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Not very far from our school is ‘La casa del Queso’. La casa del Queso can literally be translated as “The cheese house”, a typical spot in the neighbourhood of Abasto. Besides every kind of cheese you can imagine, they offer cold meat cuts, olives, seafood, fondue and Spanish cuisine.

It’s perfect to go with friends and share a cheese board or a round of tapas. Especially if you are washing it down with a fine Argentinean wine.

The address is Av. Corrientes 3587.

 

In 1910 a man working the night shift in the cemetery committed suicide. This man was David Alleno, an Italian immigrant keeper of the tombs for 29 years. This man wished to be buried there ever since he started working there in 1881. He saved money to buy a lot in the cemetery; he built his own grave and even paid a sculptor from Genova, his hometown, to sculpt his figure. When everything was ready, he took his own life.

 The night watchmen that worked over these years in the cemetery talk about his ghost, never seen but heard. The set of keys that he uses to check the graves make a tinkling sound and give away his presence.

 Rufina Cambaceres

In a corner of section 13 lays Rufina Cambacere’s grave next to her family’s. This poor girl could be the famous Lady in White. She could also be the female ghost that walks around the cemetery at night.

Rufina died unexpectedly at the age of 19, in May 1902. She was buried in the family tomb, but a few days later the cemetery keepers noticed that the coffin had fallen and they contacted the family. When they opened it they found the girl covered in bruises and scratches. It is believed that she woke up in the coffin. Apparently her mother used to slip her a tranquilizer every night so that the daughter would sleep while she had sex with her lover, who was also Rufina’s boyfriend. The night of Rufina’s alleged death her mother would have given her a double dose.

A year later the family had an art nouveau tomb built. The statue of Rufina is at the door and her hand is on the door handle, as though she was now able to leave. Her tomb is the only one made of a single marble stone from Milan in the cemetery.

Other more rational versions claim that the coffin was actually disturbed by thieves that were looking to steal the jewellery of the dead girl.

Luz María García Velloso died in 1925 of leukaemia when she was but 15 years old. Her tomb lays on the right of the main road in the cemetery. There lays a statue of a beautiful young girl dead on her bed. Out of desperation her mother slept for months at the feet of the statue in a small place behind the bars.

One of the most famous urban legends is traced back to Luz María: The Lady in White. According to the story a young man meets a beautiful girl and takes her out. Suddenly she feels cold so he lends her his coat; she spills some coffee on the coat. The next day when he wants to get his coat back, he goes to the girl’s house where the mother tells him that she is dead, buried in the Recoleta cemetery. The young man goes to the cemetery and finds his coat on the grave. He kills himself or goes mad.

Another version of the story omits the part where he meets the girl’s mother. The young man follows the girl as she goes inside the cemetery and vanishes while walking among the graves. This is how he discovers he had been with a ghost.

An Argentinean actor, Arturo García Buhr, claimed having known her. The story was taken twice to the cinema. Once in 1942 with the title “Ghost of Buenos Aires” and then in 1950 as “A woman has entered” directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen.

For years young men of Buenos Aires have avoided picking up girls at the corner of Vicente López and

San Martín de los Andes is a charming mountain town nestled on the tip of Lago Lácar between high peaks. Its geographical location is of singular beauty, almost hidden in a sumptuous amphitheater in the mountains that preserves the fertility of its lake and forest environment.

In addition to the environmental beauty and peace and quiet of its great stretches of greenery and the Lanín National Park, the largest in the province of Neuquén, San Martín de los Andes is the “jewel” of the “Corredor de los Siete Lagos” (Seven Lakes Belt). Thanks to their natural beauty, the famous “belt” and the Lanín National Park are the main attractions in this region. This makes a visit to this city that offers the enchantment of snow in winter and adventure tourism in summer, together with an imposing contact with nature, a “must”.

The town is considered the tourism capital of the Neuquen province, a claim that’s hard to negate, considering the copious arts-and-crafts shops, gear-rental shops, restaurants, and hotels that constitute much of downtown. San Martín has grown considerably in the past 10 years, yet it hasn’t succumbed to the whims of developers as Bariloche has, owing to city laws that limit building height and regulate architectural styles. The town is more quiet than Bariloche and decidedly more picturesque, thanks to its timber-heavy architecture and Swiss Alpine influence. San Martín overflows with activities including biking, hiking, boating, and skiing. The tourism infrastructure here is excellent, with every lodging option imaginable and plenty of great restaurants.

