The Rain Is Not Staying on the Plain

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As I dropped the submarine shaped piece of chocolate into the hot milk - to create an appropriately named submarino - I thought about how the best laid plans could be, well, submarined. I was sitting in the Café Tortoni, one of the oldest coffeehouses in Buenos Aires, but also one known to have been taken over by tourists. I actually had planned not to visit it, to instead focus on more “authentic” establishments further from the hustle and bustle of Plaza de Mayo (apparently pronounced “ma-sho” here!). But my whole day, my first in Argentina, was derailed (mixing metaphors) by the incessant, torrential rain that began shortly after I settled in this morning and which continues to pound the streets as I write. Indeed, one of my great hopes for the day was to wander the Feria de San Telmo, one of the largest street markets in the city. The market only occurs on Sundays , and this is my only Sunday in Buenos Aires. The poor vendors that I ran past were huddled under whatever building overhangs they could find, or were wrapped in plastic sheeting like their increasingly soggy wares. By early afternoon most had despaired of making a sale and had packed up and gone. And the rain kept coming down.

Now, of course, a rainy day can be downer, particularly when you are excited to explore a new city. However, stirring the quickly melting submarine, I couldn’t help but also realize that the rain had offered new possibilities, new memories.

How could I forget arriving to the warm hospitality of my bed-and-breakfast, the aptly named El Edificio de los Pavos Reales (Building of the Peacocks - a gorgeous Art Nouveau structure tucked between more workaday neighbors), just as the first drops began to fall? How could I forget emerging from my first subte (subway) ride, itself a flash-back to the late-19th century, to see the grey majesty of the Palacio del Congreso just as the first downpour hit? How could I forget dodging raindrops as I ran down Av. de Mayo, hopping from one grand, sheltering fin de siècle building to the next? How could I forget the cafés I kept patronizing to dry off, from the small gay establishment called Pride in San Telmo to, yes, the famous Tortoni? The answer to all these is: I can’t, and wouldn’t want to.

The rain also “forced” me into another indoor activity, a visit to El Zanjón de Granados. Again, it was not on my original, very loosely defined “itinerary” for my first day in Buenos Aires. Yet, fortuitously, it was the perfect introduction to the city and its history. Basically an urban archaeological display of the early Buenos Aires, the building showcases all the layers of San Telmo, one of the oldest portions of the city, without overdressing them. I might not have gotten to shop in the streets outside, but I got to peak at the humble founding bricks of this amazing place.

After going into sugar shock from the submarino, I ventured forth, once more, into the lashing rain. The deluge “forcing” me to return to Los Pavos Reales a bit earlier than I had imagined I would (again, thwarted!). But that just means I get to enjoy, all the more, the comforts of this lovely, lovely place - stained glass and all.

So, this day was not submarined after all!

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Photos

Borges' Hangout
Even here, I am a literary tourist...

Comments

[Marina]

Can't believe you really are there...
James, so nice to read your blog. I won't miss a single entry about your trip to Argentina, I can assure you that. Can't believe you are right now in my beloved Buenos Aires... Are you sure you haven't photoshopped your face in The Tortoni picture? It is strange to know that you really are there, walking down the streets where I grew up! Sorry it is raining so hard (I saw on TV that a big soccer game between Boca and River was suspended, so it must have been a truly big storm!) but glad that you still got to see interesting things in town. Buenos Aires is indeed beautiful and you will see it in its full splendor when the sun shines again. All the best my friend, and have a wonderful stay in Argentina! Marina

[Ami]

Ah, lovely, lovely Bs. As! Thanks for the walk down memory lane. :)