Tag: The Real Argentina: Culture

TANGO TRACKS ACROSS THE DANCEFLOOR

Tango’s lyrics of nostalgia, passion and heartbreak are a powerful testament to the countries multicultural history. It’s a serious business for many tangueros who dedicate the twilight hours to the scene of late night milongas, dancing to the wee small hours until it’s time for desayuno (breakfast) and a snooze, before doing it all over again. So entwined is the genre with Argentine culture that much of the old tango slang or lunfardo is still in popular use today and scratchy tango tunes play over the airwaves 24/7 on dedicated radio stations. 1930s heart throb and poster boy Carlos Gardel is still regarded as the best tango singer, so don’t be surprised to hear his canciones (songs) seeping out onto the streets from taxi driver’s windows and señoras clutching stereos on doorsteps. So much more than a sexy stereotype, tango illustrates the Argentine psyche and is every bit the embodiment of a way of being.

October 27th, 2015

Argentine chefs’ curious kitchens

TV chefs don’t just work in immaculate studios, they also film on location to tell Argentina’s culinary story. But away from the comfort of the studio or test kitchens, unexpected situations often arise in makeshift kitchens. From carparks to mountains, fields and rivers, Narda Lepes, Roberto Petersen, Dolli Irigoyen and Pedro Lambertini share the backstory to some curious kitchens.

October 20th, 2015

The Botanical Gardens – Buenos Aires’ chic alternative to Palermo

One such area, characterized by its close proximity to Palermo, has been dubbed Palermo Zoo, Botanico and even Palermo VIP. This upscale leafy BA neighborhood has seen a boom in new restaurants and delis and a plethora of independent boutiques and private showrooms opening up in the last couple of years.

October 5th, 2015

The Hottest Trends from the BA Catwalks for Spring/Summer 2015

Spring has officially sprung in Buenos Aires and the winter layers are finally being ditched in favour of something lighter in the sartorial department. During the city’s fashion weeks (namely BAF Week and Designers BA) that took place earlier this month and last, the city’s local designers declared what’s hot to wear this spring / summer (unlike other fashion weeks around the world that are one step ahead, Argentina’s designers and brands work in line with the season). Sophie Lloyd rounds up the key trends for Spring/Summer 2015 from BA’s runways.

September 29th, 2015

A shopper’s guide to Tigre

While it’s most famous for its swampy waterways taking you up the Delta to hundreds of tiny islands, the town is also home to a bustling artisan market and a thriving community of artisans, artists and designers who are injecting some creative flair into the area and offering up some unique shopping gems. Just an hour north of the crazy metropolis of Buenos Aires is the infinitely more tranquil town of Tigre. Sophie Lloyd shares her top picks.

September 23rd, 2015

The five best bookshops in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires was recently crowned the bookshop capital of the world, boasting more librerías per person than any other city in the world. With such revered authors as Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar hailing from Argentina, and the capital’s international book fair, Feria Internacional del Libro de Buenos Aires now in its 42nd year, the reverence for the written word is apparent on every block. But of course some literary temples are better than others. Here is our list of the 5 best bookshops in Buenos Aires.

September 22nd, 2015

FOLCLORE: FROM GAUCHOS TO ELECTRO BEATS

In the first of three music blogs, The Real Argentina’s guide to folclore…
Folclore embodies the wholesome earthy vibe rooted in la tierra, el campo and el corazón of Argentina’s gaucho culture. Romantic partner dances play out at peñas all night long with locals waving handkerchiefs in the air to songs, which mesh European and criollo indigenous influences. Although stalwarts of the genre still get airplay, there’s a whole new world of folclore beats banging on dance floors these days.

September 15th, 2015

Patagonia through the photographers lens

Río Senguer (river). Photo by Florian von der Fecht

In his forthcoming exhibition, Ruta a Lago la Plata, Argentine photographer Florian von der Fecht shows why there’s something to shout about down South… The Landscape of a Life’s Work… Florian von der Fecht’s photos speak of the immenseness of Argentina, its vast, untamed and unpopulated regions. Becoming ambassadors in their own right, his photos…

September 8th, 2015

Green is the new black

Photo by Urban Biking

The Real Argentina guide to tourism that gives a little back Travelling is a beautiful thing but all that backpack country hopping from one tick list to another, can start to blur the senses and feel an incy bit gluttonous. Venturing in countries with an acute poverty divide pulls on more than your purse strings…

August 21st, 2015

The five best outdoor markets in Buenos Aires

Plaza Francia

En Buenos Aires hay ferias excepcionales, en parte porque los argentinos son personas habilidosas y sus artesanías son difíciles de superar, pero también porque a la gente le cuesta deshacerse de las cosas. Eso hace que esta ciudad sea el lugar perfecto para embolsar un valioso botín de artículos vintage. Los mercados tienen de todo, desde ropa hasta muebles y reliquias antiguas. Si bien hay algunos muy buenos en espacios cubiertos, los mejores lugares para descubrir algún tesoro local son los mercados al aire libre, o ferias. A continuación, un resumen de las cinco mejores ferias de la ciudad.

August 20th, 2015