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Argentine Films and Improving Your Spanish

Monday, March 25, 2013 15:06

Categories - Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema, Spanish - 0 Comments

After a total time of 6 months mostly studying Spanish in Buenos Aires, I can say with confidence that my language skills have improved way more than I thought they ever would. Despite learning heaps of different tenses and grammatical formations in the Expanish classroom that are absolutely mandatory to forming good habits, it is equally beneficial to practice speaking and listening as much as possible.

Since coming here, the listening aspect of my language development has by far been the most challenging and I am still having to ask people to repeat themselves up to 3 times sometimes. This can get quite tough on the self esteem, but the important thing to remember is that learning a language definitely takes time, patience and for me a whole lot of concentrated, screwed-up-face, holding my ears out sort of moments with locals.

Luckily I now have a TV which airs both shows and movies in Spanish audio, and/or English audio with Spanish subtitles, depending on the channel. Listening to these types of media (and also radio) in Spanish is in my opinión just awesome in building knowledge in sentence structure and vocabulary. It is an amazing feeling once you get to the stage where you recognize more words than not. However, don´t feel bad if you really WANT to watch Friends in English-sometimes I think our brains just want the familiar option and luckily, you can always follow along with the Spanish subtitles. I am currently at an intermediate level and have only quite recently been able to start really grasping the technicalities of some speech on TV. If you are at a lower level and can do this with ease, I applaud you, you are amazing to keep up with the speed!!

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HBO Channel, Argentina

So, next I would advise to find a movie that you are happy to watch a million times. This could obviously take a little bit of research, but to help, further down the blog I have made a list of a few great Argentina films made in the last few years. After choosing your film, watch it a few times with the English subtitles on until you are well acquainted with the plot. After this, start watching the movie, leaving the English subtitles on for comfort but focusing more on the speech and only looking down every now and then. After doing this a few times more, switch the subtitles to Spanish. OK, now watch it every day if you have the time. Watch until you are just so damned sick of the thing. Somewhere along the line, hopefully you will feel confident enough to turn off the subtitles all together. See how you go! I recommend starting off with kids/Young adult movies as generally the speech is not quite as rapid (apparently the website NetFlix is quite useful).

Here are some Latin-American films that have been recommended to me by other travellers learning Spanish:

BAJO LA MISMA LUNA

A drama about immigration (big in Latin American films these days), but it’s a lot more heartwarming. The story has few characters, and revolves around a little boy, so the vocabulary and dialogue is also easy to follow.

front 150x150 Argentine Films and Improving Your Spanish

Bajo La Misma Luna

COMO AGUA PARA CHOCOLATE-LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE

In a forgotten Mexico Tita and Pedro fall in love, but are forbidden to marry. Mama Elena sees Tita’s role as her caretaker for life – no youngest daughter has ever married and her daughter will not be the first to break tradition. Tita’s heart breaks when her mother instead offers to Pedro her other daughter, and he accepts. Now they live in the same house, and Mama Elena cannot forbid their love as she did their marriage.

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Like Water for Chocolate

Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN

In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.

MARIA FULL OF GRACE

Quiet, yet packed drama. The dialogue isn’t too quick or confusing. The plot is also easy to follow. It addresses a darker side of South American (Colombian) culture, but it’s great over all. Very bittersweet.

Maria Full of Grace

Here are some award-winning Argentine movies you may be interested in:

ANITA (2010)

The odyssey of a young woman with Down Syndrome, lost and friendless in Buenos Aires after a terrorist attack tears her neighborhood apart.

anita final v1 sm 150x150 Argentine Films and Improving Your Spanish

Anita, Buenos Aires

FLACAS VACAS (2012)

An irony-filled comedy, Lean Mean Cows unravels the complexities of unhealthy friendships that have long-passed their use-by date.

CAUTIVA (2011)

Cautiva follows a lost daughter’s emotional journey to uncover truth while touching upon the many political issues of the dictatorship era with passion and realism.

Cautiva

TODOS TENEMOS UN PLAN- EVERYBODY HAS A PLAN (2012, Viggo Mortensen)

It tells the story of Agustín (Mortensen), a man desperate to abandon what for him has become, after years of living in Buenos Aires, a very frustrating existence. After the death of his twin brother, Pedro, Agustín decides to start a new life, adopting the identity of his brother and returning to the mysterious region of the Delta, in theTigre, where they lived when they were boys. However, shortly after his return, Agustín will find himself unwillingly involved in the dangerous criminal world that was a part of his brother’s life.

