¡Gol Gol Gol Gol!

Argentina came pretty close to a complete stop this morning as the national team played its second game in the World Cup, beating South Korea 4-1 and taking the lead in Group B with 2 solid wins. Offices and shops opened late; schools adhered to normal start time, but devoted the first 90 minutes of the day to the televised broadcast of the game. The word is this decision was made to prevent the heavy absenteeism that occured during the 2006 World Cup.

Although the spontaneous post-game marches to the Obelisk have not yet reached traffic-stopping volumes, futbol fever is already at epidemic levels. The Argentine public television system is broadcasting all the games of the national team and many of the other matches, as well, and the huge Plaza San Martin has been turned into "Fan Park," where multitudes gather to watch the games on a giant screen. Light blue and white - the colors of the Argentine flag and the national team - appear on everything, and Maradona and Messi are the favorite topics of conversation.

We've got our own little Messi figurine - free with the purchase of a 4-pack of Energizer batteries - watching over our World Cup schedule. Eyes on the prize. ¡Vamos Argentina!

A Day of Gilt

Last Sunday we made our second trip to the newly reopened Teatro Colon, this time for the monthly free concert at 11 am. Kurt got to the opera house in time to snag two first-come, first-served tickets in the 18th row of the ''platea,'' which usually go for around $125 USD. The Camerata Bariloche played pieces by Rossini, Albinoni, Suk, and Fernando Hasaj, a violinist and the group's musical director, who died unexpectedly in his early 50s shortly before the performance. The program was dedicated to him.

Everything about the renovation of the theater makes you feel good, from the new red velvet on the comfortable seats to the old world curtains framing the entrances to the balconies. Everything shines, especially the music. We have always heard that the higher you sit the better the sound. But we found the acoustics at orchestra level to be as superb as in the galeria. Luciano Pavarotti reportedly said that the acoustics at the Teatro Colon were so good that every mistake could be heard. On Sunday we understood what he meant. Toward the end of a program a piece of sheet music slid off a stand. Hitting the floor it made as much noise as the snare drum used in the piece.

Afterwards we headed across Avenida 9 de Julio to Palacio Español, one of our favorite "special occasion" restaurants and a fitting follow-up to the Teatro Colon excursion, since it was founded in the same year (1908). Like the Teatro, the Palacio shines in both form and in function. Following an appetizer of garlic soup, we shared a huge paella, fit for a king. And after such a day of gilt, we indeed felt like royalty.

"Estado Sionista, Vos Sos El Terrorista"

Friday evening we walked from Congreso down Avenida 5 de Mayo to the Israeli Embassy in Argentina.

We walked with a few thousand other people in protest of the murder of 9 activists aboard the lead ship of the Freedom Flotilla, attacked in international waters by Israeli commandos on May 31 as they attempted to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip, themselves victims of an Israeli blockade that violates both international law and all standards of human decency.

"Estado sionista, vos sos el terrorista." ("Zionist state, YOU are the terrorist.")

A Night at the Opera

Last night we attended the first public performance held in the newly renovated Teatro Colon, regarded as one of the top opera houses and classical music venues in the world for its superlative acoustics. The grand reopening caps almost four years of work on the theatre, which first opened its doors in 1908.

The photo on the right shows the view from our seats, up in the "galeria,'' right below "paraiso," where the cheapest tickets (some less than $1 USD) buy you a place to stand with the best sound in the house.

On the stage below us unfolded the story of La bohème, by Giacomo Puccini. Coincidentally, on June 16, 1896, Buenos Aires was the site of the first performance of this opera outside of Italy. Click here to listen to Anna Netrebko sing Musetta's aria in Act II.

We've already bought our tickets for performances by Yo-Yo Ma on June 11 and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, playing Beethoven's 9th Symphony on August 25. We'll be sitting one level down, in the "tertulia." Our tickets for these performances cost $10 each. Casi regalado.

¡Bicentenario!

Two hundred years ago today Argentina began its revolt against Spanish rule. The 2010 commemoration of la revolucion de mayo has lasted for four days. We started off our observations by hanging up our new Argentine flag on the balcony to our living room, following the lead of our neighbors up and down the street.

The official festivities were more elaborate. A lengthy section of Avenida 9 de Julio - Buenos Aires' main avenue - was blocked off for numerous events. These ranged from a parade featuring some 80 groups that have large immigrant groups in the country, lead off by the Arab-Argentine community and Bolivia and including Italy and Spain, the major sources of immigrants to the county, to nightime musical performances honoring the folkloric and tango traditions.

Downpours failed to curb enthusiasm for the celebrations, especially after Argentina won 5-0 over Canada in its last "friendly" this weekend just before leaving for South Africa and the World Cup. We hiked over to the "Paseo Bicentenario" on Sunday and Monday evenings to witness some of the activities, but rain, mud, and overwhelming numbers of people with the same thought in mind did not make for the best viewing experiences.

Today we opted for a calmer celebration at Los Pinos, one of our favorite neighborhood cafes and well known for its locro, a traditional stew served during the "fiestas patrias." Tomorrow night we're headed to Teatro Colon, which has just reopened after almost four years of renovation to restore this architectural and acoustic gem to its orginal 1908 splendor. More on that later.

¡Viva Argentina!

Celebrating Year 2

Today marks the second anniversary of our arrival to Buenos Aires as residentes rather than turistas. This afternoon we celebrated, as usual, with a nice glass of vino tinto, this time at the outdoor cafe attached to the Museo de Belles Artes. The museum is a nice stroll down Azcuenaga, past the Recoleta Cemetery. A beautiful fall day with lots of warm sunshine after some unseasonably cool weather earlier in the week.

Moving here has allowed us to pursue all those activities we envisioned doing as early retirees, especially traveling, both within Argentina and around the world. It helps that our property taxes are virtually nonexistent compared to what we paid in Texas ($128/year here v. $15,000/year in Austin). We're looking pretty content.

Las Hormiguitas de La Hormiguita

When we renovated our little 88 square meter apartment, we opted not to include a washing machine in the kitchen in favor of having more storage space and fewer headaches. When the dirty clothes pile up, we march them downstairs and two doors up the street to La Hormiguita, our favorite laundry of the many in the neighborhood. The laundry is open from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm every day except Sunday and certain holidays.

"Las Hormiguitas" (as we call the four friendly ladies who work at the laundry) will wash, dry, and fold all the clothes that fit in one large plastic bag for 14 pesos (about $3.50 USD at the current exchange rate). Much cheaper than buying and maintaining our own machines plus paying for all the washing supplies and the electricity and water. An extra benefit: we get a free "servicio valet" for every seven we pay for. Plus we have a whole set of new friends. In the photo: Sunny, Mariela, Giselle, and Katy (from left to right) right at shift change one day last week. They're always smiling!