Rosario - La ciudad de la bandera

Some month ago we spent a weekend visiting Rosario, one of the main citys of Argentina after Ciudad de Buenos Aires and Córdoba Capital, since it is located in a strategic place regarding the MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) and this fact places it in an important industrial and tourist level.
We took a bus at Retiro Bus Station, there are buses every hour going to Rosario. In almost 3 hours we were in the city. It is a good "escapada de fin de semana", as we the porteños say. The city has a slower pace, it resembles to Buenos Aires, in the eclectisism of its architecture, but I think Rosario may be it looks like Buenos Aires 20 years ago, with fewer grand towers. Rosario . It invites to be visited through the many historical circuits that still preserves buildings from the begining and mid 20th century. It is beautiful to walk from Santa Fé Street and Oroño Boulevard, throught the Oroño Boulevard till you get to the riverside. The walk throught the cost of the Paraná river is lovely to do it in a sunny day, and just seat for a while sorrounded by santafecinos families that gather there to drink mate or have a pic nic. Finish the walk in the impressive "Monumento a la Bandera", built to conmemorate that on 27 February 1812, General Manuel Belgrano raised the newly created Argentine flag on the shores of the Paraná, for the first time. This monument is the starting point to a walk around the city center. In the city center we suggest to make a stop in one of the many coffe shops, and ask for a "carlitos" (a sandwich made of cheese, jam and ketchup). To dinne go to Rich Restaurant (San Juan street 1031), another classic place for rosarinos, it is a meeting point for families on sunday and friday nights. The restaurant was opened in 1932, and offer tipical argentine meals: ask for the suprema meryland, costillitas de cerdo a la riojana, or suprema a la suiza.
The city has several museums, among which are to be noted: the Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum, the Firma y Odilo Estévez Municipal Decorative Art Museum, the Dr. Julio Marc Provincial Historical Museum, the Museum of the City, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rosario (MACRo). The Dr. Ángel Gallardo Provincial Natural Sciences Museum was reconstructed after a fire in 2003 and re-opened in a new location in 2006, and there are projects to move the National Oriental Art Museum, which currently shares a building with the National Decorative Art Museum in Buenos Aires, to Rosario.

GASTRONOMIC GLOSSARY

Asado. Barbecue. Beef and offal roasted over the “parrilla”. “Asado” is also the occasion in which this meal is prepared and served. Thus, you can frequently hear words such as: “I invite you to an asado”.

Beef. The top-notch quality of Argentine beef is known all over the world. Cow sweetbreads, small intestines and blood sausages are also delicious when enjoying the asado.

Pejerrey. The pejerrey is actually criollo; it can only be found in the Argentine maritime coasts, or mountain or plain rivers.

Pizza. It is prepared al molde (baked in a pizza pan) or a la piedra (baked placing a stone, tile or
similar in the oven floor); you may eat it with knife and fork or with the hand. Usually, the delicious
triangle of pizza is eaten accompanied with fainá.
Fainá. A very tasty, browned, thin mass made of chickpea flour served to accompany pizza.

Picada. (Appetizers). Small dishes with varied food. In general, olives, small cubes of cheese and salami, fried potatoes, cold cuts and peanuts are served. They are accompanied with beer or a good
wine.

Sweet stuff. The vigilante is a traditional dessert a slice of cheese with a slice of jam (quince or sweetpotato jam). The dulce de leche (“milk jam” milk thickened by hours of simmering with a lot of sugar, pasty consistence and caramel-colored) is used as a filling for cakes and chocolates and as the main ingredient for ice creams, dessert sauces and candies. But usually it is spread on bread, with butter or alone, for breakfast or tea time. You may even eat milk jam with a tablespoon.

Mate. The local characteristic infusion. It is prepared by pouring warm water into a gourd, also called mate that contains yerba mate.Some people add sugar, but most prefer "un amargo" (a mate without sugar).

Insider´s tip:Where to drink mate: La Cholita, Address. Rodriguez Peña 1165. 4815-4506. Recoleta. La Peña del Colorado, Entre Ríos 1444, San Cristóbal. 4304-3884.

Tips on Eating in Buenos Aires

TIME TO DINNER

In Buenos Aires, people usually have dinner around 10 pm, and some restaurants are open until dawn.

ASKING FOR THE CHECK AT A RESTAURANT

People generally use the almost universal gesture of “writing” on the hand. Sometimes, and in some
places, the waiter is called by saying "jefe" or "maestro". "Mozo, la cuenta, por favor"

Tip. It is a custom to leave 10% of the check in cafeterias and restaurants and give a tip to doormen, porters and show ushers. We don´t give tips to taxi or remise drivers.

