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Global Citizens

~ a blog for Tourists, Expats and Locals

Global Citizens

Monthly Archives: January 2013

fire flies and milky ways

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by katti in blog

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

fire flies, milky way, Why on earth

Isn’t it strange, how tired the heat makes you? On a day so hot that all you can do is spend it in the pool, only to come out to eat and to have a siesta with the fan on maximum speed, I think about my childhood. We used to go to Spain, and my dad used to always get mad at the Spaniards for taking a nap on the hottest part of the day. He hated the -according to him- favorite Spanish expression mañana por la mañana, but today I feel, more then ever, sympathy for those heat-tormented people. Spanish or other. Productivity goes down rapidly in these hot summer  days.

But then the son goes down, and something magical happens. Not in the city of course, but outside. Apart from the mosquitos, the frogs, the grasshoppers, and all the other animals and insects, there is something more fairylike, it are the fire flies.

fireflies

They are the strangest little things, they flash lights while flying and make the grass look like it is full of shiny diamonds. I ventured outside, fascinated and forgetting to put mosquito repellent, taking camera and tripod with me. The more I stood quiet, the more there were and the closer they came -it felt absolutely magical!

But even on a pitch dark night, at new moon, it is never dark in the Argentine country, where light polution is as good as inexistent, and not only is the sky full of stars, here they still have a milky way. That is something that I had imagined forgotten, and something that most teenage kids of today, born and raised in Western Europe have never seen before.

milky ways

We tend to take things like this for granted, but nature at night, can be absolutely stunning…

I couldn’t get enough of it, and when I finally went back to the house, I found it locked. I was locked outside with my camera, and the noise of the buzzing mosquitos was taking over the then lost magical moments I had been enjoying. I knocked  on the door, no answer. It seemed like every one was sound asleep. I then banged on the windows, loud, and finally, just before I started to panic, someone let me in…

The pier of Silence…

10 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by katti in blog

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Tags

Chascomus, el muelle del silencio, Why on earth

muelle01Buenos Aires is a great place to live, at least it is to me. It is always full of life, full of traffic, full of people. There is always something to do, a theatre, an exhibition, a museum, whatever. One can never be bored here and never get tired of it.

But that does not seem to count for everyone. Some people hate the noise and the hustle and bustle of this big city. Of any big city. Always. And others need to get out, just once in a while, to enjoy the silence and the tranquility of the country, to charge your batteries and be able to attack city life again. This is one of the contradictions I love so much about Argentina, the city is top, and when you drive an hour, maybe 2 or 3, you are in a completely different world. Different architecture, different people and, complete silence together with emptiness… The further you drive, the more quiet it becomes.

muelle02Summer is probably the best period to drive out into the countryside. All the concrete keeps the city heat captured, day as well as night, and as soon as you leave the city the temperature easily goes down 2 to 5 degrees. In the country the nights are still nice and cool while at the same time people in Capital are boiling in their beds or freezing under the air conditioning.

Of all places, El Muelle del Silencio, in the neighborhood of Chascomús, is one of my favorites. Especially because it is close to town, about an hour and a half drive, so it is easy to just go for a weekend. And that is all I need, just once in a while.

muelle05It is now open for tourism, to stay for a few nights, or just the weekend or even a day. Please check it out and let me know if you like it as much as I do!

info.el.muelle@gmail.com or call Sara +54 911 3668 4425 http://www.elmuelledelsilencio.com Follow them on Facebook or on Twitter @desdeelmuelle

And don’t forget : ENJOY SUMMER!!!!

Old Belgians (Oude Belgen)

09 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by katti in blog

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Bombardier, La Brugeouse, La bruja, Linea A, Nicaise et delcuve, oldest subway, Why on earth

Whenever Argentina makes it to the Belgian news, I hear about it. All my friends think about me when they read it and a copy of the article is mailed of tweeted to me. Mostly its about something Kristina has done, but then once in while it is quite interesting news. Like the news of the old train wagons about to be send to the dump. This even made it to the 7 clock evening news on the national Flemish TV! What a pity that is! And how scandalously outrageous that the almost 100 year old Belgian trains will be exchanged for Chinese ones.

