Tuesday, June 21, 2011

free your books






















Me, somewhere in Tulum, Mexico.
Book: Anna Karnenina- Tolstoy

Buenos Aires, the city of books has a new movement: The Free Book. The idea is that after reading a book you release it in a public space such as a park, café, public transportation and other similar places for other people to pick up and read.

Anyone can be part of Free Book by simply releasing it and writing a few words in the first page indicating that this book has not been lost or forgotten, it is part of the Free Book movement. The person who finds it should free the book again for someone else to enjoy.

The Free Book movement suggests that by releasing a book we are achieving one of life's most rewarding experiences which is to share. 

Of course we all have books that we love, books that we want to keep and that we like to go back to, but other books may be part of us already, they have left their message in our souls and we know them by heart. These are the ones we are invited to release.

Happy Wednesday! xo

Paris in Buenos Aires






































The French Embassy (first photo) and the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Buenos Aires got together with the idea of culturally linking Paris to Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires to Paris. This is how they came up with Tandem Buenos Aires-Paris 2011. Up until June 26 we can enjoy French culture at it's best.

The program will mainly take place at the Theater and Cultural Center General San Martin, but also in other government- run venues.

The offer of activities is very broad, going from scenic Arts: theater, circus, puppets, dance; visual arts: video art, photography, street art, movies; music: classical, jazz and rock 'n roll (very funny how the French dance to it!) and literature. Several prestigious French theater directors are participating as well as the Theatre du Rond Point which is excellent.

In the fall, Argentina artists will be arriving to Paris to unfold our culture there.

Kurt Vonnegut once said "I wanted all things to seem to make some sense,
So we could all be happy, yes, instead of tense. And I made up lies, so
they all fit nice, and I made this sad world a paradise"

Doesn't that quote make you smile? it comes from Literature. We feel that art, in any of its forms, is intended to make your life better, that is why we hope you can experience at least, a bit of Tandem 2011.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Tigre

















This little house in Tigre, now protected by a crystal box, belonged to Sarmiento, Argentina's seventh president.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Happy father's day!



















































We think it's so nice that there is a day to honor our fathers and since we often write about extraordinary people, we wanted to include our fathers in our list. Talk a little about fatherhood.

When we were Psychology students in college, we were emphatically lectured about the father figure. What a father is, what he does, what his role is, what is expected of him, so much was said to us that we can recite those lectures by heart. To your fortune, we wont' do that today.

Today, we want to play "tribute" to our fathers, and to all the fathers out there. Maybe you also want to take a minute to think about your father and what he represents to you?

Vale: We have shared a lot of time and experiences with my father. He has been warm, fun, understanding, firm. He has been our role model, our adviser in various topics. He has suffered with us and helped us get over different issues, he has driven us everywhere and waited hundreds of hours for us in his car, he has looked after our horses in cold winter mornings even when we were the ones supposed to do it, he has been with us in every stage of our development, shared his passions, told us stories, given us books, taught us things, laughed with us, shared his experiences.

Mich: My father was the coolest person I have ever met. I remember him with so much love and I feel so lucky and thankful to have had him as a father.
He was loving, generous, intuitive, understanding, fearless, bright and funny. I admired him deeply. The love he put into everything he did, his passion for helping people, his zest for life, how humorous and extraordinary he was. An inspiring and adventurous man. I often remember the adventures he took us on, mountain climbing in remote places, hanging out with natives in the Amazon jungle, walking for four hours come snow, wind or rain, to get to one of his properties in Patagonia cause he refused to make a road; taking like three planes, two boats and I don't know what else to get to a place, so many fun experiences all over the world. He was the happiest when he was traveling.

My father had an amazing ability to look at things in a completely different way than most people. He once told me that it was not only being at the top of the mountain that he loved, but also getting there. I often think about that. There were no limits to what he thought he could achieve and he always enjoyed the ride, more even if it was a challenge. He was a free man with an open mind and a big heart. If I could say just one word to my father, that would be thanks.

Cheers to you. You filled our lives with warmth, support and affection and we'll be forever thankful. Happy Father's Day!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Ludmila Plagiero



















Photo by Raul Bolivar Seguel, Chilean photographer based in Paris.


Argentinian ballet dancer, Ludmila Plagiero is an example of a dream
well achieved.