Everyone Has a Plan 212x300 Argentine Films and Improving Your Spanish

Todo Tenemos un Plan

Enjoy watching everyone!

Architectural Styles in Buenos Aires

Thursday, May 17, 2012 13:47

Categories - Argentine Customs and Culture, Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema, Buenos Aires City Attractions - 0 Comments

Architecture in Argentina is made up of a variety of styles and designs which actually paints a portrait of Argentina’s history and culture. The overall style of a neighborhood can tell you a lot about when it was built and the people who built it. We can divide styles of the buildings of the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires in to three: neoclassical, art nouveau and art deco.

NEOCLASSICAL
Neoclassical architecture is one of the most recognizable styles in Buenos Aires. Neoclassical buildings dominated the world’s major cities from the 1860s through the 1920s. You can see it almost everywhere in Buenos Aires, on the city’s landmark public buildings, schools, hospitals and banks.

Teatro Colon1 300x207 Architectural Styles in Buenos Aires

Typical characteristic of Neoclassical architecture would be; columns, domes, arched windows and doors, triangular facades, and layouts that emphasize hierarchies of space. Famous examples of this type of architecture in Buenos Aires include the National Congress and its green dome, the Governor’s Palace, the Teatro Colon, and the Galerias Pacifico.

Galerias Pacifico 300x200 Architectural Styles in Buenos Aires

Neighborhood versions of neoclassical architecture can be seen in Recoleta and Microcentro. These neighborhoods are often a mix of both Italian classical styles and French “Academic” styles. You’ll find iconic French windows, arched and pedimented doors, and buildings with grand staircases and entrances, which enriches the scenery of Buenos Aires.

ART NOUVEAU
Art nouveau is the style that defined the turn of 20^th century in major cities all over the world. This style is exemplified by curving natural lines and asymmetrical organization. Feminine figures, flowers, plants and animals dominate their facades. It emphasized art for the masses so the style permeated a range of buildings in the city.

Famous examples of art nouveau architecture in Buenos Aires include the Palacio Barolo, a design inspired by the cosmology of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” and the Molino Confectionary, the storied coffeehouse next to the Argentine National Congress. There’s lots of art nouveau neighborhood architecture in Balvanera. The neighborhood is also where art nouveau master Virginio Colombo lived and worked. You’ll find two of his “rent houses” facing each other on Hipolito Yrigoyen Street and farther down a beautiful shoe factory that’s now a parking garage as one of the best examples of art nouveau architecture in Buenos Aires.

Colombo 235x300 Architectural Styles in Buenos Aires

ART DECO
Another important architecture style often seen in Buenos Aires is Art deco, which debuted in France in 1925 and became all the rage beginning in the Depression era and spanning through 1940. Prominent examples of art deco architecture in Buenos Aires include the Kavanagh Building, South America’s tallest skyscraper at the time it was built, and the Abasto Market, the old immigrant fruit and vegetable market (now a shopping mall) in Carlos Gardel’s old neighborhood. Art deco is mixed throughout most parts of Buenos Aires. All you have to do is just look for those geometric shapes and hard lines in the building facades.

Kavanagh Building1 210x300 Architectural Styles in Buenos Aires

Of course there are many more different styles, buildings and neighborhoods in this beautiful city, but this summary provides the basics that you will find on an average block in Buenos Aires. So now you can put on your trekking shoes and go for a walk to see some of those marvelous architecture pieces!

Tags: architectural styles buenos aires, architecture bunoes aires, architecture in argentina, buildings in buenos aires, different architecture in buenos aires, teatro colon architecture

Expanish’s Favourite Tours in Buenos Aires

Monday, December 12, 2011 14:59

Categories - Argentine Customs and Culture, Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema, Buenos Aires City Attractions, Concerts, Events, Festivals and Holidays - 0 Comments

So you’ve got a spare few days in Buenos Aires and are wondering what to do…well why not take a tour? Buenos Aires is full of numerous different tours to do, and we’ve decided to create a list of Expanish’s top ones to make the most of your stay in Buenos Aires…

Of course, the classic tour which can be found in every city all over the world is the bus tour. And Buenos Aires is no different – there are a couple of ones which offer great tours, stopping off at all the major sightseeing points of Buenos Aires.

http://www.buenosairesbus.com/en/ – with 20 different stops, you’ll be sure to get a good feel of the city.

http://www.lopentour.com.ar/ – this company offers 4 different routes – a north circuit, a south circuit, a night time tour and a Porteño tour.