 

- In the summer adventure sports are the most widespread, like Kayak, Mountain bike, Trekking, Rafting, horse-riding, and others.

- By the Seven lakes Road, you can visit Villa La Angostura and the National park Los Arrayanes with the Nahuel Huapi lake.

- In winter San Martín de los Andes has a Ski center Chapelco for the development of winter sports like snowboard and Ski, it is one of the most important Ski centres of Argentina and South America.

- Centre for handcrafted artisan arts & crafts and local culinary delicacies like gourmet chocolates, pastries, organic jams and preserves. Patagonian cuisine and tea houses abound. Alpine-style hotels, lodgings and cabins are available throughout the year.

- The city is serviced by the Chapelco Airport which is 22 km away

- Hua-Hum international pass for travel to Panguipulli in Chile lies only 45 km from San Martín de los Andes. It is one of the few passes between Chile and Argentina that are open all year round.

Noche de los Museos (Night of the Museums). One night a year in November the city’s cultural spaces stay open late (from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.) and host films and performances of jazz, tango, folk, techno, choral, and rock music. In 2007, 102 such institutions participated and 414,000 people attended the city-wide museum block party. This year it is November 15th from 7 pm to 2 am. For participating you have to go to any museum (listed at http://www.lanochedelosmuseos.com.ar/por_mus.html ) to start. There will be free transportation among the museums by the buses 29, 64, 78, 80, 87, 92, 100, 111, 127, 130 y 134, minibuses and by the tramway in Puerto Madero (Tren del Este). For using theses buses for free you have to print the “pase libre” (free pass) at http://www.lanochedelosmuseos.com.ar/paselibreimp.html

Pillow fight. Each November and this year next November 22th, at 6pm, at Planetario (Palermo), there will be a “pillows fight”. All you need is to be there with your pillow and wait for the start hour. There have been others, not only in Buenos Aires but in other cities of the country. There are some rules:
1) Spread the word!!!
2) Go with your pillow, don’t start till listen the signal.
3) Don’t fight against nobody who don’t have a pillow (except if they ask for)
4) Absolutely forbidden to use heavy pillows, or pillows with hard parts as zippers or buttons

Art and Culture
BA’s Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) is always free, and its permanent collection features works by masters such as Degas, Gauguin, Klee, Kandinsky, and Van Gogh as well as Argentinian and South American artists.
Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Museum of Latin American Art), known more commonly by its acronym MALBA, is free every Wednesday. Take advantage of this free day to take in some of the museum’s 200 pieces of painting, sculpture, drawings, and photos from the 20th century to today, featuring such Latin American artists as Kahlo, Rivera, Clark, and Torres-García, among many others.

Free Tours
Buenos Aires’s official tourism site offers downloadable maps and step-by-step instructions for 18 self-guided tours that traverse the city and introduce visitors to the city’s history, sites and sounds. The neighborhoods covered are Abasto, Av. De Mayo, Av. Corrientes Belgrano, Catedral, Barracas, La Boca, Corrientes, Nueva Pompeya, Boedo, Caballito, Monserrat, Plaza Lavalle, Puerto Madero, Recoleta, retiro, San Telmo and Palermo. There are also three biographical tours of Eva Perón (Evita), Jorge Luis Borges, tango great Carlos Gardel. You can download these maps at http://www.bue.gov.ar/recorridos
The BA Tourism Bureau also puts on free, guided tours through the city that focus on its history and architecture, but they are in Spanish only. Check out at http://www.bue.gov.ar/recorridos/index.php?menu_id=17&info=visitas&lang=en

Outdoors
I recommend you to visit the Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur (Ecological Reserve). Opened in 1918 and restored in the 1990s, this 350-acre park is a quiet place to stroll, bike, or enjoy a picnic lunch all the while taking in the beautiful view of the city’s skyline. From there you can see the buildings of Puerto Madero.
Another option are the Bosques de Palermo (Forests of Palermo), an urban oasis close to 200 acres in size, featuring two artificial lakes and 12,000 trees. Stop and smell the roses at the park’s El Rosedal, a roses´s garden.
You can also visit the Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays (the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden) in Palermo which covers over 17 acres of green space and contains more than 6,000 plant species. Free guided tours in English take place Fridays at 1 p.m. Tours in Spanish are offered more often: Fridays at 10:30 and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays at 10:30 and 3 p.m.