EATING OUT!

In Buenos Aires you can enjoy food from different regions and several typical specialties. The city has specific areas where you can choose from a wide range of restaurants.

Costanera Norte and Puerto Madero districts are renowned because of their parrillas (barbecues), and international food. Puerto Madero is a zone where most tourist go to feel at home when asking for food.

Avenida de Mayo surroundings is the place to taste Spanish food. Many restaurants around this area were opened by Spanish immigrants, mainly gallegos and Austrians, that arrived to the country

the first half of the 20^th century.

The most traditional pizzas can be found in Corrientes Avenue, known also as “the street that never sleeps”, because once it was narrower and had many nightclubs, cafés and bars in which you could stay all night long dancing or listening to the new wave in music: tango. Guerrín and Banchero are classic pizzerias, where you will taste a greasy and thick pizza. Try the fugazza at Banchero.

Palermo Hollywood and Soho, Recoleta and Las Cañitas neighborhoods offer gourmet specialties: elaborated, refined and exotic dishes.

Palermo viejo (soho and hollywood) now it’s the place where in-the-know travelers and hip locals alike go for their shopping (specially in Palermo SoHo) and night-life fix. It’s also home to the city’s liveliest dining scene. The area’s trendy status has brought many restaurants, Palermo has more than 600 restaurants, cafes and bars. Some of my favorites are Central, Olsen (where you can eat Norwegian food, in a excellent decorated place, I love its front garden)

In these neighbourhoods there are also a handful of new restaurants that give tribute to argentine tradition. A classic for argentine food is La Cholita in Recoleta, or Las Cholas in Las Cañitas. The food is very good an cheap, but it is always packed up with groups of friends, and the attention is not quite good. There you can eat, parrilladas (I suggest the “matambrito de cerdo”), empanadas, humitas, locro, and in tea time you can ask for mate. In 1810 in Palermo, you can have excelent empanadas tucumanas. And for San Juan empanadas, and traditional food, go to El San Juanino in Recoleta (Posadas entre Ayacucho y Callao)

In Palermo you have Jangada, where locals go for the pacú, a cousin of the piranha that can grow as large as 60 pounds, very succulent. It has also other species from the rivers of the Litoral Area.

Parrillas, are places where you may find the authentic local cooking, they offer all kind of grilled meat cuts, mostly vacune, but you may also eat pork and chicken. You may have, bife de chorizo, lomo, matambrito, morcilla (blood sausage), chorizos (big sausage, mainly eaten with bread – choripan), chinchulines (chitterlings), mollejas (cow glands – exquisite when they cooked to golden brown and with tons of lemmon juice), bondiola de cerdo (pork shoulder)... You eat the meat with salads, or french fries (papas fritas). Puerto Madero, has a lot of parrillas, packed with tourist, like Siga la Vaca, Happening, Cabaña Las Lilas, La Caballeriza. In Palermo viejo, La Cabrera has many juicy stakes you can eat with a lot of different sauces, vegetables... very tasty. For starters ask for a provoleta with olive oil (grilled cheese).

Patagonic food is another trend that is growing in Buenos Aires restaurants. At Divina Patagonia in Palermo, offers a refined introduction to the ingredients of the south: an assortment of sausages, cheeses and cured meats, including smoked deer. Main courses are— Patagonian lamb, deer loin, wild boar braised in beer. In San Telmo, you may eat delicius picadas at Mistica Patagonia, and El Territorio: with deer, smoked salmon or trout, smoked cheese, jabalí meat. For dessert try any dish with frutos del bosque (berrys). For drink, pinot noir wine, or home made beer.

A wave of Italian immigration in the late 1800’s left a lasting impression on Argentina’s culinary landscape: an argentine house always has pastas, in all its ways: spaghettis, lasagna, cannelloni... In Palermo, one of my favorites restaurants is Bella Italia Cafè. A small cozy place.