If you are stuck in Buenos Aires like thousands of other people, unable
to get on a plane and fly cause the airports are a mess due to volcanic
ash activity, we suggest you get someone to drive you down to La Plata's
National Theater to see Ludmila star in the ballet "Sleeping Beauty".

Like many well known Argentinian ballet stars, Ludmila studied ballet
at the Institute of Arts of the Colon Theater. She had only taken six
months of ballet classes when she auditioned. She says luck had a
lot to do with her success, but we think she underestimates her
talent. When she finished her studies at the Institute of Arts, she
moved to Santiago de Chile to continue with Ballet there.

From Chile she started making choices. She won a contest that was the
ticket to an audition in the American Ballet Theater, where she was hired
for a year, but her true dream was to work in Europe. A friend of hers called
to invite her to audition in L'Ópera de Paris which generally gives starring
roles to ballerinas that have attended their school since childhood and have
dealt with it's bureaucracy . Many people told Ludmila that chances were little
of her making it in Paris, and that she should stick to the more "realistic"
options.

Ludmila figured she had nothing to loose, nobody new her in Paris and she already had a job. She figured she just had to keep calm while she was auditioning and give the best she had to give. Ludmila broke her own expectations and became a principal figure in L'Ópera de Paris. She knew her choice was risky (or so everyone told her) but it didn't matter to her because she was following her dream. Ludmila says all of her decisions "came from her heart" and that her key is "to work hard and to never stop dreaming".

We hope you can make it to Sleeping Beauty! we are sure you will be delighted by her performance tonight or on Friday. Enjoy! xx

To Give




















Why not take this idea of helping - even if it's through a small act, word or smile - into consideration, we all have the possibility of starting somewhere. 







Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Beach house






















































































































































See more cool beach house interiors at Curiocity Villas: Punta del Este vacation rentals

Borges


















As most Argentinian icons - Evita Perón, El Che, Perón himself, Gardel, Maradona, etc., Borges is also a controversial icon. Today, 25 years have passed since he died. Admired and loved by some people in Argentina and not so much by others, there is no question that international renown Borges was the greatest Argentinian writer in history.

“Si pudiéramos comprender una sola flor sabríamos quiénes somos y qué es el mundo”

"If we could understand one single flower, we would know who we are and what the world is"

- Jorge Luis Borges


Photo: emol

Monday, June 13, 2011

















Zuccardi, Alma 4 cosecha 2010.


Argentinian Sparkling Wines

The Argentinian wine market has grown a lot in the past decade, making the choice of sparkling wines a bit difficult these days. But, no worries, we have taken the time to taste several and pick out a few bottles that we think you'll enjoy:

1) Rosel Boher Grand Cuvee Millenime: Made through Champenoise method using pinot and chardonnay grapes. Very similar to classic French champagne, it has a very complex and well developed bouquet that leaves a deep creamy taste in your palate.

2) Baron B Unique: It has a complex bouquet, fruits and toasted nuts, mainly. It delivers personality and freshness. It's fine bubbles leave a creamy taste in your palate. Not an easy sparkling wine to find, specially the 2000 version. Made with the same grapes and method of Rosel Boher.

3) Chandon: One could say a classic Argentinian, for all occasions, specially in it's Extra Brut version. Made of pinot, chardonnay and semillion grapes, under the Charmat method. It tastes fresh and fruity and has very well achieved bubbles.

4) Alma 4: The label translates as "4 Souls", it is made by four friends, actually by their four souls, we like to believe. We appreciate innovative people like them, you know? They got together to re think sparkling wines, broke a few rules of wine making and came up with a new sparkling wine. Instead of getting the grapes for the different labels from the same place, they get them from very different and geographically spread apart places and use a very interesting technique for producing it. Taste for your self and let us know if you liked it!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

we love Coke























Pop Coca-Cola at the law school of Buenos Aires University. (Facultad de derecho)

home sweet home






































Like many people, I have two homes in Buenos Aires and I love them both. I spend much time looking at interior design and architecture magazines, always in search of new trends in decor, furniture, wallpaper, textiles for walls, textiles for curtains, room decor for children, etc. I like giving my homes a "refresh" every now and then. Moving things around, hanging something new on my wall.