Two weeks ago, we went to a tango show. But before I’m going to tell how it was, I first want to share a little of the history of this passionate Argentinean dance!

The history is a little complex, but here is a short version:  The tango originated, just before the 20^th century, in the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, where the working class and a lot of immigrants lived. Because of the poor situation and the immigrants who were missing their homes, they invented the tango. First, only men danced the tango with each other. Later, the tango moved to bordellos where men and women began to dance with each other.

Because of the link with bordellos and prostitutes, the upper class looked down at the tango. Later, in the 1920’s the dance moved to New York and Paris where it became very popular among the elite. The tango transformed to a more elegant dance, and it became also more and more popular among the high society of Argentina. Later, the tango became a very popular all over the world.

The lyrics of the tango are mostly sad, reflecting the poor life of the working class, and immigrants who were missing their homes. The most famous tango singer and songwriter is Garlos Gardel. “The king of tango” grew up in the Abasto neighborhood, which is now well known as the tango neighborhood. He began his singing career in private parties, and ended up with selling 100.000 copies of his tango song “Mi noche triste”. After this he began his tour through South America, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and New York.  Sadly, he died in an airplane crash in the height of his career. In his short live, he made 770 songs, from which 514 are tango songs. Another very famous song he wrote, is “Mi Buenos Aires Querido”.

Before the dinner and the show, we started with a tango class. Because everybody was a beginner, we started with learning the first steps of the tango, and in the end everybody learned two different little tango dances. After this we had dinner, and while we were having our desert, the show started. On the balcony was a live band, and a guy on an accordion began to play. After a while, more and more dancers joined the show, and in the middle of the show it was possible to practice your tango steps for a moment with one of the dancers. The show was a real spectacle, the dancers were very fast and talented and all of us really enjoyed the show and the live music!

 

Information:

There are a lot of tango shows in Buenos Aires, some more touristic, some less. I think this tango show was pretty touristic, but not in a bad way, the show was a real spectacle. Student from our school get a discount of 15 %. The tango school is located in San Christóbal, at Avenida Belgrano 2608 and starts with the tango class regularly at 19.30. Their website: www.complejotango.com.ar.

Some weekends ago we made a trip to Colón town in Entre Ríos province.
Right on the Uruguay riverside, stands this beautiful city with gentle terrein slopes and fully wooded streets that still preserves the peace of a small town- ideal for the tourist rest. This city, also called ”Paradise city” posseses natural beauties that have attracted the tourist from decades, turning this city into the Tourism Provincial Capital.
This charming place displays a wide range of services for tourism, offering from international level hotels to qualified camp-grounds with the essential facilities for setting up tents, motorhomes and the like.
Colón is the center of an important touristic region. Though it is a relatively small city, it features high-quality hotels, a casino, and camping sites. It also has hot springs and associated facilities. The neighboring towns allow for small-scale historical sightseeing, since they were mostly created as agricultural colonies by European immigrants (especially from Switzerland).
In the Colón area (about 60 km from the city) lies the El Palmar National Park, a large reserve of Yatay palm trees (Syagrus yatay), informally known as “Palmar de Colón”. It was declared a national park in l966. There are different types of landscapes each with its special flora and fauna. The most contrasting areas are the huge forest of palm trees that grew in the high grounds and the subtropical jungle situated along the streams and the Uruguay river. It is very interesting to see some animals in this park like vizcachas, lizards, foxes, capybaras, deer, rheas and colourful birds. You will also discover astonishing landscapes following different paths on foot or by car.
The Palacio San José, former country residence of General Urquiza and now a national monument, is also near Colón, closer to the city of Concepción del Uruguay. It has 38 rooms with excellent furniture of the time and three important gardens among other historical places. And the most important attractions of this place, in my view, are the thermal waters that we have enjoyed!

 

                                          

Very close to Buenos Aires you can find Uruguay. This country has a couple of interesting places, from which Colonia and Montevideo are the closest tot Buenos Aires.  Because of this Uruguay is a perfect destination for a (weekend) trip out of town and for some students a good occasion to enlarge their tourist visas. The easiest way to go to Uruguay is by boat, but it’s also possible to catch a 10 hour bus to Montevideo. But more easy is to go with the fast boat (only one hour) directly to Colonia, walk around for a day and take the bus to Montevideo.

