Greek in Argentina

Tango is the heart of Buenos Aires

2009-11-09T21:47:00.007-03:00

Its been over 18 months since I have last posted here and so much has happened in my life here since then. There have been many changes in my beloved city of Buenos Aires some positive and others negative . My own neighbourhood Palermo Soho has improved with a greater selection of restaurants, shops and improved services. The tourists are returning after a terrible winter that was dominated by Swine Flu and hysteria here in Buenos Aires. In the month of July 2009 the feeling was of melancholy and doom but today walking the streets of the Capital Federal the feeling is one of spring with the smell of jacaranda and flowers in the air and lots of green due to the heavy rain we had of late. I spend many hours on the streets here per day most of the time walking and fast as I had a goal to lose the spare tyre that I accumulated from the Bread and sugar diet that is common here. I have to say I was suprised how quickly I lost the weight just by cutting out carbohydrates and one hour power walks per day. Music was my inspiration and for me Newer Tango was the catalyst for my renewed motivation. Click on link to hear the excellent track from Gotan Project Last Tango in Paris

Argentina will be the Last Frontier

2008-10-24T21:00:00.003-02:00

The world is in terrible upheaval at the moment and my feeling says that it is the end of the financial world as we know it. There will be great devastation in the coming months and I feel a severe war is just around the corner.

Its been such a long time since I have last posted but the urgency of this situation made me post tonight are at a crossroads and we all will be affected.

People ask me why did I move to Argentina and my answer is this I just had a tremendous urge to come here from a young boy and I remember saying to my mother that Argentina will be the last frontier where a new world will form from the dust of the old. Seeing what is happening now around the world I feel much safer here in this isolated but stunningly beautiful land that can sustain all .

Elections in Argentina

2007-08-28T18:08:00.000-03:00

Buenos Aires is coming into Spring and man it feels great . To have warm weather, smiling faces and people outside again sipping coffee and enjoying the great parks here is bliss.

We are coming up the General Elections soon and we will be electing our new president who all are tipping to be Christina Fernandez Kirchner. Originally from La Plata Buenos Aires province she was a senator in her own right before meeting Nestor Kirchner and now making history.

Will she continue with the economic success that Argentina has enjoyed these last 5 years and will she make this country the place people have always had high hopes for . I beleive so personally. Lets hear your comments ?

Buenos Aires gets snow after 89 years

2007-07-11T17:55:00.000-03:00

Today will be a day which will be permanently etched in the memories of all Buenos Aires citizens . It was independence day which has very special significance and is a national holiday for all Argentina.

The night before I felt very strongly it would snow here in Buenos Aires and remarked this to a few friends who laughed at the idea. It has been a exceptionally cold winter with record low temperatures. The situation has been exacerbated by the energy shortages which has caused the Argentinian government a loss of its support.

Monday the 9th of July 2007 started bitterly cold . I woke up shivering in the sub zero temperatures . The night before the beautiful city of Bariloche suffered its coldest night ever with temperatures of -20 degrees celcius. The streets were eerily quiet with hardly a soul in Palermo Soho as the cold scared away even the most avid visitor to this famous barrio.

Around 3pm with a great need of eating something I joined a friend to have a holiday lunch at my favourite restaurant in the world - La Cabrera. Within minutes of sitting in this magical restaurant I noticed a flurry of snowflakes painting the sky a gorgeous white . It truly was, for us who live and love this city, a magical moment. It was like seeing snow in Sydney Australia , or Los Angeles, California. The snow enchanted us all, and in the eyes of the older women and men here I could see a return to the fascination of childhood as they took in the increduluos scenes around them. It seemed that everyone was rejoicing in this historic moment. Gone if only for the moment were all the cares of the world: no thoughts of the upcoming election, or work....... just joy at the precious and historic scene.

The streets were full of tremendous scenes of laughing families, stunned tourists, and people clicking away hoping to catch every second before the snow melted away. But the snow lasted for 8 full hours and at midnight around Plaza Guemes in Palermo there were kids making snow men and throwing snowballs in the shimmering Antartic night.

It was a day I will never forget.

Armenians in Argentina

2007-06-15T20:13:00.000-03:00

Walking around Palermo Viejo you will soon be aware of the tremendous amount of Armenian bakeries, restaurants and businesses. There is also a famous street in Palermo Viejo called simply Armenia Street where some of the community resides. There are about 13o,ooo Armenians in Argentina making them the biggest Armenian community in Latin America and one of the largest outside Armenia.