Often, when I flip through the pages of magazines, there is something that distracts my attention from the content that I'm interested in and that is how some pictures portray people's homes in such incredible order. Everything is always in it's place, everything looks so perfect, I sometimes wonder how they do it.

Quite frequently I visit people that live in houses like the ones portrayed in magazines. I think mine looked like that at some point, but that changed once I had kids. Lately, what I see in magazines, I see in real life: order and perfection. These magazine- like, family houses are so immaculate. One has to celebrate the ability some people have to have fun and keep such order.

I relate the word home to warmth and a little chaos, be it because you are single and your house is a cozy place where you rest or hang out with friends after a long day of work, because you have just moved in with someone you are learning about and developing close ties to, because you are raising a family and your house is full of children and noise, or because your children have grown up and left your house which now holds a lot of memories. For others, clean and neat better describe the idea of a cool, stylish home. Whichever way, the important thing is that you enjoy and live your house fully! no?

What about you? is your house orderly? a bit messy? in between? do you spend much time in your house? which is your favorite place in the house?




Post by Valeria Mendez Cañas
Photos: Mich

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Horacio Lavandera




















Argentinian pianist, Horacio Lavandera is performing with the Chamber Orchestra of Chile, tomorrow at 8:30 pm at Teatro Colon. Although the event has not had a lot of press, tickets are almost sold out. They will playing Beethoven's Overture "Prometheus", Emperor Concerto,"Eroica" Symphony.

If you have a chance, go, it's the type of experience one never forgets.

Horacio Lavandera is pure talent and he has put a lot of work into developing it. He was taught music by his father in early childhood. At the age of seven, he started taking piano lessons. He is currently 27 years old. He was a prodigy while growing up, has won innumerable prizes and has performed all over the world.

Many traits make Horacio Lavandera unique, starting from his passion and the enthusiasm he puts into his work as well as his ability to dominate any technically difficult score and to handle the piano keyboard with such detail that he can achieve any dynamic expression written in the score brilliantly.

The biggest difference between Horacio Lavandera and other pianists, we believe, is that when he plays, he really shows you his work, he chooses works that are long and complex and displays the dedication he has put into every piece. Others, perhaps leave you feeling they should have played more.

Again, if you can, go to the performance with an open heart. Horacio Lavandera, will get to your soul.

If this is too short of a notice for you, on June 23rd, you can see him at Teatro Coliseo. If you can't make either performance, do yourself a favor and buy one of his records.

Hope to see you there tomorrow!



Photo: revista Ñ

Friday, June 3, 2011

happy weekend!




















“Baiser de l’Hotel de Ville” from 1950.

An exhibition of 137 original pictures by the French photographer Robert Doisneau is taking place at Centro Cultural Recoleta, Buenos Aires, curated by Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr.

The exhibition, called "Simply Doisneau" is simply fantastic!

If you're around this weekend, this is a good plan.

Enjoy! xx

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Mate


































You can find this modern version of mates at 5800 Gorriti St. , Palermo


As some of you may know, mate is a traditional Argentinian drink. It was drank by the Indians in the Northern region of Argentina back in the 17th Century. The plant from which it's made, yerba mate, commonly grows there. The drink was later produced, consumed and sold massively by the missionaries. Slowly, mate made it's way into all of Argentina and to Buenos Aires in particular.

Mate is very popular because having it is considered a ceremony, and as in any ceremony, it has it's rituals. Having mate on your own or with friends, co-workers, relatives, etc., is a way to share good conversations and be in good company. Even if you are alone, you are in company of a "mate".

There are many types of mates nowadays but originally it was drank inside of a small pumpkin that was emptied and dried out. Yerba mate (or processed mate leaves) would go into the mate along with a straw and hot, not boiling, water (otherwise yerba mate gets burnt). As the bottom of the pumpkin was rounded, leather, silver, metal, and glass bases were created in order to allow for it to stand still. Historically, it's design has evolved many times, but not the way we drink it.

You need a mate set if you are interested in drinking mate. The set is made up of a container or mate, of course; a "bombilla" or metal straw (such as the one seen in the photos above) which has a strainer at it's end to keep yerba mate leaves from getting to your mouth; a "yerbera" that consists of two containers joined in the middle by a handle that is used to move it around. In one container you place, yerba, in the other, sugar; a kettle, with hot water.

