Buenos Aires & The Installation of the Cristobal Colón Statue: Days 3 & 4
- Courtney Comstock
- Nov 8, 2017
- 4 min read
The Cristobal Colón Statue: I mentioned yesterday that in 2013, Cristina Kirchner dismantled the Cristobal Colón statue in Plaza Colón behind the governmental palace. WELL pictured below is the location it was moved to in 2014, and it remained, in pieces on the lawn here - until today! I can't believe my luck in both being here for the awaited installation and also finding out about it, which I did *just in the nick of time* from the Embassy because I got in touch with them after this whole monument removal scandal piqued my interest. I got to the coast barely 30 minutes before the installation began. Since the site itself was closed off (crew only), I ended up on a nearby dock with a 4-man press crew and a woman from Vancouver who just happened to be running by and came over to investigate the action. Surprisingly, we were the only ones there to watch, so we all truly bonded in the cold, wind, and rain watching this ~90 minute process.
When I first got there:
30 minutes later, the suspense was over. Movement!
And over the course of the next 90 minutes...
From here, the crew had to rotate him!
And finally, he lands.
The video is cool to watch too. The whole process was much more exciting than I thought it would be, mainly because I did not realize the height to which he needed to be lifted!
I'm going to write a proper article about the whole thing, but not now.
Moving on... there are so many lovely parks in Buenos Aires. I recommend wearing polarized sunglasses when traveling because everything looks better and more colorful. Like the jacarunda trees blooming everywhere! So purple.
Plaza del Congreso de la Nacion Argentina:
Desayuno in Buenos Aires: (Breakfast) I have decided to try a different spot every other day for tostadas, the creamy queso and marmalade toasts I mentioned yesterday. And dedicate an entire post to them because breakfast is my fave meal of the day and I'm really into this breakfast. Because I love them, I'm going to my fave so far, at Cafe Duo Bar, every other day.
Their tostadas:
I read a blog of the "best coffee shops in BA," which included Coffee Town in San Telmo Market, clearly a good option because that market is super fun, buttt it is not the most comfortable place to park for awhile, too busy and there's table service, which in my opinion, makes it a bit awkward.
Then I tried Cafe La Poesia, which I walked past on my way to San Telmo Market and made plans to return because it looked very cute. As it happens, Poesia is on a couple of blog lists ("Best Places to Dine Outside" - agree; "Eat Drink and Be Merry at 10 Best Cafés in BA,"- maybe and "Best Brunches in BA" - maybe). Table service but nice vibe and I liked it well enough.
Then I tried PRIDE Cafe, also fine, with table service, good oatmeal cookie. In most of my travels, though, many places on the "best" lists are not the best and that is true for all three of those places. Tourists in all of them. I am a New Yorker and I don't like tourists, even when I am not in New York. I would never go to a tourist spot in New York, nor recommend any to friend travelers. They are not true New York and (I think? I still need to travel more to make a definitiv claim) the same is true in every city. This is why I love walking a ton and discovering my own spots, and also Tinder, because so far, no date has failed me recommending a great spot.
Cafe Duo Bar: Stumbled on my current fave coffee shop by accident, just walking by. The barista is super attractive, which never hurts, and he seems to know 50% of the people who come in quite well, giving them warm greetings and kisses. Its ambient noise is perfect for working, and I already mentioned how much I love their tostadas, the bread and cheese - yum and yum.
Tostadas at Tostado Cafe Club below. I just typed "Tostadas" into google maps and found this little Argentinian chain. Their tostadas were totally tasty, less glamorous in presentation and not quite as good as Cafe Duo's but the space (I went to the one on Córdoba and Paraná) was cute, particularly downstairs, they have wifi, it's a comfortable place to park, and the lunch (almuerzo) options look healthy and tasty (I will be back), and they put cinnamon on the cappuccinos. One of my New Years' Resolutions was to put cinnamon in my coffees. I like to make very simple resolutions, like flossing more.
Finished Non-Fiction book #2: Global Passage. Loved loved loved this relatively short book about the Panama Canal, written by the former Chairman of the Canal Commission. I am inspired to read more about the Canal, follow the potential development of a new canal in Guatemala. I encourage everyone to read this quick page turner. It was fascinating.
Commentaires