Beyond the huge avenue is a recently redeveloped part of BA. Once full of old warehouses and dockyards on a canal made from the Rio Plata, it's now chic Puerto Madero.
I loathed it on first sight. It's just horrible, a long row of expensive cafes with large umbrellaed tables, uniform brick walls and mirrored glass windows - Yuck. Like the redevelopment of Covent Garden all the life has been sucked out of this overpriced, ugly waterside area.
What cheered me up was a parade of people, perspiring in the heat, dressed in kilts with bagpipes and Scottish flags. Whaat? They marched along the canal, crossed a bridge and stopped beside a motley collection of boats. Then, even better, they sung Flower of Scotland in thickly accented English, engaged in a strange whisky ceremony which involved 'smashing' plastic glasses to the ground and did a bit of country dancing. This are the ancestors - clearly utterly Argentine with their black hair and eyes - of the Scots who came down this very river to start a better life, hundreds of years ago. I bet they're glad they live in a warm exciting city with delicious wine and meat rather than the granite cities, grey skies and deep fried food of Scotland.
Sorry JD. But even you, which would you rather?
No comments:
Post a Comment