Camine conmigo por las calles de Buenos Aires...

(Walk with me through the streets of Buenos Aires...)
This past weekend, I traveled to the federal capital of Argentina, the enormous city of Buenos Aires.  I hope you enjoy the photos!

above: our humble abode at the Hostel Che Lagarto

right: Plaza San Martín in the middle of the city

above: one of my favorite quotes from the famous argentine author Jorge Luis Borges taken in el Centro Culturo de Borges (cultural center)


right:  the malls in Buenos Aires are much prettier than in the US! (but yes Justin Timberlake is still the model in all the ads!)

above: me in front of a fountain between the 6 lanes of traffic rushing by in each direction

right: El Teatro de Colón (Columbus Theater)

below left: a common blend of traditional architecture with the modern buildings

below right: the view down la calle Corrientes looking towards the Obelisk

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above: a used book cart in the middle of one of the plazas


right:  El Obelisco, a monument in the center of Buenos Aires

below:  some very talented street performers playing on the pedestrian boulevard Florida

social unrest is everywhere in the streets
of Buenos Aires

the Plaza del Mayo and La Casa Rosada

below left: Me in front of La Casa Rosada
(the equivalent of the Argentina White House)

another beautiful fountain

in front of the fountain of El Palacio del Congreso

El Palacio del Congreo (Congressional Palace)

the restuarant where we had an amazing steak dinner, una cena parrilla de carne asada

above left: on the beginning of the Hostel Pub Crawl we attended

above right: during the Pub Crawl with our new Argentine friend Vicki!

Below: we met a fellow traveler, Late, that had come all the way from Finland!

La Boca is a neighborhood in Buenos Aires that became famous as the birthplace of the tango.  It was the area that all of the working class immigrants inhabited, where they lived close to the meat packing warehouses on the river front in terrible living conditions.  Nowadays, the area has been painted beautiful colors and has become a tourist attraction known worldwide.  But beware-- just because they have painted the walls brillant colors does not change the composition of the neighborhood.  It has a very "Disneyworld"-esque feel that it is all just too good to be true.  Outside of the 5 blocks designated as the tourist area, the nitty gritty atmosphere of the lower class porteños can still be easily seen.  While the vibrant colors and tango shows make it an enjoyable place to see and visit, spending more than an hour two in La Boca is not recommended.

right: before heading out on our last night in the big city (mi amiga Catalina)

Una cena  inolvidable! An unforgettable dinner of the most delicious pizza I have ever tried

these shots are called "Harry Potter" and yes, they are on fire!!

  


above left: apparently, when you order a "Viking God" shot, they put this lovely helmet on your head while you take it. Aren't I such a doll?!                                                                                             above right: a view of Argentine nightlife, "un boliche"- nightclub- called Club Araóz

All in all, the weekend in Buenos Aires was absolutely amazing.  One of the best in my life and I will surely never forget all the sights we saw, people we met and things we tried.  It is a very crazy, very big bustling Latin American city, with over 14 million inhabitants.  As in any place, there is exists an enormous amount of beauty and allure, but also a great amount of ugliness and poverty.  We were fortunate enough to see only small glimpses of its unsightliness and mostly stay amongst the beauty that is Buenos Aires!

El día de la bandera (flag day)

Wednesday June 20th is the national flag day here in Argentina, and it holds a special importance here in Rosario which is la cuna de la bandera (the cradle of the flag).  The man that created the Argentine flag is from Rosario, it was shown for the first time in public in Rosario and the sense of pride about the flag is strongest here.  We were given the opportunity to attend the festivities centered around the monument instead of attending class that morning, due to its cultural significance.  It was a beautifully sunny morning and the streets were lined with Rosarians with the day off of school and work to display their patriotism and celebrate the creation of the flag.  There was a military parade that marched along the street next to the river and the longest flag in the world (25 kilometers!) was draped around the monument and the streets nearby.  The sense of nationalism that the Argentines possess, despite their tumultuous government and economy was pleasantly surprising to me.  Not to mention an opportunity to learn about Argentine culture via a day spent outside in the sunshine instead of sitting in the classroom.

in front of the monument holding the largest flag in the world 

 ¡feliz día de la bandera!

students in my group with our profesora Susana Rosano

An architecture tour, a day spent on the riverfront, and new argentine friends

It  has been a fun and exciting week! And therefore this shall be a very long post. Monday thru Wednesday I attend classes all day (my next post will detail a normal day for me in Rosario).

Architecture tour:
On Thursdays, we have scheduled group excursions.  Last week was the tango class and this week was a tour of the famous architecture in the city of Rosario.  It was really interesting to learn about the history of the buildings that I am surrounded by.  I walk by some of them everyday, before not knowing of their importance in shaping the not only the city skyline but also the history.  The different waves of immigration greatly influenced the architecture of the buildings and the unique styles of Italian, French and Spanish architects creates a beautiful blend of buildings and structures throughout el centro de Rosario.  My favorites are: "El monumento de la bandera"- the monument of the flag which is located only 4 blocks from my apartment which both honors the Argentine flag and houses the crypt of its creator 50 m below the grounds surface.  It is a huge part of daily life in the city and on any given day it is crowded with everything from groups of schoolchildren, families enjoying the fresh air, business people having a lunch break and of course, tourists like me.  My other favorite is "El Club Español" which back in the 19th century was an elite social club for Spanish immigrants and their descendents.  With an appearance that reminds me of a palace, the building has a very regal atmosphere and I could picture the Spanish aristocrats in their finest evening wear gathering for an evening of dinner and dancing.  The idea behind the clubs was to preserve the culture of the mother country and provide a social atmosphere for the upper-most class of Rosarian society.

 El monumento de la bandera

 The exterior of "El club español"

 Staircase and the entrance of "el club español"

 Beautiful glasswork on the ceiling directly above the staircase

One of the ballrooms inside "El club español"

A day spent on the riverfront:

El río (river) Paraná creates the eastern border of the city of Rosario and the riverfront (called the Costanera) has been developed into various parks and recreation areas.  There are many cafés and restaurants with outdoor patios with spectacular views.  The parks are constantly filled with people enjoying the outdoors and every Saturday and Sunday the walkways are lined with an artisan fair that I love going to.  The handmade jewelry and all of the leather products are just beautiful and very reasonably priced.  Every sunny weekend day thus far I have walked the miles along the river, stopping along the way to sit in the sun for a café con leche and to make purchases from the artisans.

 La Costanera

 nothing like a long walk along the river on a beautiful day :)

looking down the Costanera

(Look Elias, Rosario has a skatepark!)

View of the Paraná

my new purchases!

New argentine friends:

The people of Rosario are some of the friendliest and most welcoming that I have met! I have really loved getting to meet argentines close to my age and experiencing what it is like to be young in Rosario.

 a picnic of pizza and empanadas with a group of new rosarian friends!

 before heading out for a night on the town

the biggest fans of Newell's Old Boys

they're really fun to watch the soccer games with, although I have never heard quite so many insults yelled at the television before!