If you are feeling like something a little more strenuous, then there are also plenty of companies which offer walking tours around Buenos Aires. One of the best we’ve found is http://www.buenostours.com/ which offers walking tours around the city in private groups. All of the guides are UK or US expats so not only know the city well but also speak English and Spanish fluently.

For those of you looking to save the pennies (or centavos!), but are happy to do group tours, there is a company which runs group tours around Buenos Aires called http://www.bafreetour.com/. They offer a range of different tours, such as the ‘city tour’ or the ‘aristocratic city tour’ which takes you around to show the contrast between the different areas in Buenos Aires. They also offer a tour to the famous ‘Mataderos’ market where every Sunday you get to see the traditional performances from Gauchos who come to display their horsemanship with special shows and dances.

If you feel like venturing out of the centre of the city but don’t have time to go too far then why not go to Tigre where there are numerous things to do such as canoeing on the delta. Expanish is a big fan of Bike It! (http://www.bikeit.com.ar/) which offers great tours where you can actually bike to Tigre and then do a canoeing tour around the deltas when you get there.

If you have not discovered this already, then you soon will upon arriving in Buenos Aires, but Tango is a huge part of the culture in Buenos Aires. Consequently, you will find a huge number of ‘tango experiences’ all around the city. It’s definitely worth doing one, but just be careful you choose an authentic one which is not too touristy.

For the history fans amongst you, why not do a tour of the city whilst learning about Argentina’s icon, Evita. Not only will you get to see a bit of the city, but you can also learn about her life as you visit the new Evita museum (http://museoevita.org/en/) as well as various sites around the city.

For those looking for something slightly different, there is now a company which offers ‘Grafitti Tours’ around Buenos Aires. Street art is now becoming an important part of the culture of Buenos Aires. As you will have noticed, you can barely walk a block without seeing some sort of graffiti, particularly in Palermo and San Telmo. If you feel like branching out from the standard tour then have a look at what this Grafitti Mundo offers – http://graffitimundo.com. They also offer workshops where you can have a go yourself!

Expanish guide to art galleries in Buenos Aires

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 12:10

Categories - Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema - 0 Comments

One of the things we’re most commonly asked by our culture hungry Spanish students at Expanish Spanish school, is what are the best art galleries to visit. Luckily, Expanish is based in the cultural hub of Argentina, Buenos Aires, a city that is home of some killer museums and the best part is that some are free or really low cost. Here’s the Expanish Spanish school blog guide to some of the best.

When the weekend starts every porteño thinks about the best option to appropriate the City for him/herself during the free time. It is a kind of democratic exercise but it is a kind of jealousy also “The museum is for everyone(mine), and access to culture is a right, so I’m gonna use it!” then you can see flocks of families, groups of friends, couples, etc…taking the two options: To the north, Recoleta-Palermo, to the south San Telmo-La Boca to invade it. Many of them maybe have not idea about art, but they want to be part of it, to experience what is happening out there. It is something that define “el alma porteña”.

Let’s see this 5 important art spots distributed in this 2 areas;

First of all some gallery gems in the North:

Just to start (and the most re-known option) Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes has an impressive gallery of paintings by Monet, Renoir, and the like, as well as works by Argentina’s own premier artists, such as Sivori, Berni, Pettoruti among others.

The ground floor, which is 2,000 m2, is primarily to show the collections of international art from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. An important specialized art library, whose current wealth is more than 150,000 pieces, complete the room that is projected onto the park boundaries. At the reception, an art library offers visitors updated bibliography while the boutique from the Asociación de Amigos (Friends Association) offers the catalogs of exhibitions, reproductions of works and design souvenirs.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is open from Tuesday to Friday from 12:30 to 20:30 hs and Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 hs to 20:30 hs

Telephone: 5288-9900

Address: Avda. Libertador 1473.

Admission is free.

MALBA

Buenos Aires’ museum of Latin american art, Malba’s collection focuses on art produced in Latin America during the 20th Century, and is made up of a group of over two hundred and seventy works by Argentinean and Latin American artists. Anyway It is an “avant gard” exhibition space in Buenos Aires and one can see masterpieces and performances from all around the globe also.

It is an institutional collection that is the patrimony of the Eduardo F. Costantini Foundation, It is not free, but it worth it. Most of its works were donated by Malba’s founder, issuing from the collection he brought together largely during the eighties and nineties. During the museum’s three years of public operation, its patrimony has grown, thanks to its acquisition program and to the generous donations received from artists as well as artists’ family members and individual donors.