WHERE TO EAT

La Cabrera Cabrera 5099; 011-54-11-4831-7002;

Divina Patagonia Honduras 5710; 011-54-11-4771-6864;

Jangada Honduras 5799; 54-11-4777-4193

Banchero | Av. Corrientes 1300. Centro. Tel. 43824669 | Cocina: Italiana - Pizza

Bella Italia | República Árabe Siria 3285. Palermo. Tel. 4802-4253 | Cocina: Italiana

Cabaña Las Lilas | Alicia Moreau de Justo 516. Puerto Madero. Tel. 4313-1336 | Cocina: Parrilla

Cumaná | Rodríguez Peña 1149. Puerto Madero. Tel. 4813-9207 | Cocina: Argentina

La Caballeriza | Alicia Moreau de Justo 580. Puerto Madero. Tel. 4514-4444 | Cocina: Parrilla

La Cholita | Rodriguez Peña 1165. Barrio Norte. Tel. 4815-4506 | Cocina: Argentina

Las Cholas | Arce 306. Las Cañitas. Tel. 4899-0094 | Cocina: Parrilla

Olsen | Gorriti 5870. Palermo. Tel. 4776-7677 | Cocina: Nor-europea

Tips on Studying Spanish as a Foreign Language

Learning a second language isn’t easy especially if you are an adult. You may certainly feel mental blocks, frustration, lack of aptitude, lack of memory for learning new words and structures... but, don’t worry it is normal to feel that way. Most can learn a second language, if they are willing to put in the necessary time and effort. Here you will find some practical suggestions. If you are living in a Spanish speaking country try to make the most of the great opportunity that is being able to have contact during all the day with the language you are learning.

1. STUDY EVERY DAY. Studying a foreign language is different from any other subject you study. Language learning is cumulative, and frequent practice is the only solution to remember and incorporate new structures and vocabulary. Try to have contact with the language every day, at least 20 minutes per day.


2. DISTRIBUTE YOUR STUDY TIME in 15- to 30-minute periods and focus on a different task each time: vocabulary now, grammar next, etc.


3. ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE IN CLASS WITHOUT FAIL — even if you are not well prepared. Class time is your primary opportunity for practice. Learn the grammar and vocabulary outside of class in order to make the most of class time.


4. LEARN HOW TO USE WHAT YOU KNOW. Grammar is the skeleton of a language, its basic structure: you must learn it. But, it isn’t just everything. Speaking a language is the combination of learning grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and the proper social use of the language.


5. DEVELOP A GOOD ATTITUDE. Have a clear personal reason for learning the language. Set personal goals for what you want to learn.


6. DON`T PRETEND TO SPEAK CORRECTLY ALL THE TIME. Leave perfectionism at the door; give yourself permission to make mistakes and learn from them. Students in foreign language classes often have difficulty hearing and speaking because they are anxious about making mistakes. Give yourself permission to be spontaneous and to take risks. Sometimes it is more important to be fluent when speaking than having everything grammatically correct. Argentines like to talk a lot and are impatience, they won’t wait for you to say everything correctly, they expect you to just talk, so do it. If you confuse they will help you and correct you.


7. SPEAK AND PRACTICE!!! Although many Argentines know English and will try to use you to practice their English, use them you instead for practicing your Spanish. Ask them to have the conversations in Spanish, and to correct you when you make mistakes.


8. READING and WRITING a foreign language are analytical skills. You may be good at these if you are a logical person who attends to detail. Train yourself through practice to notice and remember details such as accents and gender agreement.


9. AVOID WORD TO WORD TRANSLATION: try to understand the general meaning of what you read or hear.


10. MAKE THE MOST OF BEING IN A SPANISH SPEAKING COUNTRY: talk to people, watch TV and DVDs in Spanish, read the newspapers, adds, books, any thing that comes to your hand; listen to the radio, and to Spanish speakers conversations.


11. USE A NOTEBOOK: use a little pad to write down any new word you learn, read or listen during your day, to look it on the dictionary or ask a friend the meaning. Write down any phrase native speakers use frequently and that may be useful to you.


12. EXCELENT INVENTION TO PRACTICE A LANGUAGE: MOVIES ON DVD!!! Watch DVDs of argentine movies, or any movie spoken in Spanish. If it is hard for you to understand the hole movie in Spanish put subtitles in Spanish too. After watching the movie, you can select scenes listen to them without subtitles to see what you can understand, then put Spanish or English subtitles. Pay attention to any new vocabulary, or grammar structure, and in pronunciation.


13. PRACTICE PRONUNCIATION, by studying out loud! Mimic the sounds of the language. Don't mumble. Although most people feel embarrassed making strange sounds, the language will soon feel more familiar to you.

READING SKILLS TIPS:

• Isolate new grammatical forms and study them separately. Write the pattern on a flash card and memorize it. Write out and label a model sentence. When you encounter the form while reading, pause and recite the pattern to recognize the form.

WRITING SKILLS TIPS:

• Pay attention to detail: notice accents, order of letters, etc. Compare letter-by-letter different forms (singular, plural, gender, etc.). Write out conjugations of verbs, declensions of pronouns, etc., and check your endings. Memorize irregular verbs.

