The Convivial Life

It's an interesting way of living - probably made easy by the weather - but not entirely..... as it happens to have tipped down all last night and has just stopped at 9.30 this morning. You'd think I'd be despairing after the wet winter in the UK - but I'm not; I love it. It's proper pelting rain that relieves the gradually building heat of the day.
The central courtyard of Casa de Gerard has a table where the residents (mainly single) of this place ebb and flow. Meeting to eat or drink but mainly just to share their plans or the happenings of the day. You learn a lot - how to take a ferry in Patagonia that traces much of the route of the vastly expensive cruises at a fraction of the price for example...Not that we are Patagonia-bound but who knows when that might be handy!

Yesterday's breakfast was in the sun....lots of lusciously sweet fruit and a couple of empenadas that we probably could have done without...but I needed to try the local pasties. There will of course be food pictures in this blog as I do like my sustenance.
It's going to be hard to edit my words - but maybe pictures can tell the story better.

                         A cool bit of architecture for Italian ice-cream...lots of Italians emigrated to BAs

                                  My first milonga...an afternoon tango dancing session; I watched!

                                          The lady waits for an inviting nod of the head from the man....

I'm just enjoying living the life that Lesley has in this city with its contradictions of fabulous Empire architecture - pinched from Paris of the 19th century - and wide boulevards against its terrible broken pavements and rubbish piles being picked over by poor Portenos (name for residents of the city.)

We did go to see Puerto Madero yesterday - a swanky redevelopment of a dockland area with international architecture (you could have been in Singapore, Sydney or London) and a pedestrian bridge a la Foster...but I rather love the bus travel and the homespun places. Lunchtime was in a

local hostelry where the couple who ran it kissed us warmly goodbye, calling us 'linda' - beautiful...Haven't had a lot of that in Oxford lately.....And the fare was hearty...meatballs for Lesley;Merluza (cod) for me washed down with mate tea....pud and coffee all for about £12 for the two of us.

                                                       By the lagoons of the Rio Plata

                                                             Puerto Madero swanky bridge

                                                             A parilla (grill) street stall

I've had time to do this due to rain stopping play - so this may be as good as it gets.....! Hasta luego....