Colonia del Sacramento is a little charming, idyllic place. Everything is very authentic; the houses are colonial and colorful and the streets cobblestoned and full of trees. A good way to discover the town is to rent a bike, but it’s also possible to rent golf cars or scooters. The most interesting places you can find in ‘Barrio Histórico’ which was named a UNESCO heritage. In this part you see a lot of influence from Spanish, Portuguese and post-colonial styles. You can find a lot of sights such as “The Plaza de Toros”, a bull ring built in 1910, “Puerta de la Cuidadela”, a drawbridge built in 1945 by the  Portuguese governor a keep the city in safety, “El Faro”, a lighthouse contstructed from ruin stones of Convento de San Francisco and a lot of beautiful colonial buildings. Next to this, you can have great views of the sea with beautiful sunsets. And watch the cars here, you see a lot of typical old cars everywhere!

 After discovering this charming place, you can take a 2,5 hour bus to Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. Although this is the capital city with a little more than 1 million people, the city is very laid back and ‘tranquilo’: a good destination to get out of the ‘hustle and bustle’ of Buenos Aires. The city has a beautiful long coastal line, with a ‘ramblas’ where people are walking, biking and skating, but mostly sitting and enjoying their ‘mate’. You see this typical drink a lot in Argentina, but in Montevideo almost ALL people are walking around with their mate and a thermos jug to refill their mate.  A good idea is to rent a bike again here, and bike a part on the ramblas enjoying the beautiful view of the coastal line. At some parts, especially in the weekend, you see a lot of young people hanging out at the grassy parks between the beaches. If you want to walk around the city itself, it’s nice to walk around in ‘Cuidad Viejo’, see the different plaza’s with its statues and buildings and walk around at different markets and buy your own mate. And if you’re lucky, you can see a drum parade of people practicing for carnival!

 

 

Some practical information:

Transportation:

You can book your boat trip to Uruguay with Buquebus (www.buquebus.com). It is possible to book your bus trip already to and from Montevideo, but it is also possible to arrange it in Colonia. For example, a fast ferry to and from Colonia, with a bus trip only from Montevideo back to Colonia, will cost you $ 280 Arg. Pesos.  Buses from Colonia to Montevideo leave every hour, until 20.00. A cheaper way is to go with a bus from Bs. As. to Montevideo, but remember this takes 10 hours (www.omnilineas.com).

Currency:

In Colonia it’s almost everywhere possible to pay with Argentinean pesos, but in Montevideo you have to take some Uruguayan pesos out to pay in restaurants for example. Sometimes it’s possible to pay the hostel with Argentinean pesos. Currency rates (approximately): 1 ARG = 7 UYU, 1 USD = 23 UYU, 1 EUR = 29 UYU.

Where to stay:

A hostel which I personally can recommend is ‘Red Hostel’ (www.redhostel.com), a youth hostel very close to the center, with clean beds, showers and toilets, computers with internet and a big roof terrace perfect to chill out in the sun or drink a cocktail at the little bar. The hostel also organizes “asados” on this roof terrace. Costs: $ 50 Arg. pesos per person per night.

San Martín de los Andes is a charming mountain town nestled on the tip of Lago Lácar between high peaks. Its geographical location is of singular beauty, almost hidden in a sumptuous amphitheater in the mountains that preserves the fertility of its lake and forest environment.

In addition to the environmental beauty and peace and quiet of its great stretches of greenery and the Lanín National Park, the largest in the province of Neuquén, San Martín de los Andes is the “jewel” of the “Corredor de los Siete Lagos” (Seven Lakes Belt). Thanks to their natural beauty, the famous “belt” and the Lanín National Park are the main attractions in this region. This makes a visit to this city that offers the enchantment of snow in winter and adventure tourism in summer, together with an imposing contact with nature, a “must”.

 Lanín volcan

The town is considered the tourism capital of the Neuquen province, a claim that’s hard to negate, considering the copious arts-and-crafts shops, gear-rental shops, restaurants, and hotels that constitute much of downtown. San Martín has grown considerably in the past 10 years, yet it hasn’t succumbed to the whims of developers as Bariloche has, owing to city laws that limit building height and regulate architectural styles. The town is quieter than Bariloche and decidedly more picturesque, thanks to its timber-heavy architecture and Swiss Alpine influence. San Martín overflows with activities including biking, hiking, boating, and skiing. The tourism infrastructure here is excellent, with every lodging option imaginable and plenty of great restaurants. I can highly recommend “Deli”, a very nice and inexpensive restaurant in front of Lácar lake.