• Write (in your own simple foreign vocabulary words) a story you have just read.

Numbers of Spanish Language

• 2^nd place as communication language in the world
• There are more than 400 million native Spanish speakers in the world.
• 14 million Spanish as a second language students in the world
• 6 million students in the United States
• 2 million students in France
• 1.5 million students in Germany
• 1 million students in the United Kingdom
• more than 500.000 students in Africa
• By 2050 Spanish native language speakers will lightly surpass the english speakers, only in the USA there will be 100 million speakers.

New Spanish Language Certificate

On March 2007 will be officially introduced by the Cervantes School, in Colombia previous to the IV International Language Congress in Cartagena de Indias, the first unified spanish language certificate, Sistema Internacional de Certificación del Español como Lengua Extrajera (Sicele).

Right now there are several Spanish Language Certificate belonging to different Universities or Language Schools, for example the DELE Certificate, from the Cervantes School in Spain. In Argentina the most important Cerfiticates are the ones of the UBA, (CEB – Certificado de Español Básico-, CEI – Certificado de Español Intermedio-, CEA – Certificado de Español Avanzado-). In 2005 the CELU (Certificado de Español Lengua y Uso) had been introduced by UBA jointly with the Universidad Nacional del Litoral and Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, its main objective is to examine the use of the language. This certificate is an equivalent to the Brazilian Certificate CELPE BRAS, argentine students of Portuguese take.

This new certificate will start on the first semester of 2007. The main objective of its creation is to expand the number of Spanish students in the globe and to have a unified parameters to determine the students levels and proficiency, like the Tofle or First Certificate for English language. The Sicele, had been approved by 50 Spanish and 80 Latin-American universities. The UBA is discusing whether to consider it or not.

Nuevo exámen de la lengua española

Un sistema unificado de certificación que se presentará oficialmente en marzo próximo en Medellín, Colombia, el Sistema Internacional de Certificación del Español como Lengua Extranjera (Sicele). Se conocerá días antes de la apertura del IV Congreso Internacional de la Lengua en Cartagena de Indias, y comenzaría a funcionar en el primer semestre de 2007. El idioma de Cervantes marcha hacia la meta de incrementar exponencialmente el número de hablantes en todo el mundo.

El Instituto Cervantes presentará el Sicele, una certificación unificada, consensuada con universidades españolas y latinoamericanas que, en los hechos, procurará ser en español el equivalente del reconocido certificado Toefl, que se concede para certificar el nivel de conocimiento en inglés americano como lengua extranjera, y el First Certificate, que rinde para igual propósito en inglés británico.

En marzo próximo, en Medellín, las academias de la lengua española, junto con la Real Academia Española (RAE), presentarán además la primera gramática panhispánica que sigue el camino abierto por el Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas (DPD), surgido de un consenso entre academias.

El español en cifras

Son seis millones los estudiantes de castellano en los Estados Unidos, un millón en el Reino Unido, dos millones en Francia y medio millón en Alemania, entre otro países. En Africa, más de medio millón de personas aprende lengua y cultura en español. En Senegal hay más de 100.000 estudiantes, y en Costa de Marfil, 235.000. Para el 2050 se prevee que el español superaría levemente en hablantes al inglés. Sólo en los Estados Unidos habría una media de 100 millones de hispanohablantes.

En la India, donde se abrirá próximamente una sede del Instituto Cervantes en su capital, Nueva Delhi, la reciente selección de estudiantes de español se vio limitada a las 100 plazas por falta de profesores. Ello provocó una manifestación masiva de los que quedaron fuera de la selección.

Corazones Vivos - Buenos Aires Beats -

From October 12th to December17th, Buenos Aires City got dressed up with sculptures of hearts of great size, painted and designed by local artists, who expressed themselves freely and shaping on each one their feelings. These hearts transformed Buenos Aires into an Open Sky Exhibition giving life and color in every corner of the city. This exhibition had been visited by thousands of people.

"Corazones Vivos" gathered visual artists, designers, architects, craftsmen, graffitti artists, advertisers, in a union of artistic and supportive souls.

This event involves art, solidarity and people allowing to collect founds for the Favaloro Foundation, with the objective to continue with its work and development on investigation, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Cow Parade Buenos Aires 2006

The worldwide known Cow Parade had place in Buenos Aires City at Puerto Madero neighborhood.

Artists of this side of the world contributed to the history of this art movement. Cows of natural size, which local artists had painted and projected their artistic design were in parks and public spaces until June 2006 . Then, and as not only on art the man lives, the organizers had an auction for the benefit of the Leloir Institute and Multiple Sclerosis Argentina. The auction counted with the support of Christie's, british house of auction.

