Bienvenidos a Buenos Aires

Dutch Habits&Traditions meets Buenos Aires! I am in the lucky positions to have 4 weeks to experience the life in BA; to explore the city, the food and restaurants, the nightlife and the people - everything! Where to start? So much time and even more things to do. Just a grab of some cultural experiences
Arriving in BA with a warm welcome - Weather forecast is perfect for a big city: 20 degrees and sunny, joehoe!
But is it only me who feels this enjoyable sun? Everybody is wearing jackets, scarves and is looking weird at me walking around in shorts and t- shirt. With temperature that can rise to 40 degrees in this big city during summer, 20 degrees probably is cold and besides that, it is autumn. Well, to this Dutchy 20 degrees with sunshine is very summerish!
Apparently their perception of nice weather is bit different then mine....



So, I decided to buy an extra sweater, just in case. It is 5pm and shops should be open. First shop: door closed. Second: door closed..! Third: door closed!! But all looked open, What am I doing wrong? Push harder? Or Kick perhaps?
Hmmm, or just wait until they unlock the door for you and after you when you are in...?! Very save, but gives me a bit of an uncomfortable feeling and not stimulating to enter actually, since I'm used to wide open doors where you just can pop-in and leave whenever I want.



Pfff, shopping makes me hungry, What doesn't surprise me: 18h15 dinner time!! Let's find a nice little restaurant. I'm looking forward to my first 'bife de lomo y Malbec, here I come!!!! It's quite busy already in The many nicely decorated and colourful restaurants in the streets and on the (every) corner. Looking at the menu the waitress has probably made à mistake; I ask for the dinner menu instead of lunch. When the awnser was that it was not possible yet, I looked around me and saw the other guests all having coffee with croissants or quiches. Argentinians LOVE sweets: dulce de leche and pastry: medialunes, tartes and empeñadas. This 'Merienda' is just an extra 'afternoon snack' before dinner (22pm), coffee and sweets.



Ok, 22h and I'm starving! I find myself a nice parrilla (meet restaurant). It's packed with only locals - must be good! Waiter comes and I order the famous chorizo to start with and as main the 'Bife the lomo' I have been waiting for since I could shew!! "Chica?" he asks me. Chica? Chica? I'm starving!! I need a proper piece of meat instead of a small.
I can tell you, you do this once and the 3 days of stomach ache make you'll never forget the size (or better, the weight).

It takes two to tango

When you think about Argentina, you think of tango. This passionated dance can be found everywhere; many many shows, workshops, Milonga's, people are dancing in the streets. THere are many ways to learn it yourself as well. To help the clumsy tourist a bit, there is a stepstone somewhere in the centre which shows how to do it. Tango is just 8 steps - piece of cake!

The stone is difficult to find though. You would say that it is a tourist attraction, but I found out that locals don't know about the existence of the stone. But especially for you the location: Microcentro, Suipacho/ Corrientes

Are you a waver or a swinger?

Being in Buenos Aires (BA), one of the 'must have done's' to have really experience the South American passion is to visit a football match of Boca Juniors. It was AMAZING! The enthusiasm, singing, dancing, love, energy - and all these ingredients were present from the beginning till the very end and more. Of course the Dutch are fanatic supporters as well. And I think, especially in the case of football, people all over the world are fanatic. But still - overthere it felt different, more like a life style which gave me so much energy.

A funny thing I noticed was the difference in waving: Argentines wave more flattering, compared to the Dutch. I prefer to call their waving swinging - it aligns with their rhythm, their way of life.

See it for yourself in the films below. I tried to record the hands as good as possible. The first film I made myself during the Boca match and the second one is a youtube film of the Dutch waving.

                                                            

Argentinian swinging

Dutch waving