Funambule et Féeries: A Quiet Christmas

Préambule

Bienvenue dans mon univers irrationel et poétique – le monde et les pensées d'une jeune femme perdue quelque part entre ses rêves et la réalité. Comme une funambule, je tâche de marcher bien droit, mais ce n'est pas sans perdre l'équilibre que j'avance sur les chemins de la vie.

A funambule–funambulist in english–is a tightrope walker and féerie means a kind of wonderland, defined in french as an "irrational and poetic universe" Like a funambulist, I attempt to walk on the thin line between reality and dreams, reationality and nonsense, reason and passion, and it is not without losing my balance that I make my way into the world.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A Quiet Christmas

Posted by Une Fée

San Telmo is the oldest barrio (neighbourhood) in Buenos Aires. You can tell by looking at the streets and the facades, faded and falling apart. San Telmo used to be an affluent neighbourhood until two yellow fever epidemics (1870 and 1871) wiped out 10% of the population, and sent the rest running north to what is today the Barrio Norte. Today it is a place of immigrants and tourists, and romantic antiquated streets.

I have mixed feelings about San Telmo. On one hand, it is a fascinating place to explore, with its eye-catching street art, its old cafés, and its many antique stores. There are also a few interesting second-hand bookstores, and more and more emerging designers are setting up store.

On the other hand, San Telmo is one of the most touristy areas of Buenos Aires. It has the greatest concentration of hostels. Sundays, it gets clogged up with tourists coming to see the famous antique market in Plaza Dorrego and the long street market that runs all the way to the Plaza de Mayo.

Chritmas morning, I took advantage of the deserted streets to snap a few pictures of the barrio.

After my walk in San Telmo, I went down to Puerto Madero to walk long the waterside passageways. The sun was warm and there were a lot of porteños enjoying an afternoon walk. In contrast to San Telmo, Puerto Madero is Buenos Aires' newest barrio. What used to be an industrial has now been converted into a chic neighbourhood, filled with gleaming new hotels and condos. The two pathways that run along both sides of the waterway are populated by trendy restaurants and bars (as well as international chains like TGI Fridays and Starbucks).

Reaching the end of the port, I deviated towards the centre, hoping to find a least one open shop to buy a bottle of water and some batteries (my camera has unexpectedly shut down). It was strange to see the usually hectic Microcentro devoid of traffic and pedestrians. I walked all the way to the Obelisco, and then decided to take the long way home, back down through the port. Once was not enough. Looking for a place to sit down for a cup of tea, I stumbled upon a group from the hostel who had just sat down for beers and snacks at an outside café. I spent the rest of the afternoon with them, jumping from café to ice cream stand, and back to the hostel for dinner. Then we all set a record by going to bed before the clock struck 12 (although I did stay up reading for a few hours).