Skip to main content

Buenos Aires

Leaving behind the vast treasury of 'hidden' dynosaurs and the legacy of Welsh settlers in the "Wladfa", I headed to Argentina's capital city for a last dose of the country's "culture"....

Staying in what seemed to be Buenos Aires' equivalent of the West End (complete with flashing neon lights and star studded pavement) I certainly had my fill enjoying:
● a free concert of Austrian and Argentinian classical music - complete with "surround sound" pan pipes and drumming...
● a contemporary dance ensemble doing some amazing moves to the music of 'Queen'
● another free jazz / brass concert by the Argentinian Federal Police band (I can still picture one 5 year old girl decked like a monster - it was Halloween- "conducting" all these adults with great aplomb!)
● and to round off my Argentinian cultural forray? Why tango, of course! ( How do these Latin Americans move so lithely; making every glide, every kick of the feet and every turn of the head appear so sexy!!?)

Such great diversity of creativity, reminding me of the richness of the gifts God gives each and everone of us; all able to reflect something of our Creator in whose image we have been made...

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Give a "hug"....

A church in Speke (based in its own cafe) gives people "hugs" (personally and prayerfully knitted scarfs wrapped in a clear bag) complete with a personal dedicated card from the knitter. They're (freely) given out to anyone deemed to be in need of a "hug". Know someone who is "down", bereaved, recently divorced or having a hard time? Give 'em a "hug"... Just imagine how many "hugs" our local knitters could produce.....!

Siarad Cymraeg!

Moving on from Ushuaia to Trelew, Patagonia brought me closer to my final destination in Argentina and, in a strange way, closer "home"...! During my first full day in Trelew (a town established by a certain Mr. Lewis!) I ventured on the local buses to visit two of the main communities in the Chubut valley - Dolavon (a town meaning "river meadow", reflecting the vast network of irrigation channels, waterwheels and fertile land established here) and Gaiman (a name meaning "arrow / stoney point"  not given by the Welsh pioneers who settled here but the earlier native Tehuelche inhabitants who wintered in the area.) Both small, rural communities had a genteel, stately charm, their scattered low rise buildings perhaps reflecting the key priorities of those early settlers - chapels (Tabernacl, Bethel and Bethlehem amongst them), co-operative stores ( for selling produce and acquiring materials imported from home) and railways (quaint stations, tunnels and war...

CORDOBA - clever, cultured and cold....!

Travelling from the lush tropical rainforest of Iguazu to Argentina's second city, Cordoba, came as something of a shock! Firstly, there were all the usual trappings of a city - traffic, buildings, people, hustle and bustle. (The very comfortable but "simple" hotel was also a bit of a come down! Indeed, intermittent wifi has made sending blogs a challenge but, here we are...!) Although a travel cliche, Cordoba really is a fascinating mix of old and new... 17th century ecclesiastical buildings stand next to the latest shopping centres. CLEVER: Indeed, this city boasts a long established academic foundation: Manzana Jesuitica, Argentina's first university (so it claims!). The next door academic establishment, Colegio Nacional de Montserrat, with its baroque exterior walls, may be as old - it all depends on whether you consider the date building began or charters were established! Visiting the university's oldest library and being shown a 17th century bible...