The most important public art event in the world is an open air show for all publics, that makes of Buenos Aires a real global window for art and culture during 4 months.

The first artistic cow was design by the Swiss sculptor Pascal Knapp. It was exposed in a mega event in Zurich and since then he began a great international movement of art and philanthropy. 24 cities all around the globe hosted this event : Chicago, New York, Kansas, Houston, London, Sydney, Auckland, Brussels, Atlanta, Dublin, Tokyo, Stockholm, Prague, Barcelona, Monaco, Moscow, Mexico, San Pablo and Florence, among others.

¡Mozo, un cortado!

Cortado con crema o con leche, lágrima, expresso, en jarrito, negro… hay mil formas de tomar un rico café en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, y hay mil bares y cafés para conocer y descubrir. ¿Qué le da el encanto a los cafés de Buenos Aires? Yo creo que los porteños mismos los adoptan como segundo hogar o a veces como segunda oficina. El café para los porteños es un lugar de encuentro con amigos, familia, amores, compañeros de trabajo, para hacer negocios, charlar por horas, estudiar, leer el diario, ver los partidos de fútbol de los domingos, o simplemente tomar un cafecito mirando por la ventana a la gente pasar.

Desde que se creó la ciudad han existido estos lugares de reunión. Con la inmigración y la mirada siempre a Europa, estos lugares se pusieron más elegantes, y algunos empezaron a imitar a los cafés parisinos (El Café Tortoni, Av. de Mayo 829), o a los cafés madrileños (La Embajada, Santiago del Estero 88 – Montserrat) .
El tango, luego de su origen en los prostíbulos, empezó a entrar a los cafés, dando lugar a los cafés musicales principalmente ubicados en la Av. Corrientes (Los Inmortales, Av Corrientes 922).
Los porteños seguimos disfrutando de ese cafecito que dura horas en charlas con amigos. Y para conservar esas paredes que han escuchado años de tangos, juegos y experiencias de vida, en el año 1998 la Legislatura de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires decidió declararlos “Cafés y Bares Notables” De esta manera, se creó la Comisión de Protección y Promoción de los Cafés, Bares, Billares y Confiterías de la Ciudad. Hay 53 cafés y bares notables, que son emblemas de su barrio, testigos de una época que pasó. Los atributos que sostienen esta condición son la antigüedad, la capacidad de testimoniar su época, la relevancia que tengan en su barrio, el diseño arquitectónico y los hechos destacados que allí sucedieron.
Estos son algunos de los bares notables que nos transportan a una época de bohemia, tango y juego.
· La Puerto Rico Durante mucho tiempo fue lugar de reunión de los alumnos del Colegio Nacional Buenos Aires, que queda a pocas cuadras de allí. Su fundador, Don Gumersindo Cabedo, vivió un tiempo en Puerto Rico y quedó fascinado con ese país, lo que explicaría el nombre del local. Muchos empresarios de la city porteña se acercan cuando salen de trabajar a tomarse un cafecito o a comprar el exquisito café que allí venden. Recomendamos el café natural La Puerto Rico. También venden scons, medialunas, vainillas…Fecha de apertura: noviembre de 1887. En 1925 pasó a ocupar el local de Alsina. Dirección: Alsina 420 -Montserrat
· 36 Billares Federico García Lorca solía frecuentarlo. Tenía juegos de naipes, dominó, dados y billares. Después de cerrar por varios años, reabrió sus puertas, remodeló su fachada e incorporó shows y eventos. Fecha de apertura: 1894. Dirección: Avenida de Mayo 1265/71 - Montserrat
· La Ideal: Permanece casi como en 1912 cuando se inauguró. Por allí pasaron Alfredo Palacios, Hipólito Yrigoyen o Eva Perón. En aquellos años funcionaba como salón de té, y se hizo famosa por su orquesta de señoritas. Entre las 4 y las 6 de la tarde se colmaba de muchachas que trabajaban en las oficinas de los alrededores; llegaban a tomar el té, después del horario de trabajo. Conserva la arquitectura y el estilo de principios de siglo en su decoración. Hoy sus milongas son famosas para extranjeros y locales. Dirección: Suipacha 380
· La Biela. Atrás quedó aquel barcito de la esquina de Quintana y Roberto Ortiz al que su propietario español bautizó La Veredita hace más de 150 años. También se lo conoció como Aero Bar y La Pulpería del Vasco Michelena. Sin embargo, fueron los amantes de los autos quienes bautizaron definitivamente a este bar, primero como La Biela Fundida y luego simplemente La Biela. Este tradicional café del barrio de la Recoleta es hoy una insignia de los bares porteños y, por supuesto, un rincón de recuerdos automovilísticos colgados en las paredes. Desde radiadores hasta antiguos faroles y fotografías de los más grandes de este deporte, como Juan Manuel Fangio, decoran La Biela. Dirección: Av. Quintana 600 - Recoleta. Durante un tiempo en este bar se podia compartir un cafecito con nuestro famoso escritor Jorge Luis Borges.