If you are buying a traditional mate made out of pumpkin, ask in the store how you need to prepare it before having your first mate. There is a technique that assures your mate's taste will remain soft. No preparation is required if your mate is made out of metal, glass or any other material.

There are tricks to making good mate: fill up your mate with yerba, put it in hot water, wait for yerba to swell, insert the straw with out moving it sideways or in circles, and have the first drink or "fool's mate". It is called that way because first mate tastes very bitter and strong.

If you were the one who prepared the mate, then you are the person in charge of filling it up with water and sugar or honey (if you choose to add sugar or honey, although the custom varies from place to place) and, you're also the one that has to re- fill the mate's yerba when it's taste starts to fade. This makes you the "cebador". The mate ritual stops once you get tired of pouring mates for everyone, after mate has gone around a few rounds, and no one is supposed to take your place. If you are in the round and want to stop drinking, you can just say "thank you" and it will be interpreted as that. Otherwise, if mate is passed on to you, you take it and drink it and give it back to the person that is filling it who will do this and pass it on to person beside you.

Mate has its virtues. It stimulates circulatory, muscular systems a well as the central nervous system; it regulates digestion, works well as a diuretic and keeps you awake but, unlike coffee, mate does not accelerate your heart beat.

You can get yerba mate in any supermarket in Argentina as well as in some cities around the world such as London, NYC and Miami.

Enjoy your mate!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Current Exhibition






















Emilio Pettoruti, Harlequin Portrait, oil on canvas.


Emilio Pettoriti is one of my favorite Argentinian artists. I first came in contact with his work at a friend's house who had started collecting some of his paintings. The painting I set my eyes on was one of his famous "Harlequins", it was very small, yet captivating. I came across another "Harlequin" at an auction house a few years back, and again, I was astounded.

What makes Pettoruti's work so unique? You should see for yourself. The Museum of Latin American Art (MALBA) is holding an exhibition of his work dating from 1914 to 1949. The curatorial work done by Patricia M. Artundo is excellent, she keeps you wondering and also answers questions regarding his work.

As it happens with some great artists, what has made Pettoruti stand out was his ability to research and experiment the technique of the Italian masters from an active point of view, extracting what he considered valuable and applying it to his work in his own way instead of being a passive student.

The curator says, and I agree, that Pettoruti's work is of such great level because he used compostion, light, color, intensity, shade, tone and definition of tonal keys to respond to different problems or subject matters while introducing other variables that created ambiguitity, something he loved to play with. He saw ambiguity in surface vs. deph, movement vs. static; stability vs. instability.

If you're around, don't miss the exhibition! and tell us if you liked it!

Note: I've always been curious about art. I studied art with Cristina Santander, toured a lot of art galleries and exhibitions with her and Marta Belmes and I've been lucky to meet a lot of local artisits and gallerists and continue to learn abour art, something I love!
-Vale

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The great Outdoors





































































































Arelauquen Golf and Country Club.

If you are looking for a mix of relaxation, romance and action for your coming vacation, Arelauquen Golf and Country Club is the place to go, specially if you have kids.

Arelauquen is conveniently located 15 minutes away from Bariloche's airport. The property is surrounded by the Andes mountains and the Nahuel Huapi National Park; it's close to Cerro Catedral, Bariloche's major skiing center and in front of Lago Gutierrez. No matter where you stand, there are magnificent views and the most breathtaking sunsets over Lake Gutierrez.

Arelauquen has an office that takes care of all your requests. You can either choose to rent a villa or stay at the lodge. Someone will always be waiting for you on the date of your arrival regardless of the time (I've tested this many times!). You can arrange to hire housekeeping service so you can go out and enjoy your activities, perhaps a romantic dinner with your soulmate? and have everything taken care of when you get back to the house.

There are so many activities in Arelauquen, we recommend you to plan ahead! If you like horses, you can go horseback riding up in the mountains, get ready for the views! they are something hard to describe or even picture. You can take riding lessons, polo lessons or watch polo matches. You can take gym classes or lift weights, choose the kind of massage or treatment you would like to receive at the spa, relax in any of their gorgeous common spaces, swim, rest and/or have a drink in their indoor-outdoor heated swimming pool, practice kayaking, windsurfing or fly fishing, go sailing, go mountain hiking, play tennis or golf and you can also arrange to send your children to the Kid's Club where a similar array of activities are organized for them by very experienced staff, including camping!