MALBA is open from Thursdays to Mondays and on holidays from 12:00 to 20:00 hs and on Wednesdays until 21:00

Admission tickets prices:

From Thursday to Monday: $22

Wednesday: $10

info@malba.org.ar

Telephone: 4808-6500

Address: Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3415

Centro Cultural Recoleta

The Centro Cultural Recoleta has various areas for the performing of plays and dance shows, concerts, book presentations, conferences and round tables, plastic arts exhibitions, among others. It also has outdoor spaces equipped for holding concerts, parades and plays. Every four months, it offers courses, workshops on visual arts, performing arts, photography, dance, literature and workshops specially tailored for people with special needs. Within its facilities works the “Museo Participativo de Ciencias” (Participative Museum of Sciences), a space dedicated to counseling, training and production of interactive educational experiences.

The Centro Cultural Recoleta is open from Monday to Friday from 14:00 to 21:00 hs and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 21:00 hs

Address: Junín 1930

Telephone: 4803-1040

Admission is free.

Going South, Both “Republics” (as people so called their neighborhoods) San Telmo and La Boca have pearls to discover:

MAMBA

The Buenos Aires’ museum of modern art was founded in 1956 by Rafael Squirru for critical debate. The works of Jackson Pollock, William De Kooning, Franz Klein, Jean Fautrier, Karel Appel, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Le Corbusier, and Candido Portinari have all populated the museum, among many other international artists and designers. It has also gathered notable Argentines ranging from Emilio Pettoruti and Ramón Gómez Cornet, pioneers of the Avant-garde movement in Buenos Aires to informalist and conceptualists like Alberto Greco and Jorge de la Vega. Abstract art also became one of the museum’s priorities and the MAM sponsored many exhibits organized by Asociación Arte Nuevo (New Art Association), founded by critic Aldo Pellegrini and artist Carmelo Arden Quin in 1954. During the ’70s, the MAM couldn’t avoid the effects of the social and political situation under which Argentina was suffering, after that floating experience, the so-called “Museo Fantasma” (ghost museum) continued as a homeless institution,

The museum moved to the Piccardo Cigarette Factory in 1986, but has spent the last five years closed for renovations. Now re-opened, the prestige of the museum increased with time and with the successive donations from private collectors and from artists themselves. By now, it has assembled 7,000 pieces which the refurbished industrial building will be able to show and conserve in improved conditions: Two exhibition halls with clean white walls, perfect lighting and the right room temperature. The next much-awaited step includes the re-inauguration of the library and documentation center, which holds 5,400 volumes, 3,250 artistic portfolios from the first half of the 20th Century, a newspaper and periodicals library, plus the video and photo collections. Definitely worth it.

The Museo de arte moderno de Buenos Aires is open from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 19:00 hs and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 11:00 to 20:00 hs

Address: Av. San Juan 350

Admission: The “symbolic” amount of AR $1.

Tuesdays are free.

Fundacion PROA

Also named the Bow Foundation, organizes itself around the faded history and imagery of the port. The gallery is set in a restored 19th century building, expanded in 2008 by the Milanese architecture firm Caruso-Torricella Architetti.

Proa has no permanent art collection but boasts four distinctive white-walled gallery spaces to host temporary exhibits. In the largest gallery, iron columns recovered from an old ship vault the ceilings.

Until today, Fundacion Proa has revealed some of the most inspiring and approaching shows in the capital. It is among the city’s best art galleries. The traditional Italianate sophistication in the exterior as well contemporary angular galleries in the interior has made Proa architecturally a master piece in its own right. The art gallery engulfs and exhibits all temporary exhibits, but a few of them are very diverse as well as interesting showing generally a Latin American theme. So expect anything from pre-Columbian Aztec sculptures, photography, and to the Argentine art of 1980. Besides, check out here for a stunning collection that is dedicated to the Latin American artists such as Diego Rivera.

Fundacion Proa pays a tribute to the state’s dedication toward arts. Initially opened in 1996 and recently refurbished in 2008, this two-storey edifice has been the attractive home of diverse highly-acclaimed traveling exhibits besides the work of the most modern local artists. Besides Diego Rivera, the gallery space has also hosted the skills of married Mexican artists such as Frida Kahlo as well as Andres Serrano, Lucio Fontana, Sol Lewitt, and Mario Merz. If you come to Proa today, then you will be able to explore its renovated premises that are boasting four exhibition rooms for art shows. Therefore, you can expect an auditorium that is dedicated to the movies of Latin America along with some more art-video presentations. And yes, do not worry about the communication as English is well spoken here. This solves the problems of non-Spanish speakers.

