Sometimes Buenos Aires can be a bitch

I have to say, it is with great honor that I welcome Diva, of Buenos Aires Through My Eyes (AKA Bitchtours) fame, to the blog. If you haven’t read her site, then, well, you should, now. Oh, actually, read her guest post below first, and then go to her site. And do please come back after, or I might cry.

1. I order a dish from a menu and they don’t have it

This is not something unusual here, even in fancy restaurants. You spent 10 minutes deciding what you’re gonna have and when you order the waiter gives you this look like you’ve pronounced a forbidden word and then says: “I’ll check if we have that”.

How come? It’s on the menu, the only thing I would eat right now is that damn dish and you don’t have it? Give me a break.

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Loads of great posts from all corners of the world were submitted to the carnival of cities this week, which I am honored to be hosting here in Buenos Aires. And so, without further a do, on to the posts themselves, starting with those closest to home…

South America

• São Paulo, Brazil: Tony Galvez posts about the slightly unusual idea of a Japanese Festival in Brazil on his Brazil Travel Blog, with lots of photos from this colorful event.
• Buenos Aires, Argentina: My friend Dalila presents her 7 things to do on your visit to Palermo Viejo, the coolest area of Buenos Aires, in her blog Trendy Palermo Viejo. Some nice tips there, Dalila - I really should get hold of some of those free maps of Palermo for myself

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Avenida Corrientes 1669 (near corner of Rodriguez Pena), City Center

This black cat in Buenos Aires might not be so unlucky…

On a chilly fall or winter day in Buenos Aires, there is nothing more likely to give you warmth and a big smile than having a delicious spiced tea or coffee in El Gato Negro, one of the city’s most historical establishments. The cafe was originally a spice store founded by a Spanish settler in 1929. His name was Victoriano Lopez Robredo, and he had spent years traveling in Asia and Siberia, collecting exotic spices and flavors. He brought them to Buenos Aires and named this cafe El Gato Negro after another famous cafe back in Madrid.

Now El Gato Negro is a reminder of the city’s European roots, and a wonderful place to read a newspaper or the book you recently bought at one of Avenida Corrientes’ many bookstores, or even to enjoy a gourmet dinner in its elegant upstairs dining room.

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Later today (Sunday), Argentina will take on Brazil in the final of the Copa America - the most important national football (that’s soccer, to all you Yanquis) team tournament in the Americas (team news here). As you might have guessed, there is something of a futbol rivalry between Argentina and Brazil (see Arjewtino’s post for more on this). In fact, in the past things have got so heated that the two countries have even resorted to humorous advert warfare…

Back in 2004, Brazil beat Argentina 3 - 1 in a World Cup qualifier, and shortly after, Tulipan, an Argentine condom manufacturer that puts out consistently funny and clever ad campaigns, came out with this provocative billboard of typographical genius:

“WE’RE ALREADY PLANNING THE REVENGE”
(Ya estamos pensando en la revancha)

I don’t think I need to spell out exactly what Tulipan claimed Argentina would do to Brazil in their next match!

Not to be outdone, neither on the pitch nor in creative use of typography, the Brazilian football organization responded with the following ad:

“IT WASN’T THE FIRST TIME. AND IT WON’T BE THE LAST”
(No fue la primera vez. Tampoco la ultima)

Wow. Great comeback! And there was me thinking it was Brazilians like Pele that needed to use Viagra?
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Honduras 4999 (in Plaza Serrano), Palermo Soho

[Photo Credit: julianrod]

After a lazy Sunday afternoon spent “domingeando” (as the porteños say) - or in other words, relaxing and walking around the artisan fairs and examining the hand-made crafts and clothing items - head to Malasartes in Plaza Serrano (Palermo Soho) for a warm, welcoming café atmosphere any time of day or evening.

At weekends this focal point of Palermo Soho fills with artisans selling hand-made crafts and sweaters, which are definitely worth an hour of browsing while you are in this area of Buenos Aires.

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