800px-Coche_La_Brugeoise_-_Interior_

Linea A is the oldest subway in Latin America, and the 90 trains were build between 1911 and 1919 in Bruges Belgium, by La Brugeoise, Nicaise et Delcuve  (now Bombardier). Some Argentines call the trains ‘Brujas’ (Spanish for Bruges -and Witches -) or Belgas. Today, these trains are the oldest trains in the world that are still in use. Next year, in 2013, they will be 100 years old, but it seems like they will be celebrating their birthday in a museum instead of on the tracks.

In 1926 they were refurbished but La Brugeoise, when the A line was extended  and the trains drove underground only. Up to that moment they had low entrances at the ends for boearding from the streets, and high doors in the middle to board from off a platform.

800px-La_Brugeoise_3

There seems to be a lot of protest against the coming renovations, and I must admit, they do have a romantic side. I only took this train once -Linea A is not on my daily track- and although I was enchanted by its interior, it was dreadfully hot inside, all the windows were open to make heat bearable, but the noise of the train driving with open windows made it completely impossible to have a conversation with your neighbor. Although it might be great on a touristic track, as daily means of transportation I absolutely prefer a modern air conditioned -even it were a Chinese- one…

The trains are in a terrible state, as maintenance has been very low or even inexistent, partly for economic and political reasons, but partly because spare parts are no longer available or have to be custom made. Unfortunately there is no way, or no money, to clean them up and let them ride again.

For everyone wanting to have a last ride, you should hurry, as tomorrow will be their last day!

Here are a few pics taken today -I didn’t venture myself inside with my camera, the subte isn’t exactly known for its safety.train1 train2 train3

It’s over…

07 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by katti in blog

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Buenos Aires is empty, Carilo, fresh fish, Lo de charly, Punta, punta del este, Why on earth

punta05

The holidays are over, the new year has begun. Summer has started. And, Buenos Aires is empty.

How a huge city like this, always so busy and loud, can become so quiet and empty in such a short period has always been a mystery to me. Right now the city is empty. Now you can cross big busy lanes when the light is red, but also, shops are closed, restaurants are on holidays, and all you see is tourists. Many Many tourists.

The heat is too much to do anything, and how the tourists manage to sit on the top floor of the open tourist busses, I don’t know, but I suppose the urge to see and to get to know this wonderful city is really big. Unfortunately now the city is not as is usually is. It is completely different. It is like another world. Maybe it is not quite dead, but it certainly is sleeping.

punta02

But where did all the people go? You would say that most Argentines are in Punta (Punta del Este in Uruguay), for ages this has been the place to be for the well off, although nowadays it is not just the rich that go there, but also the huge middle class.

punta04

I was lucky to be invited to go to Punta in December, that is when everything opens although it is still as good as empty. In restaurants you are received by tens of waiters, literally waiting for a client, and you are treated as a god. The beaches are as good as empty, and you can easily drive around without being stuck in traffic. This is probably when Punta is the nicest…

punta01

I don’t really understand the hype, it is nice, yes, but to me it is a strange and very artificial place, full -realy full- of houses and apartments, and for 3 months a year there are people, lots and lots of people, the other 9 months is it dead and empty. I am told that in winter they even turn off the traffic lights…

Uruguay does have a few pros, and one of them is certainly the delicious fresh fish. We were absolutely delighted with Lo de Charly in Manantiales, where delicious fresh fish is served in an excellent way. Charly might be Argentine, his fish certainly isn’t!

punta03

But when it comes to beaches, to me, nothing can beat Cariló in Argentina… it is a lot quieter, more beautiful, and not so artificial, but if next year we are invited to Punta again, we will definitely not hesitate to accept the invitation. Hehe.

Let the summer begin!

PS pictures taken between Punta Ballena and Jose Ignacio, with in the middle Punta del Este, Uruguay

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