Fundación PROA is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 11:00 to 19:00 hs.

Mondays Closed.

Address: Av. Pedro de Mendoza 1929

La Boca, Caminito

Admission: $10 – Students (with national or international Student ID) $6

Obviously this is just a brief of the most of 100 museums that the city hosts, excluding commercial art galleries (that allow public access). If you are an art-coholic Buenos Aires is a place with no moment of dull.

http://www.galeriasargentinas.org.ar

http://www.museos.buenosaires.gob.ar

A Guide to the Buenos Aires Tango Festival

Friday, August 19, 2011 13:16

Categories - Argentine Customs and Culture, Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema, Concerts, Events, Festivals and Holidays - 0 Comments

As you surely know by now, from August 16^th the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championships will be held in Buenos Aires, the Tango event with the widest international involvement in the world. Thousands of visitors and dancers from around the world will come to the city to participate in the various activities, enabling them to live, eat and breathe tango for two weeks.

Here is some useful information to help you take advantage of this great opportunity to participate in the many activities organized and become a Tango expert!

Tango

The passionate Tango, year after year, increases its followers not only in Argentina but all over the world. The Tango’s rich historical heritage has ensured its continuous growth has not been detrimental to its strong sense of tradition.

The global growth and influence of Tango has been so great that in December 2009 it was declared the Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial de la Humanidad (Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) by UNESCO. Additionally, since February 2010 the Tango has had its own official home in Buenos Aires: the Teatro de la Ribera in the neighborhood of La Boca. All the events here are devoted exclusively to the traditional (tango-based) music of Buenos Aires, with milongas, shows, classes and exhibitions taking place all year round.

What to do during the Festival

The Fair
The traditional Fair of Products, that complements the musical program of Tango Buenos Aires, will open its doors once again in 2011. The fair involves a varied display of artistic productions related to Tango. It is an excellent opportunity for visitors – both Argentine and foreign – to access, appreciate and purchase all sorts of tango-based products, for example shoes, clothing, books, records and other forms of one-of-a-kind memorabilia.

Exhibition dedicated to Carlos Gardel
One major exhibition of Tango Buenos Aires 2011 is dedicated to the world of Tango icon Carlos Gardel, the singer with the ‘exceptional voice and eternal smile’. From Wednesday 17^th to Sunday 28^th, visitors to the Centro de Exposiciones will get to see the largest exhibition about Carlitos ever held. Produced by the Industrias Culturales Argentinas program, the exhibition, made up of over 500 pieces, will include possessions, photographs, records, and historical documents. The exhibition will be open daily from 4pm to 10pm and will be located in a prime position within the Centro de Exposiciones. Access is, as with all the shows and activities on offer throughout Tango Buenos Aires, free. This exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for the public to learn about the life, love and work of a man who defeated death. It is because of this, Carlitos, as the old Argentine popular saying goes, “sings better every day.”

Concerts and Activities

During the 2 week Festival over 150 concerts, dance shows, milongas and parties will take place, and importantly, all of them are free! You can view the complete list of activities and events here:

http://www.tangobuenosaires.gob.ar

Tickets
As all activities and shows in Buenos Aires Tango Festival and World Championship are free, tickets are distributed on a first come first served basis, and it is rare that they do not reach full capacity. The only shows that require you to reserve a ticket are those hosted by the CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo, as well as the semifinals and final of the Tango World Championship.

Tickets for the CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo

Tickets for activities scheduled at the CCC Teatro 25 de Mayo may only be collected on the day of show at the theater box office from 11am to 18pm, Av Triunvirato 4444. Ticket allocations are restricted to a maximum of two per person.

Tickets for the World Championship Semifinals and Final
Tickets for the semifinals and final rounds may be collected on Monday, August 22, from 11am to 19pm from the Casa de la Cultura, Avenida de Mayo 575. The allocation restrictions of two tickets per person apply. There are two categories to choose from: Salon Tango and Stage Tango.

I hope this information will come in useful, and I might even see you in one of the many milongas that take place throughout the festival!