Their contribution to Argentine society is immense and includes several famous people. One of the most famous ones is David Nabaldian, one of the worlds best tennis players. They have permeated the culture in a positive way: their churches are beautiful, their restaurants are some of the cities best , their cake shops and bakeries personify the old world charm of a Europe gone by.

A Sex scandal that is keeping Argentine society glued to their seats

2007-06-10T23:51:00.000-03:00

In Buenos Aires as well as the rest of Argentina we have all been waiting for close to 7 months to find some closure to a case that has made front page news. Nora Dalmasso was found strangled in a sex game gone wrong at her wealthy country home in Rio Cuarto Cordoba.

Rumours of sex orgies wife swapping and stories of multiple lovers have kept gossip magazines and news channels running hot ever since that fateful day.

It has now been suggested that dna found at the scene matches her son Facundo .
Dalmasso’s son Facundo Macarrón, 19, was yesterday accused of the murder and sexual abuse of his mother, although he is due to remain free as ruled by the Córdoba judiciary.
Dalmasso, aged 51, was found strangled last November in her house in the neighbourhood of Villa Golf, in Río Cuarto, Córdoba. Her son, a law student, was yesterday accused on charges of "minor suspicion" of "homicide and non-carnal sexual abuse."The measure was ordered after prosecutor Javier Di Santo saw the results of the DNA analyses, carried out by the CEPROCOR research centre, of the blood samples found at the crime scene, which are allegedly compatible with Macarrón’s genetic pattern. However, Di Santo said that he was still waiting for the FBI, which was also due to analyze the blood samples, to send a report with their results."The samples from the crime scene were taken from the victim’s body, her clothes and the bed sheets," said Facundo Macarrón’s lawyer Benjamín Sonzini Astudillo.The attorney added that the judiciary’s resolution was a "step forward" in the case since he said Facundo would be "able to prove his innocence." The lawyer ensured that there was "no conclusive proof" to formally accuse him but "only a genetic profile from the family" while Facundo’s own blood had not been analyzed."Facundo was in Córdoba city, where he lives and attends college, the night the crime was committed," the lawyer claimed.

The Big Chill

2007-06-02T17:57:00.000-03:00

The big chill has left Buenos Aires today and temperatures have returned to normal.

Thermometers reached their lowest ever recorded in May with three consecutive days of below zero temperatures .

On Tuesday Morning walking the streets of Palermo I would have swore that I was in Antartica with the biting winds turning my face to ice.

The death toll from this ola de frio is over 30 which is a terrible tragedy considering that this is completely preventable .

Is Global Warming to Blame?

Rembetika is the soul of Greece

2007-05-16T18:30:00.000-03:00

Rembetika is the soul of Greece like Tango is the soul of Argentina . We are brothers and sisters with so much in common and our connections are very close.

These are the words of the above song by Haris Alexiou

I want to drink tonight so as nothing to remember I want to trap myself in smoke and fear no consequences I want to drink tonight and surpass my limits I want to confess my lost dreams covered in smoke's veil . I'll light up with cigarettes and burn out with liquor Now that I've taken fright may everything turn into ashes. I want to drink tonight to erase everything and everyone I want to disappear in smoke and never look back again.

All my Greek and Argentinian readers please leave me your thoughts about this song

Tanghetto Live in obelisco

2007-05-12T21:59:00.000-03:00

Live in Buenos Aires

Mercedes Sosa: An Argentine Legend

2007-05-10T12:07:00.000-03:00

This is a famous song from a Chilean social activist, beautifully reproduced by Mercedes Sosa - "Gracias a la Vida"...

Mercedes Sosa was born in on 9th July 1935 in the northwestern province San Miguel of Tucuman, of mestizo descent from French and Amerindian background.

In 1950, aged fifteen, she won a local radio station singing competition and was given a contract to perform for two months.

Sosa and her first husband, Manuel Oscar Matus, were key players in the mid-60s nueva canción movement. Her first record was Canciones con Fundamento, a collection of Argentine folk songs.

In 1967, Sosa toured with great success the United States and Europe.

In the early 1970s, Sosa released two concept albums in collaboration with composer Ariel Ramírez and lyricist Félix Luna: Cantata Sudamericana and Mujeres Argentinas (Argentine Women). She also recorded a tribute to Chilean poet Violeta Parra.

