On our way to meet up with Julie-Anne, we try chatting to our taxi driver. In our little black Spanish phrase book, we have written down a number of important sayings and expressions to help us get through our day. On the page entitled, Taxi Questions, we've scrawled several inquiries in order to converse with whomever our taxi driver may be. Questions such as:
• How is your day going? (Como es vos dia?)
• How long have you lived here? (Cuanto tiempo ha vivido aqui?)
• Ha visitado otros lugares on Argentina? (Have you visited other places in Argentina?)
During our fifteen minute ride to Julie-Anne's apartment in Once (pronounced "aun-ce") we learn that our speeding chauffeur is from Boliva and has lived in BA for 15 years. He has travelled to Cordoba, Mendoza and Mar del Plata, the beach region. This is his favourite place in Argentina.
Not bad at all for fifteen minutes of VERY active listening.
Now, onto our visit with Julie-Anne. Once we'd decided to come to Argentina, my parents graciously reminded me that we have a family friend who lives right here in BA. Contacts, contacts, as my Dad likes to say. And a great contact it is! Julie-Anne is the daughter of Alan and Vicki Cosgrove — Alan and my Dad were friends who worked together long ago. I met Julie-Anne years ago when I was a mere boy of 12 and we stayed at their house for a night before heading off on our family tour of Europe (also in a camper van — I'm having odd an deja-vu moment as I write this...)
After buying our plane tickets to fly from Australia to Buenos Aires, we get in touch with Julie-Anne and plead for HELP! Where should we stay? How do we get from the airport into the city? Can you recommend a good Spanish school?
It's Julie-Anne to the rescue! She patiently assists us with all our questions about BA, helps us find our apartment and even arranges for Nico, her trusted taxi driver, to greet us at the airport and bring us into the city. It's a huge relief for us to have this support.
Last night, we finally have a chance to meet up, thank our patron and then pester her with all our other questions about BA life. Julie-Anne suggests we come out to Once and meet her at her apartment so we can see where she lives. The building itself is an architectural marvel, over 100 years old and wonderfully maintained. Here's a quick look at the outside (photo pinched from the blog link below):
If so inclined, you'll find more on the building and architect here:
http://virginiocolombo.blogspot.com/2007/03/rivadavia-3216-36-la-casa-de-los-pavos.html
And now some pics from the inside:
The building main foyer. (Yes, that's the foyer!)
The classic elevator:
And then the apartment itself. Note the amazingly high ceilings and original old doors which create the warm and inviting space filled with old world character. (Heck, I could write for Home and Gardens...)
The old servant's quarters and kitchen...
Julie-Anne owns her incredible place, having sold her flat in London a few years back in order to move to Buenos Aires. She tells us about the buying process, which was ALL IN CASH (standard procedure when buying property here) and how it took over two hours for the seller to count all the bills! "And then I had to pay half the charge for an armoured car to come and pick up all that money," Julie-Anne adds with a chuckle.
After our tour, we hop a cab back down the avenue to a local restaurant and have a great and unhurried dinner (It's past 1:00 a.m. when we get home — early by BA standards). It's truly pleasant (and a bit of a relief) to have an authentic conversation with someone in a shared language we all feel comfortable speaking In between our questions ("What's up with tipping and why are Argentinians so nosy?"), Julie shares with us her love for tango dancing which brought her to BA and her fascination with the local architecture. She also reveals some inside scoop on the Recoleta Cemetery which is the inspiration and focus for her stunning "reflective" photo work which can be viewed online here. Definitely, not to be missed:
http://julieannecosgrove.com/
The rain begins to fall when we leave the restaurant, but that doesn't stop us from visiting two more magnificently designed buildings in the neighbourhood. We are so happy to reacquaint ourselves and spend time with our charming friend who helped us get set up in BA — a highlight of our visit so far!
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