Tuesday continued

W and I passed a cardboard box collector this morning. Cardboard is often what garbage vandals are after and cardboard is a roaring trade. Ah, I see another customer (in the cafe, in case you have forgotten where I am), a dignified woman in red and black also with a plate of three things, so maybe I am not as greedy as I thought.

I am proud of my Spanish speaking. I obviously looked confused as I looked at the open shelves of bakery delights to the side of the shop and the boy behind the counter offered me a plastic basket and tongs. I said, ´¿Como aquí?´and the boy motioned to me to take a table!

It is a chilly morning but the sun is showing itself. Buenos Aires is not beautiful. There are dramatic old buildings in this area, but they are offset by the greyness of the narrow streets. Haedo may be beloved but its houses are hodgepodge and odd, its apartment buildings boxes, though boxes with nice wooden slat shutters. It is like no city I´ve ever seen and I cannot describe adequately the way the houses look: they defintiely don´t give the usual impression of walkway, door, windows on either side. Some are two-storied with balconies...

Yesterday, when I said I was invigorated by the city, W countered that it is tiring always having to watch your bag and worrying about pickpocketing and, of course, actually being pickpocketed or robbed. That pulled me up. I romanticise big cities but I do reckon constantly being anxious on the streets and suffering purse-snatchings would wear thin.

I shall give in and eat the roll - while I delve back into Sartre.