A supporter of Perón in her youth, she has favored leftist causes throughout her life. After the military junta of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976, the atmosphere in Argentina grew increasingly oppressive. At a concert in La Plata in 1979, Sosa was searched and arrested on stage, and the attending crowd was arrested. Banned in her own country, she moved to Paris and then to Madrid.

Sosa returned to Argentina in 1982, several months before the military regime collapsed as a result of the Falklands War, and gave a series of concerts at the Opera theater in Buenos Aires, where she invited many of her younger colleagues to share the stage. A double album of recordings from these performances became an instant best seller.

Sosa is UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Latin America and the Caribbean. She has won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2000 ("Misa Criolla"), 2003 ("Acustico") and 2006 ("Corazon Libre"), as well as many international awards.

Tanghetto From the Barrios of Buenos Aires

2007-05-10T12:02:00.000-03:00

Tanghetto is a musical group based in Buenos Aires, Argentina and one of the most important on the neo tango scene.
The style of Tanghetto is a blend of tango and electronic music. Formed in 2001 by producer and songwriter Max Masri and composer and instrumentalist Diego S. Velázquez, the band's lineup includes bandoneon, violoncello, acoustic piano acoustic guitar, electronic and acoustic drum samplers, and synthesizers. The main feature of their music, apart from the balance of electronic and ethnic sounds, is the strong presence of melody and song structure.
Tanghetto released their first albu Emigrante(electrotango) in 2003. It was nominated for a Latin Grammy award in 2004, and reached platinum status in Argentina in 2006. In late 2004 the group released an album from a side project called Hybrid Tango, in which some different world music styles are blended with their sound, such as flamenco, candombe and jazz This was also nominated for a Latin Grammy award in 2005.
In early 2005 a compilation of different electronic and neo-tango artists was released in Buenos Aires under the name Tangophobia Vol. 1 Contemporary sounds of Buenos Aires, including five unreleased tracks by Tanghetto.

Dont cry for Argentina

2007-03-21T08:54:00.000-03:00

Reading this amazing article on wealth of cities which put Buenos Aires at number 13 in the world based on buying power and total assets per person didnt suprise me http://www.mercopress.com/vernoticia.do?id=10107&formato=HTML

One thing that you notice as a foreigner living here in Capital Federal is the signs of visible wealth that you see all around you . Sure you see poverty as well with the homeless and the cartoneros sifting thu rubbish in the nights but the wealth that stands out hits you like a ton of bricks . This city has huge amount of megabucks and it seems each month it is changing rapidly especially amongst the rich that make up close to 15 percent of all inhabitants of Cap Federal.

Compared to 2002 when Argentina was in economic meltdown the visible signs of wealth apparent to me have increased in a staggering fashion. And that is not hard to understand if you see that peoples assets today in Capital Federal have never been worth as much in Dollars or Euros than ever before in its history. For example the area that I live Palermo Soho in 2002 was basically a lower to poorer middle class barrio with larger families and a huge community of transient sex workers and tranvestites who brazenly worked the streets of El Salvador and Godoy Cruz in the night. I remember my first trip down here and being in awe at the dark tree lined streets combined with a scene from a Pedro Aldomovar Movie. Every corner on those two streets had these goddesses of the night brazenly calling out to single men to enjoy a hour of pleasure with them in Buenos Aires numerous telos which are many and especially in Godoy Cruz Palermo Viejo.

The difference today is that this area has been moved out of sights way to the Bosques of Palermo. Nowadays Palermo Viejo subdivided into Soho and Hollywood have been transformed to these very trendy places with literally hundreds of restaurants and bars. To give you an example of the difference in those days to 2007 is this .

In 2002 there were maybe 20 simple restaurants and a few locales and the occasional coffee shop . Accomodation was limited to a run down pension or if you wanted some luxury there was Malabia Guest House which was the first guest house in the barrio .The owners will tell you that everyone thought they were mad for opening up in this area now they are laughing all the way to the bank . To give you a perpective of how cheap this area was In 2002 houses per square metre could have been bought for around 500 dollars a square metre in American terms a 1500 square foot house could have been found for 60000 thousand american dollars . Today that same house would be getting close to 300 thousand dollars . An increase of 300 percent in real terms . The older families of lower financial means who did not sell in 2002 are now sitting on a goldmine

Today Palermo Soho Hollywood have literally hundreds of restaurants and bars . There are 500 locales which translates in english as businesses .These mostly specialise in fashion .

