Trees and windows: a picturesque combination and probably an allergenic one too...
Elizabeth and I disagree on this, but at some point each morning (M: 5 am, Z: 7 am) a tempest of allergens invades our room forcing us, bleary-eyed and awkwardly coiffed, to get up and start honking like migratory geese. We haven't pinned down the culprit, but when we do it's going to make extraordinary rendition look like child's play. Watch out, wind-pollinated organisms! (Yes, that was Elizabeth talking in that last sentence)
Sharbat Gula, the Afghani girl with the piercing green eyes
A couple of days later, we visited La Boca, an extremely pictureque neighborhood that is famous both for being colorful in the sense of the visual and in the sense of being unsafe for tourists after dark. We didn't investigate the latter claim, but the former was easy to verify.
La Boca is a working-class neighborhood that grew up around a port and the jobs it offered. The neighborhood's most character-filled houses are made from tin sheeting -- aluminum sheeting, I guess we Americans would say -- and painted with colors left over from painting the ships. On a bright morning they really pop.
The neighborhood, at least right around the pedestrian-only Caminito, is full of outdoor restaurants, several of which offered live music, sometimes complete with dancers.
A little lunchtime entertainment
We found a nice shady tree-filled courtyard and, together with our housemate Seth, partook of salads and various ways of melting cheese. (For example, we discovered that the dish called the provoleta is a large slab of provolone that is grilled until it rolls sideways slightly.)
Seth enjoying the rewards of knowing what the word "remolacha" means
We were intrigued by this building's function... is it related to all that cheese?
La Boca is also a neighborhood famous for its soccer club. This weekend there will be a match between the city's greatest two rivals, the neighborhood teams of La Boca and River. We were debating going -- could be a little hairy -- but found out that tickets are going for over $100 US, and that was that. Maybe we'll catch it in a bar.
In the meantime, the kids play on.
In news beyond our noses, we've been treated to a bunch of color the last few days.
First, we headed to Centro Cultural Borges (intriguingly but not unpleasantly housed in a shopping mall) for an exhibit of Steve McCurry photographs. You may not know his name but he's taken what is arguably the most recognizable photo in the world, below. (For some back story, read this.)
First, we headed to Centro Cultural Borges (intriguingly but not unpleasantly housed in a shopping mall) for an exhibit of Steve McCurry photographs. You may not know his name but he's taken what is arguably the most recognizable photo in the world, below. (For some back story, read this.)
Sharbat Gula, the Afghani girl with the piercing green eyes
At the exhibit, the images were powerful and the colors intense. Reading the captions, we realized that this year we'd been to many of the places photographed by McCurry -- Kashmir, Cambodia, India, Thailand.
We also realized that McCurry had taken the cover image for William Dalrymple's In Xanadu, a book Z gave me for Christmas, about an Oxford undergraduate retracing Marco Polo's journey from Jerusalem to Mongolia. The book is very erudite, quite funny, and very English.
We also realized that McCurry had taken the cover image for William Dalrymple's In Xanadu, a book Z gave me for Christmas, about an Oxford undergraduate retracing Marco Polo's journey from Jerusalem to Mongolia. The book is very erudite, quite funny, and very English.
A couple of days later, we visited La Boca, an extremely pictureque neighborhood that is famous both for being colorful in the sense of the visual and in the sense of being unsafe for tourists after dark. We didn't investigate the latter claim, but the former was easy to verify.
The neighborhood, at least right around the pedestrian-only Caminito, is full of outdoor restaurants, several of which offered live music, sometimes complete with dancers.
A little lunchtime entertainment
We found a nice shady tree-filled courtyard and, together with our housemate Seth, partook of salads and various ways of melting cheese. (For example, we discovered that the dish called the provoleta is a large slab of provolone that is grilled until it rolls sideways slightly.)
Seth enjoying the rewards of knowing what the word "remolacha" means
We were intrigued by this building's function... is it related to all that cheese?
La Boca is also a neighborhood famous for its soccer club. This weekend there will be a match between the city's greatest two rivals, the neighborhood teams of La Boca and River. We were debating going -- could be a little hairy -- but found out that tickets are going for over $100 US, and that was that. Maybe we'll catch it in a bar.
In the meantime, the kids play on.
I love those windows and the bright colors of the paint. ♥
ReplyDeleteI sympathize w/ the allergies. Ugh.