Beattys Overseas

Huge MastA few days ago we took a walk around the Puerto Madero neighborhood, the old port center that has recently turned into a hip row of refurbished warehouses.  It´s THE place to go for a chic business lunch or for clubbing late late nights.  We found, while walking along the docks on a hot day last week, the Fragata Escuela Presidente Sarmiento, the first training vessel for the Argentine Navy.
John aboard the ship's 2nd deckThis beautiful old naval sailship is docked permanently at Puerto Madero after a lengthy career sailing around the world.  The ship now serves as a museum dedicated to itself.

This was the first ship designed for training purposes. It was built in an English shipyard by request of the Argentinean Navy. It measures 85 meters long and 13.32 meters wide with three masts, thirty-five sails and a beautiful figurehead representing the Argentine Republic on the bowsprit. The ship's name is a tribute to the founder of the Navy Academy. It set sail from Buenos Aires on January 12, 1899 and it ended its inaugural voyage on September 1900, after having navigated 49 thousand nautical miles. Now, along with the Corvette Uruguay, it functions as the Museum of Sea Navigation. See our photos of the ship here.

Dancing at the gazebo milongaThis past Sunday, we met up with Thuy who invited us to join her at her favorite Chinese restaurant in a neighborhood called Belgrano.  Within Belgrano is Buenos Aires´ Chinatown, about 2.5 blocks of restaurants, bakeries, import stores and holistic shops with Chinese lettering on their awnings and Chinese families loudly barking conversations at each other.  We had a great lunch of classic Chinese food, then walked to a Chinese grocery store to pick up some fun yummies.  Then, Thuy walked us a few blocks away to a large city park called Barrancas de Belgrano (10 hectars/25 acres), where every Sunday the Milonga called "La Glorieta" takes place. 

We showed up at about 7:30 and watched a class of 20 adults learning from a Benicio del Toro look-alike teacher.  The crowds started gathering around the large raised gazebo, though, as the open air Milonga begins each Sunday night at 8:30, after the class is through.  Thuy left to return home to Ben, so John and I watched the women walk into the park in their sandals, and change into towering 4-inch heels.  Old men arrived in suits and smiles, greeting all their comrades in dance.  When the class was over, the crowds swarmed the gazebo, choosing partners and stretching their feet.  Music was turned on their makeshift speaker system, and the night slipped in while the dancers slinked and slid all over the floor and each other.  It was a really cool introduction to the Milonga - a tango event or tango party.