Kristina Argentina
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Carlos Gardel? More adventures in Recoleta
Since my parents never read my blog, I feel it is ok to publish exactly what they are getting for Christmas, even before they get it. So my mom is getting a fruit basket/hot plate - am not even going to try to explain it, so just look at the pic. My dad is a very hard person to buy things for, so I decided to get him something pretty unique (thanks to Brett for the idea).
There is a little old man who plays the guitar, sings, and dances tango by himself in Plaza Francia. I have been told by the wise guides of Biking Buenos Aires, that he and his brother traveled around South America, collecting and writing music from the Andes and all over. He’s a very nice guy, who will tell you 40 pesos for 1 cd, and in another breath tell you 40 pesos for both, and then state he can’t remember, so hold onto your wallet! Not sure if he was senile or trying to pull a fast one on us.
I saw him the next day at the San Telmo maket, this time dressed as Carlos Gardel. Carlos Gardel was one of the most famous propagators of tango that has existed. He was an actor, singer and composer. He was born in either Toulousse, France, or Uruguay somewhere between 1887 and 1890, but grew up in Buenos Aires. He died in 1935 in Colombia in an aerial accident. In between, he had a gun fight and was shot in the thorax by Che Guevara’s uncle, and acted with Bing Crosby, among other things.