Honduras and Gurruchaga in Palermo Soho is the centre of this and to walk down these streets on a Saturday afternoon you will be swamped by the hordes with bags full.

Palermo Viejo at night has the air of la dolce vita with its restaurants and bars at breaking point serving the latest in ethnic cooking and killer cocktails. The best places to people watch are Janio on Plaza Armenia or Meridian 59 on Borges and El Salvador.

To me this boom that Buenos Aires is experiencing shows no sign of abating and now in its 5th year with growth figures of 9 percent it keeps on getting stronger and stronger . If you ask the porteños they seem very optimistic about their futures.

Will Buenos Aires become the city is always dreamed it would be only time will tell.

Francis Ford Coppola Luxury 5 star Hotel On Gorritti and Malabia

2007-03-19T17:43:00.000-03:00

Today i was having a coffee at my favourite icecream parlour Frolian on Malabia and Gorritti when I was told that Francis Ford Coppola has brought a gothic mansion across from there to be converted in a 5 star hotel for visiting Hollywood Celebrities. The price he was rumoured to have paid was 900 thousand american dollars.

There seems to have been a huge increase in properties sold lately on that block of Gorritti fetching record prices in this area . Another sale was reported of 1.2million dollars for another property situated a few metres from Francis Coppolas place.

I have predicted that this would happen since 2002 that Palermo Viejo would become one of the most expensive areas in Buenos Aires but very few beleived me then especially my family who considered this not a good area.

For me Palermo Viejo is the soul of Buenos Aires and I still am in wonderment of the beautiful tree covered streets with their palo borrachos and jacarandas that make this city so uniquely special.

What I like about Buenos Aires

2007-03-15T21:38:00.001-03:00

This will be an open forum for other expatriates and Argentines to share their thoughts about what they love about Buenos Aires.

This is my list.

Beautiful Architecture

Tree Lined streets and lots of parks that give you a beautiful respite from the noise of the city.

Excellent nightlife . Is there a more exciting city in the world atm that can give you such a variety of options at affordable prices.

Great Bookshops and coffee shops that make a pleasant afternoon go so fast.

Restaurants which stay open to very late and serve the worlds best steak.

The language of Argentina is beautiful and constantly evolving.

Any more suggestions would be welcomed

Understanding Buenos Aires Women

2007-02-26T15:29:00.000-03:00

To understand Buenos Aires women it takes a while and these are my observations over the years I have been here.
Generally they are of slimmer appearance than most European women with petite features being very common. Personal grooming is highly valued and even on the hottest day here they will look and smell fantastic. Argentine women spend more per capita on perfume and toiletries than any nation on earth making them a vain lot.

Women in the capital tend to very feminine with naturally dark hair. They are obsessive about their appearances and their weight spending an inordiante time in gyms and yoga classes trying to obtain that perfect physique.

Now about Long Term Commitment

Relationships in Buenos Aires can be complicated as the availability of oportunities makes people wary and suspicious and unwilling to commit easily.
Argentine men are extremely persistent and forward in their attention to any women with little of the charm of the Frenchman or other European men. Most Argentine women in response to this agressive attention from men are very reluctant to date men easily . Argentine men will rarely take no for an answer and will persist until a yes is obtained . Most women here learn to play very hard to get as a barrier to all this attention.
Dating Argentine women is certainly different to say United States and most of Europe as they are hot and cold it seems on a daily basis. Commitment is not given easily and normally a few dates are required for any passionate contact to commence. This is not Brazil or Columbia where one night stands for pleasure are common and done with complete unhibition.
Saying that when the sexual commitment is done the Argentine women is very unhibited in bed and willing to experiment. Even though it is a catholic country it is catholic in protocol and not in actions.
Argentina is a tolerant society in many ways and most subjects that would be considered taboo in most countries are openly discussed on television and the numerous cafes of Buenos Aires.

Curerntly the most famous argentine women of all President Kirchners wife Christina Fernandez who is being very strongly rumoured to be in line for the new presidency taking over from her husband Nestor Kirchner. I beleive she will make a fantastic president as she looks great as well as being super smart.

