Day 6 - Marilyn Manson

November 19, 2017 - Buenos Aires, Argentina

We decided to take the subway (Subte) to the Sunday San Telmo Market, what we heard was a giant antique, craft, and food market that is quite impressive.  This is probably Evan's least favorite thing to do, but he played along.

We were approached by a man about our age in the Plaza when we got off the Subway who quickly hit it off with Evan.  He was taller than most Argentinians and dressed more like he was in the Pacific Northwest than Argentina. Apparently he is from Argentina and went to school at Berkeley. He led what he called "critical thinking" tours - he gives a historical tour of the city, noting some controversial points of reference (political, social, environmental), and expected a little healthy debate and discussion along the way.  Naturally, Evan's ear's perked.  We vowed to return later for the tour he called "400 years".

Without even trying, we were quickly swept up in the market, blocks and blocks of tents and vendors, ranging from Mate cups (a little background on mate here) to creepy puppets to dulce de leche.  I was drawn to a few items, and Evan had to keep reminding me "You are going to carry THAT to Patagonia?".... can I ship it?  I considered some earrings - my favorite travel souvenir (easy to pack and well used in my not so exciting wardrobe), but didn't pull the trigger.

At one area, the street opened up into a plaza, and we watched tango dancing in the streets – couples that were fantastic, dancing on a plastic sheet in the plaza or a wooden board placed across the cobblestone. The crowd around the dancers was captivated - mesmerized by every quick step and slow serenade.  It reminded me how much I wanted to stay awake long enough to make it to a tango club one of these nights!  In college in MN, I took tango as a class.  It wasn't exactly my best grade, but our teacher was a passionate Argentinean woman that inspired me to fall in love with the music and the movement.

Another recommendation from someone we had met was in the area – a bar/restaurant called El Refuerzo.  We weren’t that hungry, but wanted to check it out for a snack and Evan’s first Argentine beer (I know, day 4 on the trip and he hadn’t sampled the beer yet, we must be sick!)  We were quickly informed by the server that if anyone came that wanted food, we would have to give up our spot.  No problem, we ordered food!

There was a man sitting at the table next to who offered us half of his table. After ordering drinks and getting our bearings Evan offered him a glass of beer and the conversation was on. Before too long, in limited Spanish, we were discussing crime and the death penalty in Argentina, Peru (it turned out that is where our neighbor was from originally) and the United States.  The argument from the man was that in Argentina, no one is held accountable, and the punishment varies depending on who you are. There is also no death penalty.  He found the two to be related.  It seems no subject is taboo in Argentina, and by the end of the conversation we were best friends and kissing goodbye.  The server, who had been jumping in and out of the conversation, left us with one piece of wisdom - the US is better, because they have Marilyn Manson!... hmm, well sir, you might be right about that.  At least we have Marilyn Manson.

We then went back to start another political discussion, with the tour guide from the Plaza.  Nikolas was there at 4:30 PM, as he had promised.  There were no other groups joining the tour, so it was just us for the day. We were off, following 400 years of Argentinean history through buildings, back alleys, sculptures, p

orts, and ending at the cultural center.  The history of Argentina is quite tumultuous and of course is centered around the desire for power and money.  The 60's and 70's in particular were quite interesting - if you have time, I'd recommend doing some reading on your own, or we can discuss over a bottle of Malbec.

The below pictures are from the Kirchner Cultural Centre, previously the main post office.  The building is beautifully designed and free to enter.  Each day they have free classes and each night, free music shows.  We just missed the orchestra, and plan to go back next week.  Nikolas informed us that this place is underappreciated, mostly due to the name.  Some Argentinians will not set foot in the building, as Cristinia Fernandez de Kirchner was a controversial figure, as any president in Argentina is.  She was the first directly elected female president, serving from 2007 - 2015.  As with all political figures in Argentina (and perhaps anywhere), there were rumors of corruption, etc.  Either way, the cultural center is something to appreciate.

We wrapped up our day by taking the subway back to the neighborhood by our apartment, and got another round of empanadas from a really tasty hole-in-the-wall restaurant before returning to pack and get some sleep.