Argentina Beunos Aires

What an impressive city. I think this is in a  big part because it's so culturally congruent with my own experience and also therefore because it's what and how Lima and La Paz aren't.

I had mixed emotions about coming here as my cousin Clifford who was a Sergeant in the Welsh Guards was killed on the Sir Galahad In Bluff Cove during the Falklands War. The television coverage of the burning ship has been in my mind.

I felt guilty about enjoying it so much, it's a bit like the time I bought a Japanese car and was concerned about how my father would feel. (He was in The Chindits and fought them in the gurgles of Burma,  behind the event lines for years during the war).

Anyhow I have lead those ghosts to rest though still respecting Clifford I intend to enjoy this place.

There are two other big first impressions, one a hugh silhouette portrait of Eva Peron on the side of a high rise block, as you drive into the city from the airport. The second was the Tour Guides considerable coverage of the issues related to security. Pick pockets in particular,  who have skills and degrees of sophistication and competence that Fagin would be proud of. So I've been on a war footing in that regard continually scanning front and behind as they work in teams. That hasn't helped the thinking about Clifford and the Falklands.

So, we went out last night to an Italian, en mass not far from the Hotel with Sandra, the Tour Guide. She did say that the portions were big but we all thought we could manage one whole dish. How wrong we were! Even I couldn't manage it. The food was good too.

A walk home and back to bed and all things considered a lovely sleep. Here I am Sunday morning looking forward to the day and I want to try and get to Mass this evening. Shaun said he might come I tentatively asked him and Di said she'd like to come which funnily enough didn't surprise me.

So that's where we're at other than to acknowledge it's a very attractive society, a cultured place. It's got a very European feel to it and that makes the Falklands War more difficult to accommodate.  One last observation. They've got a Harrods here but it's empty and almost derelict. I acknowledged the pity of that to Sandra   she agreed. I think she was a bit economical with the truth, there's a relationship to the Falklands War and Fayed the owner of Harrods pulled out, he is a royalist.