Arelauquen's Club House has a living room section, a quiet library "for adults only" (very important!), a TV Room, besides the spa, fitness area, pool and coffee-bar. There is a recreation area for children and teenagers that has ping pong tables, pool tables, "metegol" games (soccer), wii and wii games, and toys and games for little children and toddlers.

Keep in mind that you will need a car to move around Arelauquen and to explore Bariloche and its surrounding areas, such as Villa la Angostura. The villas offered for rent look good in the photos but are always better than that in reality.

Taking all this information into account, you can enjoy a two week vacation and go back home knowing that you'd love to come back for more Patagonia magic.

We've experienced Arelauquen and we highly recommend it.
Co-post: Vale and Mich

Photos 2 and 4: Vale's kids with their grandfather.

Monday, May 30, 2011

wishlist

































In my mail today, the Carolina Müller look book. Nice collection of simple and timeless pieces, lots of red and a little animal print too, if you're not too tired of animal print yet.
Here are some of my favorite looks. I specially adore the booties cause they go so well with everything and the last little dress which is the one I'm running out to buy! enjoy xx

Special thanks to Mass for always sending me good stuff.

Figuring out Palermo and what's new

Palermo is the biggest neighborhood in the city of Buenos Aires. It is divided into so many areas that it is really confusing figuring out which is which.
There are many ways to see Palermo in the map of the city of Buenos Aires but let's just figure out the Northern area: Palermo Viejo.
Palermo Viejo extends from Scalabrini Ortiz to Dorrego between Av. Santa Fe and Av. Cordoba. It used to be a typical, middle class neighborhood but it reinvented itself between 2002 and 2010 and just can't stop growing. The houses in the area got revamped, the neighborhood started to get a better look and a lot of restaurants and boutique hotels started springing up.

Palermo Hollywood is Palermo Viejo's neighbor to it's right, it stretches from J.B. Justo to Dorrego but it is North of Palermo Viejo, starting on Av. Cordoba. It has been baptized "Hollywood" because the offices of TV and movie producers and various TV channels are located there.

Palermo Soho is located to the left of J.B. Justo and starts on Av. Cordoba. It is the Buenos Aires version of NYC's Soho, full of clothing boutiques and big brands. It has home deco stores and is loaded with very nice restaurants and bars. It opens at noon but it starts getting noisier towards night time. There are a lot of boutique hotels in this area as well.

Here is some funny information: the Real Estate boom in the area has been so big that the next door neighbors of Palermo, neighborhoods Chacarita and Villa Crespo have decided to call themselves Palermo Dead and Palermo Queens respectively. More TV producers have set up their offices in Chacarita, around the cemetery therefore restaurants and coffee shops started to get established bringing life to an area that used to be "dead"! Villa Crespo is a big stretch away from Palermo, whoever thought of the name was right! Palermo Queens! getting there is like traveling from NYC into Queens. This area is known for it's outlet stores, mainly.

Hope this helps you figure out the Northern part of Palermo, and here are some new restaurants that we love in the area:


Unik - Soler St. 5132















Owned by an Argentinean architect who has lived in Paris and Shangai, Unik offers an interesting experience of sophisticated and original dishes produced by Fernando Hara, disciple of Francis Malmann. The atmosphere is hip, colorful and kind of 70's.


The Food Factory - Nicaragua St. 6055


















Simple, clean lines define this fantastic restaurant with carefully crafted dishes that satisfy the most demanding palates. They make the best blinis.


Sipan - Uriarte 1648



































Peruvian - Japanese cuisine. If you were a fan of the other Sipan located in the city's center, this one is even nicer! We love the Pulpo al Olivo and the ceviche of course.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

to do




















I saw this painting the other day when a friend and I went to Puro Diseño and it made me think about those times when we have to make a choice that involves a bit of risk. Haven't we all done this? in love, work, etc. Isn't it great? Even those times when it does not work out, it's always best to try. The biggest risk is taking no risk.
Someone long ago said that glory comes from daring to begin. It's a good feeling to just dive into something new. That's how we learn and evolve. No?
Stay curious! xx