· Confitería Richmond: Al igual que la Recoleta, la calle Florida también atesora su encanto. Desde sus comienzos fue como el refugio de la aristocracia porteña, allí se inauguró en 1917 la confitería Richmond. Respetando el estilo inglés, este bar notable, alguna vez fue punto de encuentro de intelectuales, literatos (fue sede del grupo literario de Florida en los años 20), actores y autores del teatro Maipo. Aún conserva las sillas y los sillones tapizados de cuero, con arañas holandesas en bronce y opalinas, una boiserie de roble de Eslavonia y cuadros de grabados ingleses. La mayor concurrencia se logra a las cinco de la tarde, hora en que los mozos, ataviados con chaleco verde y pantalón negro, sirven los diferentes tés y tortas como lemon pie, tarte tatin, y la famosa Richmond con una base de bizcochuelo de chocolate, mousse, relleno de frutillas y cobertura con crema chantilly. En el subsuelo, y al estilo de aquellos viejos años, se puede jugar al pool, al billar, el ajedrez y el backgammon. Drección: Florida 468 / 66.
· La Giralda, fue refugio de la juventud idealista de los años '60 y '70 y logró trascender los tiempos y a las modas. Ha permanecido inmutable, con sus mozos vestidos de blanco. El Clásico de la Giralda: Su tazón de chocolate caliente, siempre acompañado de sus correspondientes churros. Para no perderselos! Dirección: Corrientes 1453
· El Gato Av. Corrientes al 1600 y en pleno centro porteño, se puede comprar especias y tes deliciosos. La historia de este café se remonta a 1927, cuando un aventurero español llamado Victoriano López Robredo abrió su primer negocio de especias, La Martinica, sobre la angosta calle Corrientes. Un año después, buscó un local más amplio al que llamó El Gato Negro, ya que le recordaba a un café romántico que existió sobre la calle de Alcalá, en Madrid, España. Este elegante almacén fue y es famoso en Buenos Aires por sus especias, sus tés y sus cafés.

Buenos Aires tiene mil y un cafés para conocer. Son bienvenidas las recomendaciones de su Café preferido!

Insider´s Glossary:

Café Americano. A less concentrated coffee served in a small jug.

Café Cortado. A small cup of coffee with a small amount of milk.

Lágrima. A cup of warm milk with just a drop of coffee.

Submarino. Milk with chocolate. It is served with very hot milk and a chocolate bar.

Hidden monastery close to Carmen de Areco

A few months ago we visited Carmen de Areco. Very close to this location, in the middle of nowhere, you will find a place you wouldn´t believe ... It is an Monastery called "San Pablo de la Cruz" of the passion missionaries. It was built on 1888, a legacy of the irish community on the area. We got there when the sun was going down... You could only hear the sound of peace of the campo argentino, birds flying all over the place, the light of the sunset was slowly fading off in the horizon... We rang the bell of the monastry several times but nobody answered. We kept walking around and a few meters from the monastery we found a small cemetery.

We got there at six in the afternoon and it was already closed, but you can sleep there and visit the monastery inside! This place offers accomodation. Our experience was some kind of creepy but is a incredible place to visit! It feels like visiting some place in Ireland but in the middle of the argentine fields....