 Cathedral 

 

- In the summer adventure sports are the most widespread, like Kayak, Mountain bike, Trekking, Rafting, horse-riding, and others.

 

- By the Seven lakes Road, you can visit Villa La Angostura and the National park Los Arrayanes with the Nahuel Huapi lake.

 

- In winter San Martín de los Andes has a Ski center Chapelco for the development of winter sports like snowboard and Ski, it is one of the most importants Ski centers of Argentina and South America.

 

- Center for handcrafted artisan arts & crafts and local culinary delicacies like gourmet chocolates, pastries, organic jams and preserves. Patagonian cuisine and tea houses abound. Alpine-style hotels, lodgings and cabins available troughout.

 

- The city is serviced by the Chapelco Airport which is 22 km away

 

- Hua-Hum international pass for travel to Panguipulli in Chile lies only 45 km from San Martín de los Andes. It is one of the few passes between Chile and Argentina that are open all year round.

 

 

At our Spanish school in Buenos Aires we go to discover a different neighbourhood of Buenos Aires each week. This time I want to tell you about our visit to Mataderos. And I want to thank Jasper who sent me the photos that you can see in this post!

One of the best-kept secrets in Buenos Aires is the Feria de Mataderos, you may already know about the ferias in San Telmo or Recoleta, but if you want a real South American experience, come to Mataderos to see the gauchos (Argentine cowboys) who come from the countryside with their displays of horsemanship, handicrafts, live music, folk dancing, and delicious foods.

Mataderos is a neighbourhood located in the west of the city. Every Sunday from 11 am (or Saturday evening during the summer´s months) this feria has place.

The fair is located opposite the National Cattle Market between Lisandro de la Torre Av. and Los Corrales Av. The fair has a truly jovial atmosphere, although it takes place in one of the poorest sectors of the capital. Mataderos were where cattle were traditionally brought in from around the country, slaughtered, and then shipped out as meat to other parts of the capital (the name Mataderos literally means slaughterhouses - and the area is also often called Nueva Chicago, because of the cattle-killing heritage it shares with the ‘Windy City’).

 

The Mataderos Fair displays Argentinian handcrafts and stimulates the country’s popular traditions. The fair has three main areas devoted to traditional handicrafts, artistic performances and gaucho showcases, the fair features competitions, traditional games, exhibitions, traditional celebrations, popular dances and regional food.

The ” Feria de Mataderos” offers a wide range of typical Argentine handicrafts, and of indigenous origin. There is a huge selection of artifacts made in silver, wood, fabric and ceramic and prices are much better than in fancy boutiques in Buenos Aires selling the same pieces.

Traditional celebration in mataderos

Religious celebration

 

There we ate all kinds of traditional food (there are even options for vegetarians, such as “humitas”). We also eat the traditional argentinian toffee apple covered in Popcorn!

And while you eat, you can also enjoy performances of Argentinian music. With the live band playing folk music on accordions, traditional bombo legüero drums, folk guitars, and vocals, it’s a true fiesta, a street party, and people might grab you by the shoulder and laughingly try to pull you into their dancing circle. Feel free to join in!

 

Shop selling traditional food.

The gaucho spirit lives on at this Sunday-afternoon fair. For example, in our last visit at around 3.30 pm the sortija takesplace and this was really worth seeing. Dressed in Gaucho regalia horsemen race down the street on their horses tanding up in the saddle with their eyed fixed on a small ring dangling from a string which they attempt to spear with a small stick. Believe it or not is actually can be done as we saw it happen a few time. Man there guys ride like the wind and it really is great to watch.

“La sortija” game: catch a little ring with a small stick in a horse race.

This fair is the ideal place to soak up some rodeo-style horse antics, chow down on choripan (grilled sausage on a bun; the Argentinean version of a hot dog), and wander the endless craft booths in search of a perfect mate gourd (the traditional vessel for drinking a highly caffeinated local herb tea) or that horse-hoof ashtray you’ve always dreamed of.

 

In addition, free workshops provide insights into loom weaving, guitar playing, wood engraving, folklore and tango dance.

 

How to get there: by bus: 36, 55, 92, 63, 80, 92, 97, 103, 117, 126, 141, 155, 180, 185.

 

Website:Feria de Mataderos Website