Milva

Book Stores in Buenos Aires

Thursday, August 11, 2011 12:24

Categories - Argentine Customs and Culture, Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema, Concerts, Events, Festivals and Holidays, Shopping - 0 Comments

This year, Buenos Aires was declared World Capital of the Book, a distinction that the Forum for the sciences, culture and education from the UN awards to a different city every year. Here in Argentina, books are such a big part of our everyday lives that getting the 2011 award was the icing on a cake that we have been eating, and enjoying, for a very long time. The work of art by our very own female version of Andy Warhol, minus the drag queens and the Velvet Underground, conceptual artist Marta Minujin, was excellent. Marta built a giant Babel Tower made of 30.000 books from around the world. The tower was on exhibition for a limited time only at Plaza San Martin.

Since Marta Minujin’s tower has been dismantled, the books have been donated to charity. In a similar vein, there is currently a very interesting initiative going viral on the internet: Liberacion Masiva de Libros. This city-wide initiative, in which people leave a book in a park, a corner or a doorstep with a note inside dedicating the book to an unknown fellow reader, continues on august 14. As next Sunday (the 21^st) is the Day of the Child, this date will be focused on children’s’ books.

books tower 300x224 Book Stores in Buenos Aires

Anyway, on to our subject: Bookshops in Buenos Aires (whenever I start talking about books I tend to go off on a tangent – sorry!). As you probably have already seen, there are as many bookstores as there are psychologists (maybe not so many) in the city. The segment of Corrientes Avenue, from Riobamba to 9 de Julio, is full of bookstores: used, new, cheap and not so cheap. They stay open into the wee hours, and many well-known writers have written about them. There is one story about a man who goes from bookstore to bookstore, reading a bit of the same book in each one until he finishes the entire book, thus removing the need to actually buy it. However, there are book stores in other areas too that are worth the visit.

If you are looking for books written in English, both used and new, you can visit Walrus Books in San Telmo. Expat-owned, they have many titles with what I perceive as a focus on travel-related literature: On the Road and Dharma Bums by Kerouac, The stranger by Camus, Franny and Zooey by Sallinger, Beatniks, confusion, urban mysticism and so on… Oh, and also Bukowski. And Paul Bowles. As well as many many more.

If your Spanish is getting better, you may want to read some Argentinian authors’ works (in their original language). If so, visit Ateneo Grand Splendid, which is one of those bookstores that really create an impression upon entry. It used to be a theater, and you can experience all of its vintage magnificence while reading authors such as Alejandra Pizarnik. Carlos Gardel once played there, and if you believe in ghost stories and mysticism you will love it there.

For those interested in psychology, anthropology, and sociology, there is a specialized bookstore for you too, named Paidos. It was founded by two intellectuals (naturally), a philosopher and a master in Educational Science. The store was once a meeting place for all sorts of intellectuals and social scientists, and actually still is. Paidos has two branches, both in the Palermo area.

Clasica y Moderna is another bookstore deserving of a place in this list. It is a gathering place for bohemians, musicians, and the ones who bought Beatnik literature in Walrus books. It is not only a bookstore, but also a jazz club and a cafe. Clasica y Moderna is 70 years old, and its name has never been so appropriate. The selection of titles is very comprehensive; it was there that I bought Memorias de Adriano, by Margeritte Yourcenar, for my dad’s birthday and also a photography book by Robert Mapplethorpe for a friend.

If art is your thing, another place you might enjoy (other than museums shops, where there is always a good selection of art and photography books) is Pan Libros in the Belgrano neighbourhood. This store specializes in art, music and fanzines. Occasionally, documentary screenings are hosted, as well as short film mini festivals and other artsy goings-on.

Entelequia is a comic, manga, anime and fantasy (Tolkien, Ursula K.legin type fantasy) bookshop. Clerks with purple hair will come and assist you in finding whatever obscure comic book from the 70´s you might be looking for. They also deal in role-playing games and figurines.

There are many more little anonymous bookstores scattered around Buenos Aires, and by keeping your senses open, you are sure to stumble upon one of them.

Bonus Track

If you are in Buenos Aires and are a literature lover, there is a place you will enjoy visiting. Villa Ocampo is the former home of late Argentine writer Victoria Ocampo. The house, a magnificient English pintoresque-style mansion, was a sanctuary for the intellectuals of the last century. Borges, Virginia Woolf, Aldous Huxley, Le corbusier, Albert Camus, Gabriela Mistral are some examples of the fun crowd who would spend time at the villa. The walls at Villa Ocampo themselves tell tales (and secrets). You can also have a delicious brunch and learn about the house’s history while you eat.

