Tango

On Sunday night we returned to Buenos Aires. The city named after “fair winds” was quite gusty as we came into land on the runway of Jorge Newbery airport, racing (and significantly outpacing) the cars on the adjacent highway. We caught a glimpse of the Oasis concert concluding at El Monumental, and marvelled at the fact the sprawling city we could see from the air was matched in size by the Perito Moreno glacier.

We’ve been enjoying exploring the different quarters of the city – on foot, by uber or by “colectivo” (local bus). From smart residential areas in which we’ve dined and foraged for supplies, to the Mayfair-like Recoleta – in which the British Embassy is just one of the many buildings built in a Parisian style.

The purple Jacaranda trees make the area particularly attractive, and the smell of perfume hangs in the air from the yellow Tipa blossom, which seems to have appeared since we left for Patagonia.

Recoleta is teeming with chic cafés, including one which was a favourite haunt of the great authors Borges and Casares, who still occupy the table by the entrance!

Much of the city is a dense grid of high-rise buildings, but these are punctuated by well-maintained and flower-laden parks. Near to our flat in the Belgrano district, there is also the pretty Lago de Regatas, which has become the running location of choice for Dad and me:

This evening we all had a great time taking our first steps in the classic Argentine dance: the tango.

At the end of the excellent lesson, as we had a drink to recover (Pisco Sour – that I discovered in Peru – in my case), we enjoyed the thought that our grandparents would have approved of our evening’s activity. And probably of the nightcap too…