A few weeks ago I went for a stroll to Costanera Norte with my friend Deby and her husband. In the 1920s, Costanera Norte used to be a public beach along the Río de la Plata. It suffered many changes over the years, until it became a long line of restaurants with a reputation for their excellent pastas and asados. In the warm seasons, they used to be packed with customers willing to enjoy plates of good food. But the restaurants gradually closed, and the area was emptied of visitors. Recently, the Buenos Aires government renovated the area to offer porteños a place where to enjoy themselves. They transformed the old buildings into wide sidewalks and a bicycle lane, and built a boat that is actually a pier. The road passes by the old Fishermen’s Club, whose restaurant is renowned for its delicious seafood. The sidewalks make it easy to push a wheelchair, so I was looking forward to our outing. On Sunday afternoon the intercom rang, and I went down the elevator with the help of my mother’s maid. Minutes later I was sitting in the car riding to Costanera Norte.
We walked slowly, singing old songs about Buenos Aires and the river alongside it. The Río de la Plata is so wide that when the Spanish conquistadors came upon it, they called it “El mar dulce” – The Sweet Sea. You look at it and barely make out the horizon: You can only guess what country is on the other side. Above us was the sun. It was windy, so we stayed on the sidewalk, quite far from the shore. We could discern the building of the Fishermen’s Club and the boat/pier. And far away yet, the Columbus monument.
As we walked, the wind subsided. When we reached the monument we decided to make a stop. Deby’s husband locked the wheels of my wheelchair and helped me transfer to the bench under the statue. We sat in the sun for a long time, chatting and enjoying the warmth. While we chatted, I looked at the river/sea, a mix of blue and brown quietly keeping us company. Then I felt tired, so we started our way back. The next day I opened my cell phone and I found pictures of our outing: the Río de la Plata, the Fishermen’s Club, and the Columbus monument under a bright sun; memories of a perfect afternoon.
We walked slowly, singing old songs about Buenos Aires and the river alongside it. The Río de la Plata is so wide that when the Spanish conquistadors came upon it, they called it “El mar dulce” – The Sweet Sea. You look at it and barely make out the horizon: You can only guess what country is on the other side. Above us was the sun. It was windy, so we stayed on the sidewalk, quite far from the shore. We could discern the building of the Fishermen’s Club and the boat/pier. And far away yet, the Columbus monument.
As we walked, the wind subsided. When we reached the monument we decided to make a stop. Deby’s husband locked the wheels of my wheelchair and helped me transfer to the bench under the statue. We sat in the sun for a long time, chatting and enjoying the warmth. While we chatted, I looked at the river/sea, a mix of blue and brown quietly keeping us company. Then I felt tired, so we started our way back. The next day I opened my cell phone and I found pictures of our outing: the Río de la Plata, the Fishermen’s Club, and the Columbus monument under a bright sun; memories of a perfect afternoon.
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