French splendor in Buenos Aires - Palacio Paz

Circulo Militar – Palacio Paz
The Círculo Militar o Palacio Paz, a grand marble building overlooking Plaza San Martín, it was built as the mansion of the Gainza Paz family. Until the 1920's, Argentina was one of the wealthiest nations in the world, thanks to the fertile farms and ranches that spread over the pampa. Back then, many of the welthy families divide their stays between Buenos Aires, London and Paris. Looking at Europe for fashion, arquitecture, decoration and style, these men used to hire european arquitects, mainly French, to have their houses designed. The Paz family, owners of the newspaper La Prensa at Avda. de Mayo (one of the most important newspaper during the 20th century, the original office now is the Casa de Cultura, another place worth a visit), was one of the wealthiest and powerful families in the country. The family patriarch, José Clemente Paz, comissioned the project to the french architect Louis H. M. Sortais. He never saw its completition because he died in 1912, and the building was built in stages from 1902 to 1914.
Marble and other materials throughout the building were imported from all over Europe. The ground floor rooms where used for social purposes, while the upper floor had the bedrooms for the familiy members. Each room has an original design, every single chandelier, chimney or floor tile is unique, they where built for the admiration of their visitors, and it still does. Most rooms are reminiscent of Versailles, especially the bedrooms and the gold-and-white ballroom with an ornate parquet floor, flower vases made of Japanese porcelane. It has a special room for Chamber Music, the acoustic of this room is outstanding, the Paz family invited famous opera singers for their delight. Other rooms are in Tudor style. The six elevators are original to the building and the overall height of the building is eight stories, though with their high ceilings, there are only four levels to the building. The most impressive room is the round Hall of Honor, which sits under an interior rotunda and even has a balconied second level to create the effect of being in a theatre stage, the doors in this second level have mirrors to make the room look bigger and the marble creates an effect of having curtains. It was a private mini-opera house, covered in multicolored marble and gilded bronze, the floor design is a sun with its rays, which can be also seen in the dome. This room is used now for events, conferences, weddings.
Now is officially called the Círculo Militar, named for the society of retired military officers that bought the building in 1938.

Address Av. Santa Fe 750
Phone 4311-1071/79
Web Site www.circulomilitar.org
Tours in Spanish Tues – Frid. 11AM and 3 PM
Wed. – Thursd. 4PM
Tours in English Tues – Frid. 4 PM

Dos recomendaciones...

Ayer, fui a la librería, bar restaurante, galería de arte, Clásica y Moderna, para escuchar un concierto de Ignacio Escribano. Me gustaría recomendar tanto el lugar como el espectáculo. El lugar, principalmente por la trayectoria que tiene en la historia intelectual de Buenos Aires, fundado en 1938 fue declarado Bar Notable por el Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires.

Clásica y Moderna fue creada por Francisco Poblet, hijo de un inmigrante español que creó en la ciudad varias librerías bajo el sello literario POBLET HNOS. A lo largo de los años fue lugar de encuentro de artistas e intelectuales de todas las épocas. Allí se dieron cita obligada escritores como Jorge Luis Borges, Leopoldo Lugones, Alfonsina Storni, Alejandra Pizarnik y Arturo Jauretche. Es que en sus 150 metros cuadrados concentraba lo mejor en narrativa, poesía, diccionarios y estudios literarios.
En 1988, Natu Poblet, hija del dueño original y encargada del local, junto con su hermano Paco decide "romper" el clásico local y le agregó un bar-restorán donde pueda disfrutarse no sólo de la lectura sino también de espectáculos musicales y muestras de pinturas que se distinguen por su calidad cultural.

El espectáculo que me llevó a Clásica y Moderna, fue el mini recital de Ignacio Escribano, músico argentino, quien acompañado otros músicos encargados de guitarras y percusión, hace un recorrido por canciones folclóricas de argentina y otros países de Latinoamérica. Música para aquellos que quieren conocer o que quieren volver a escuchar los sonidos del interior. Provoca una mezcla de nostalgia y añoranza por recorrer los lugares de donde provienen esas canciones: zambas, gato, chacarera... aire que sopla de las provincias hacia el corazón de la ciudad, y acorta distancias.

Clásica y Moderna

Av. Callao 892 – Recoleta

Tel. 4811-3670

E- mail: clásica@clasicaymoderna.com

Reviving the subway magic

Line A was the first subway line opened in Buenos Aires, and it still retains its original escence. Getting on to those wooden cars in the Perú station will, for sure, make you experience first hand the magic a subway must have been like when it was created at the begining of the 20th century. In Perú station you may still observe old adds posted on the wall, objects and ornamental kiosks painted in cream, which take us back to the beginning of this mean of transport.
A little bit of history....
The line was opened in 1913 and is the 13th-oldest subway system in the world, the oldest in South America, and the 4th-oldest in the Americas as a whole (after New York, Boston, and Philadelphia). This line runs under Avenida de Mayo, beginning at Plaza de Mayo, running through Congreso, which was its original ending, though it now continues on to Primera Junta thanks to a later extension. Trains are wooden, old, and rickety the whole car shimmys and shakes while going through the rails.
Be aware when you reach your station, the doors on this line do not always open and close automatically. And in summer, we don´t recommend taking this line, it can get unbearably hot.
We highly recommend finishing this time travel in the Castro Barro station. At Rivadavia Avenue and Medrano you will find one of the city`s historical cafes, Las Violetas. Declared "Bar Notable " by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires. Another exquisite piece of history in the city to discover.

