I’m writing this blog from Recoleta, a beautiful neighborhood in Buenos Aires I first visited two years ago. It’s home to the famous cemetery of the same name, final resting place for families of the city’s golden age (1880-1930) and, of course, of Eva Perón.
On Halloween, it was fun to see all the parents and kids lined up for a special cemetery event. Halloween is taking over the world.
I have seen some great art on this trip, at the Malba, the Macba and the Museo Moderno
But what I enjoy most is continuing to explore the rich culture of life here.
On this second trip to Argentina, I took a week to explore the far northwestern provinces of Salta and Jujuy. At over 14,000’, near the border with Bolivia, I saw the hills of 14 colors. Below, in the town of Humahuaca, I took in food and music that felt more Bolivian than Argentine. (Llama soup is tasty.)
In Las Salinas Grandes, I walked out on blinding salt flats that rival those in Utah.
Driving from Cachi to Cafayate, I looked down on the Rio Calcachí and saw paths carved into the rocky mountainside by indigenous peoples who first came into the valley 10,000 years ago.
Driving south from Cafayate, through the vineyards that give the region its reputation for robust wines, I visited the ancestral home of the Quilmes. The Quilmes had come over the Andres and settled into this mountain overlooking a lush valley. When the Incas extended their empire south, in the 1400s, they could never conquer the Quilmes. When the Spanish came, the Quilmes held them off for 130 years. The survivors were marched to what is now a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, the majority dying in the year-long trek. In recent decades their descendants have returned to this valley, and reestablished their presence and culture.
I’m spending another week in Buenos Aires, one of my favorite cities in the world. Last night, I attended my first concert at the historic Teatro Colón, one of the finest opera houses in the world. The house orchestra delivered a powerful performance of Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 and exquisite ensemble with soloist Boris Giltburg of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4.
And, to top the evening off, my date and I had a great dinner afterwards at Fervor, an outstanding steakhouse.
It was a nice way to turn 71.
I’ll be back with more art next month. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from Argentina.
About Rand Snell: Rand Snell is a St. Petersburg, Florida, abstract and collage artist whose colorful, dynamic work explores personal journeys, recovery, healing, and transformation.
