother is a Norton -- another famous Argentine winemaking family). Lunch was late and long, beginning at 1:30 at Bodega Ruca Malen. We savored four delicious courses that were carefully paired with wines to complement the food (or maybe the food was to complement the wine -- not sure). Many of the courses were served by the chef himself. The whole experience was ridiculously indulgent. Here is our lunch menu ($210 AR/$52 USD per person: Appetizers: quinoa and lemon salad with Arbequina olive oil, green apple chip with citrus mousse paired with Yauquen Chardonnay 2009; spicy beef brochette; pumpkin and walnut empanada served with a chimichurri sauce made with Picual olive oil, paired with Yauquen Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Starter: fresh cheese, leek, and olive terrine with pine mushrooms on toasted country bread with Arauco & Farga olive oil, paried with Ruca Malen Merlot 2005 Main: grilled beef tenderloin with cabernet and cassis sauce, fire-roasted eggplant and potatoes, and vegetable brunoise, paired with Ruca Malen Malbec 2007 and Kinien Cabernet Sauvignon 2002. Palette cleanser: chardonnay, lemon, and rosemary granitee Postre: banana wrapped in a crepe with white chocolate, cinnamon and honey sauce, paired with Ruca Malen Chardonnay 2007 And finally, coffee and petit fours. We were scheduled to visit Catena Zapata after lunch but decided to cancel since it was almost 4 p.m. We just could not ingest any more wine or food. We skipped dinner that night as well since the food/wine coma lasted about 18 hours.  Although we had one very full day in Mendoza, someday I hope to return for three or four days to visit each of the regions. Next time I would choose to stay at a vineyard with a spa instead of in the town of Mendoza. Something else to consider is that Mendoza is closer to Santiago, Chile than it is to Buenos Aires. Gustavo told us that he would drive to Santiago to pick us up and drive back to Mendoza over the Andes, which sounds fabulous. Can't wait for next time....

Benegas Lynch cave

Benegas Lynch degustation

Benegas Lynch cave

Teatro Colón: Not to Be Missed (But We Missed It)

Over a four-month period, Husband and/or I went the world-renowned Teatro Colón eight times. Well, we went to the ticket office or stood outside locked doors eight times. I am sorry to say that we did not make it inside for a performance or to tour the recently renovated facility. It was not for lack of trying.

Shortly after arriving in Buenos Aires, we began plotting our visit to the Teatro Colón. One of the world's top five opera houses for its near-perfect acoustics and stately elegance, the theater was built in 1889 but not opened until 1908 (in large part because the lead architect and the chief financier died and another architect was murdered). The Teatro Colón has more than 2,500 red-velvet seats in La Sala plus a standing-room only area, El Paraiso, for another 500 people.

Discussion about the theatre is popular among tourists and short-term expats because it recently reopened after a major renovation and refurbishment. In 2006, performances ceased for four years so a much needed $100-million dollar investment could occur, inside and out. The initial plan called for 18 months, but that quickly evolved to three years. The theater was then scheduled to reopen in May 2008 but because of delays did not reopen until May 24, 2010, which was just in time to be included in Argentina's bicentennial celebration.

We set our hopes on attending a performance with visiting family in early November. Since our group included sophisticated New Yorkers and audiophiles from Los Angeles and Indianapolis, we decided to splurge on good seats to get the most from the experience.

We visited the Teatro Colón website numerous times and decided that we should go to the ticket office in order to look at the seating chart when buying the tickets. Each trip to the theatre comprised a 60-minute-roundtrip subte ride to Tribunales and standing in line for 20 minutes or more.

Ticket-attempt timeline:

August: told that we could not buy tickets until October, no specific date given
1. Early October: ticket office inexplicably closed
October 18: told that tickets were not available for sale until October 20
October 20: told that the only tickets available were standing-room only
October 21: after consultation with family, returned to buy standing-room only tickets
2. November 4: Performance scheduled for 8 pm! Pre-performance posh nosh: high tea at Alvear Palace. Told by hotel concierge upon leaving for the theater that there was a strike and all performances were cancelled (for the rest of the month and, likely, the year).
November 9: Husband unsuccessfully attempts to get refund for tickets but could not because the purchase was made with my credit card.
November 10: I get ticket refund.

At this point we gave up hoping to see a performance in the Teatro Colón. It was unclear when the strike would end and I just couldn't take the rejection or waste any more valuable time. 

Even though we could not attend a performance, I had hoped that we could at least tour the building to learn more about its history and the splendor of the design, which features European marble, a Parisian stained-glass dome, a Venetian-tiled mosaic floor, and a French Baroque-style auditorium. Vast rehearsal spaces and studios lie underneath the building and the broad Avenida 9 de Julio, as does a costume shop that holds more than 22,000 pairs of shoes.

I was told different things at different times. The last time I was there, I was told that guided tours would be available again "sometime in 2011."  

So we were shut out...denied. Bummer.

Hello, We Must Be Going: A Day in Uruguay

Argentine tourist visas expire after 90 days. So before three months was up, we had to leave the country in order to remain in the country. Well covered in online expat discussion boards, we decided that our best option was to take a ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. It was a pleasant day, but it all seemed kind of ridiculous.

We were fortunate to have a spectacularly beautiful weather -- sunny and in the 60s. The ferry takes about an hour each way. The Rio de la Plata is muddy, brown, and not much to see. Going through customs and having our visas stamped took less than 20 minutes. Some people turn right around and return to Buenos Aires without leaving the ferry terminal. We decided to make the most of being in a new country, so we ventured into town for the day.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, Colonia was founded by Portuguese settlers from Brazil in 1680 and was an important port for smuggling British goods across the Rio de la Plata into Spanish colonies during the 17th Century. The Barrio Historico is picturesque, well maintained, and quite interesting.

Because our kids were wild that day, we did not take a historic tour, visit the many museums, or climb the 108 stairs to the top of the old lighthouse (kids must be eight years old to do the climb). 

Our ride for the day

Instead, we rented a golf cart and toured a wider area, including the Mercado Artesanal and Playa Ferrando. You can see these areas without a car or golf cart, but it would be extremely difficult with young children. (Bikes and cars are also available for rent. Taxis are available as well.) 


The golf cart did not have seatbelts, so we had to hold onto the kids to keep them from bouncing out of the cart, which they thought was great fun.

We were glad that we had not bothered to take the stroller since it would have been useless on the cobblestoned streets.

In the end, it cost more than $500 to renew our tourist visas. Here is a breakdown:

• Buquebus ferry tickets: $100 per adult, $77 per child in "turista" class
• coffee and snacks on the ferry: $10
• Thrifty golf-cart rental: $50
• lunch in Barrio Historico: $50
• souvenirs at the Mercardo Artesanal: $25
• duty-free shopping (Tanqueray and m&m's) on the ferry: $26

Call me cynical, but it seems ridiculous that Argentina forces you to leave and spend money elsewhere for a day. In a sense, it reflects the country's willingness, for better and worse, to let economic opportunities go unexploited -- witness the many Argentines who travel simply to purchase duty-free goods (especially liquor, makeup, perfume, and cigarettes). 


You can ignore or choose not to renew your visa, but I have read that there is a fine upon leaving the country and they may give you a hard time or not let you in if you try to return to Argentina.

Bastion de San Miguel

Bastion de San Miguel

Barrio Historico, near the port

Playa Ferrando