Delfina

El Cine de los Argentinos

Monday, May 9, 2011 15:31

Categories - Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema - 0 Comments

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What to do in December as a Spanish Student in Buenos Aires

Wednesday, December 1, 2010 8:21

Categories - Argentina News, Argentina Travel Info, Argentine Customs and Culture, Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema, Buenos Aires City Attractions, Concerts, Events, Festivals and Holidays, Expanish News, Spanish - 0 Comments

As the end of the year and the holidays approach, Buenos Aires will be getting warmer, which means more outdoor activities. If you are staying here through Christmas and New Years, these events will really help you experience everything that is going on for the rest of 2010.

Festivals

Buenos Aires International Jazz Festival (Dec. 3 – Dec -8 )

Location: Eight different locations in the city

Cost – Varies (some events are free and some concerts have a small cost)

International Tango Day (Dec. 11)
Location – Various (Gran Milonga Nacional – Ave. De Mayo)

With shows and concerts throughout the city, one of the most exciting is the Gran Milonga Nacional where the street of Avenida de Mayo in downtown Buenos Aires gets turned into one big tango dance hall.

Fiesta Nacional del Gaucho (Dec. 11 – Dec. 13)

Location – General Madariaga (in the Province of Buenos Aires). Celebrate everything there is about the traditional Argentine Gaucho just south of Buenos Aires for this annual festival. Horse shows, hand-made crafts and great food accompany all the exciting customs and traditions that is the world of a gaucho.

Cost – Free

Events

Argentine Polo Open (Nov. 13 – Dec. 4 Only on weekends)

Location – Hipodromo (corner of Avenida Libertador and Avenida Dorrego)

Haven´t seen a polo game yet? Make sure to head over to the Hipodromo to get a first-hand experience before the Argentine Polo Opens ends.

Cost: Varies depending on seat

Casa Vela HIV/AIDS Fundraiser (Dec. 5 @ 4pm)

Location – Parque Patricios (Ave. Casero and La Rioja)

Come support Casa Vela, a non-profit organization focused on promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and education, at their annual 2K walk.

Cost: A t-shirt is $35 pesos

Feria de Artesanías (Dec. 7 – Dec. 12 @ 3pm – 10pm)

Location: La Rural (Av. Sarmiento 2704)

This is the largest artisan fair in the country where the over 50,000 visitors can browse (and buy) hand-made goods by over 500 artists. If you enjoy the regular ferias in the plazas of the city, this is the mother-load.

Cost – $15 pesos to enter

Nuestra Feria de Diseño (Dec. 17 and Dec. 18 @ 2pm – 9pm)

Location: Universidad de Palermo (Ecuador 933)

Design students from the Universidad de Palermo will be showing off their collections and everything will be for sale! This is a chance to get one-of-a-kind pieces and support local students.

Cost: Free entrance

10 Años 10 Cortos. Una década de gran cine (Dec. 7 @6:30pm)

Location: Biblioteca Nacional (Aguero 2502)

Organized by the magazine Babia, the Biblioteca Nacional will present the 10 best Argentine short films of the last 10 years. Plus, you can check out the Biblioteca Nacional, which is a sight in itself.

Cost: Free

Marta Minujín Exposition (Nov. 26 – Feb. 7)

Location – MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires) – Avda. Figueroa Alcorta 3415

The MALBA is finishing 2010 with an exposition of Marta Minujín, an Argentine pop artist. It will show over 100 pieces of her work from the 60s, 70s, and 80s – a must see.

Cost – $20 pesos to enter ($8 on Wednesdays)

Buenos Aires Philharmonic (Dec. 2 @8:30pm)

Location – Teatro Colón (Cerrito 628)

See the last performance of the year of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic. Seats go quickly, so buy yours now!

Cost – Varies depending on seats

Concerts

Here are just some of the artists who will be playing in Buenos Aires during this month:

The Wailers – 1/12

Yes – 3/12

Daddy Yankee – 4/12

Panic at the Disco! – 8/12

Stone Temple Pilots – 9/12

Armin van Buuren – 10/12 & 11/12

*For purchasing tickets, check out TicketPortal or Ticketek

For things to do during Christmas and New Years, we will be exploring that in depth later on in the month, so check back soon!

Tags: Buenos Aires City Attractions, expanish, learning spanish in argentina, learning spanish in Buenos Aires, neighbourhoods in buenos aires, Spanish classes in Buenos Aires, Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, Spanish immersion in Buenos Aires

An Outdoor Stage & World Class Dancers – This is Ballet in Buenos Aires.