Buenos Aires, City of Design

The city of Buenos Aires was appointed as the first UNESCO CITY OF DESIGN.
As a cross-road of diverse backgrounds, histories, people and ethnicities, the city of Buenos Aires has been capturing the essence of diversity and creativity in order to develop one of the most viable and productive design industries in the South American continent.
San Telmo, Palermo Viejo, Recoleta are some of the neighbourhoods in which you may find a strange mixture of the old classic Buenos Aires, with the new designers wave that has been taking over the city for the past years. And for sure, if you are looking for architect design you can`t miss the newest neighbourhood of the city: Puerto Madero - large and impressive perspectives give place to recycled warehouses turned into lofts, restaurants, new
hotels, office buildings and parks.

Some places you can`t miss when looking for design:

• Tramando -Martín Churba: Rodríguez Peña 1973, Recoleta. Tel: 4816-9422. Web: www.tramando.com. Clothes and objects.
• Trosman: Jessica Trosman. Patio Bullrich Shopping Mall, Recoleta.
• Faena Hotel and Universe - Martha Salotti 445, Puerto Madero.
• The Colegiales neighborhood's Dorrego market, at Dorrego and Zapiola (check Centro Metropolitano de Diseño, http://www.cmd.gov.ar/, for details), a converted garage, regularly houses shows of local housewares and clothing designers.
• Nearby Palermo SoHo is packed with shops selling clothes by young Argentine designers.
• Materia Urbana. Defensa 707. San Telmo. Fashion, Art & Design.

Final del 65º Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Pato

Final del 65º Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Pato
Campo Argentino de Polo Cancha 2 a las 17 hs, el 16 de Diciembre.
El Campeonato Abierto es el máximo exponente de nuestro Deporte Nacional, donde se dan cita los mejores jugadores y los mejores caballos agentinos.
Las etapas clasificatorias del Abierto Argentino de Pato comenzaron el sábado 25 de noviembre en campos de pato de distintos puntos de la provincia de Buenos Aires. A la Final llegan Gral Las Heras, de Gral Las Heras y El Siasgo I, de Villalba.
El Pato es un deporte ecuestre único, netamente argentino, que combina como pocos, fuerza, velocidad y destreza.

Dia Nacional del Tango y Semana del Tango

El 11 de diciembre de 1890 nació Carlos Gardel y, el mismo día, nueve años después, Julio De Caro. La coincidencia de nacimientos célebres podría haber pasado inadvertida, pero a alguien se le ocurrió llevarla al almanaque y desde entonces es el Día Nacional del Tango. Para festejarlo, las secretarías de Cultura de la Nación y la Ciudad organizaron encuentros con entrada gratuita que brindan un panorama del estado del género en la actualidad, desde las propuestas que mantienen el tango tradicional con nuevos arreglos hasta las derivaciones experimentales más o menos asentadas y probadas. Así, por ejemplo, el Festival de Tango Joven incluirá las nuevas tendencias tangueras en la música, la danza, la moda y la gastronomía. Y la Semana del Tango sacará a la calle al proyecto Bajo Fondo Tango Club, capitaneado por Gustavo Santaolalla, con DJ como Juan Campodónico y Luciano Supervielle y VJ que proyectarán imágenes en tiempo real. A las 23, una vez que termine su actuación en el Teatro Opera, el grupo transformará la calle Corrientes, entre Suipacha y Pellegrini, en una gigantesca rave al aire libre. El Festival de Tango Joven comenzará hoy a las 18 en el Palais de Glace. El lugar elegido no es casual: el palacio, que originariamente fue una pista de patinaje, se transformó en un cabaret de lujo por el que pasaron los más importantes exponentes de la época de oro del tango, al que Enrique Cadícamo le dedicó un tango que supo cantar Angel Vargas (“Palais de Glace del novecientos veinte, no existes más con tu cordial ambiente, allí bailé mis tangos de estudiante, allí soñé con los muchachos de antes...”). El lugar guarda una anécdota nunca confirmada oficialmente: dicen que el mismísimo Gardel recibió allí un balazo en el pecho, por negarse a cantar lo que le habían pedido. Y dicen también que quien disparó fue el abuelo del Che Guevara, conservador de pura cepa. Anécdotas históricas aparte, hoy pasarán por allí jóvenes agrupaciones con diferentes propuestas. (Por Karina Micheletto, Pagina 12).