Monday, November 29, 2010 11:19

On Saturday evening Spanish students in Buenos Aires were invited to join locals and attend a free ballet that was hosted by the Buenos Aires City Government.

Avenida 9 de Julio, known as the widest street in the world, was closed to cars right up until the obelisco monument, situated in the centre of the avenida, in order to place a huge stage created especially for the ballet. This avenida is usually full of cars jostling to reach the lights quicker than the other; this had been quickly replaced by ballet fans attempting to find one of the 8000 seats that were available.

For those that weren’t lucky enough (or organized enough to arrive early…ahem..me) to find a seat, there was plenty of standing room available with two huge screens displaying the ballet so that nobody, of the estimated 20 000 people that attended, missed any of the action, even at the back.

The chosen ballet was La Traviata which is a based on the opera by Giuseppe Verdi and which stared Argentina’s very own Iñaki Urlezega alongside 84 other dancers and 70 musicians from the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra.

I was standing in the crowd with young and old, men and women of many different backgrounds who had come together to have the opportunity to watch these fine dancers put on a captivating performance. Considering it took place in what is usually considered be a bustling, fairly noisy area, you could hear a pin drop as everybody was entranced by the show. Two of the security men did make the mistake of having a conversation until the crowd politely but assertively told them to shut up – which they did!

After the show had finished I made many friends in the crowd who couldn’t wait to talk about their opinion of the ballet, all of it positive and of course in Spanish…what better excuse to practice my Spanish and learn some dance vocabulary!

The ballet was a complete success and was a great hit with the crowd. It was my first ballet and I have to say I’m now dying to see another one.

Joanne

Tags: Buenos Aires City Attractions, learn spanish in buenos aires, learning spanish in Buenos Aires, Spanish classes in Buenos Aires, Spanish courses in Buenos Aires, spanish immersion classes in Buenos Aires, spanish students in buenos aires, studying spanish in Buenos Aires

The Sound of Yet More Music in Buenos Aires.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 7:41

Categories - Argentina News, Argentina Travel Info, Argentine Customs and Culture, Art, Museums, Theatre & Cinema, Concerts, Events, Festivals and Holidays, Health & Safety, Spanish, Student Stories - 0 Comments

Although the world-renowned electronica festival Creamfields came and went last weekend, there’s still plenty of cutting edge music to be had during the spring month of November in Buenos Aires. Kicking off on November 18^th in Luna Park with Smashing Pumpkins and continuing on the 19^th and 20^th in Costanera Sur, Hot Festival boasts an impressive line-up of artists with styles ranging from alternative rock to synthpop to electronica.

Although the headliners (below) don’t hit the stage each day until about 7 at night, you might want to arrive early to get a good spot to see the bands. The venue is located at the Ex Ciudad Deportiva de Boca Juniors which is directly south of the Ecological Reserve in Puerto Madero. To get there, simply take the same route you would to arrive to the entrance of the Eco Reserve (located right off of Padre M L. Migone and Av. Rodriguez) and go south down Av. España (the entrance to the festival is located on this street).

As is recommended at all music festivals and concerts, be aware of your surroundings and try to take it easy on the alcoholic beverages. Although there will be a ton of people enjoying the music, there’s always those undesirable types who try to take advantage of people who are having a good time and throwing caution to the wind. Make sure your valuables (camera, wallet, etc.) are close to you at all times and NEVER accept a drink from a stranger. When the concert ends, be aware that the area where this concert is held isn’t the safest of places so make sure that you travel with a group of friends on your way back.

Key Details about the Festival

Line-up

November 18^th

November 19^th

November 20^th

November 22^nd

Tickets

Prices range from AR$250 (Campo) to AR$350 (Super Pullman) and can be purchased on the internet (www.ticketportal.com.ar), by telephone ((011) 5353-0606) or at ticketbooths:

Ticketportal

Palermo – Vidt 2084
Monday to Saturday from 10 to 14 and from 15 to 18hs.
Purchases can only be made with Credit Card

Johnsons
Microcentro – Florida 313
Monday to Saturday from 10 to 14 and from 15 to 19hs.

Extra cost per ticket of AR$3

Tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires City Attractions, La Boca, learning spanish in argentina, learning spanish in Buenos Aires, neighbourhoods in buenos aires, Spanish immersion courses in Buenos Aires

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