Women overall in Buenos Aires can achieve very high positions of power. Being feminine and sexy is no barrier to achieving success and obtaining those coveted positions.

Argentina had the first female president of the world who was the notorious Isabel Peron who achieved power on the deathbed of Juan Peron. She was a ex cabaret dancer working in Panama when Juan met her and then the rest is history.Her presidency was considered to be a huge failure and created the conditions for military rule.

Back home in Buenos Aires

2007-01-31T23:38:00.000-03:00

Its been a while since my last blog and hope that all my readers are well and had a great holiday season.

I spent some time with friends in Colonia Uruguay which I loved and found the town peaceful and beautifully located on the Rio de la plata.

I am back in Palermo Viejo now and this area seems to be getting busier and livelier by the day . The feel of the streets is very light and happy and the restaurants seem to be bursting at the seams.I have been trying some great new restaurants went to Casa Cruz for the first time recently and found it very expensive with minute servings but the atmosphere was excellent and the food though small in portions exquisite . Try the king crab centolla ravioli it is easily the best pasta dish I have had in Buenos Aires . Also I have been back to my favourite steakhouse La Cabrera a few times of late Unfortunately it is very hard to get into these days as it has been discovered by tourists and there is always a line outside patiently waiting for a table. The bife de chorizo is the best I have had here and the portion humunguos enough for two people and only for the bargain price of 33 pesos including all those beautiful side dishes 12 in all if there are 2 of you.

Tomorrow I will be going for the first time to Tierra Santa that kitch place that is all about Jesus and his life . I am hoping to see the full moon rise above the Rio de la plata .

take care

photos of a beautiful sunday in palermo soho

2006-12-03T19:51:00.000-03:00

BUENOS AIRES JACARANDA HEAVEN

2006-11-10T17:20:00.000-03:00

Buenos aires is experiencing glorious weather and this is the best time of the year to be here.
The city is awash in beautiful jacarandas and the trees are lusher than ever with the recent rains we have had.

In palermo the trees are incredible reaching heights of over 7 stories .

Restaurant recommendations

2006-10-20T00:15:00.000-03:00

If you are thinking that Buenos aires has a tremendous variety of exciting food options you will be disapointed. The main spices in the porteno diet is sugar and salt in huge quantities.

In my area Palermo soho there are over 300 reataurants and I would say that only 20 serve excellent food and these are my recommendations

La cabrera Cabrera 5099 . My recommendation for the best baby beef in town and great place in atmosphere and service.

Sarkis arab restaurant located on Thames 1101. Beautiful meze and huge servings at a very reasonable price. Make sure that you visit on Monday night for belly dancing.

Moche for excellent peruvian food Nicaragua 5901

Thymus outstanding place must be visited once when in Buenos aires Lerma 525

Bon appetit

Buenos Aires is a construction zone

2006-09-13T11:20:00.000-03:00

The World health organisation has said that Buenos Aires is the worlds second noisiest city and frankly im not suprised with the tremendous amount of new contruction going on .

It seems that the city is being razed to make way for new neighbourhoods especially around Palermo hollywood and the old docks of Puerto madero.

The noise on the street level can be deafening and if you combine that with the horrendous bus lines with their ancient engines you will need ear plugs in many areas.

I am lucky that i live in a very quiet neighbourhood not on a bus route and no high rises being built on my block but most expatriates moving here tell me that the noise is a problem for them.

So when renting or buying an apartment here Caveat Emptor

PALERMO PALERMO AND MORE PALERMO

2006-09-03T22:49:00.000-03:00

Just seeing the huge changes in Palermo Viejo these days make me cringe at times . It seems that there is not a garage or old art deco house not being cashed in and being converted into a business selling all sorts of creative fashions.

When I first saw Palermo Viejo now called Palermo SOHO five years ago I was instantly smitten with the charm and beauty of this bohemian area. In those days there were maybe 20 businesses and about 30 restaurants mainly home run with very small menus and cheap family run atmospheres. At night it was Buenos Aires hottest red light district and I remember El Salvador street and Godoy Cruz being full of silicon filled blonde hair tranvestites plying their trade very openly on every available corner. Then a few years ago the residents threw them out to the bosques of Palermo which is a famous park on the fringes of the capital.

Every morning it has been estimated that over 1000 condoms are collected there by the street sweepers and to go there at night is a eye opener . Most of the workers are tranvestis who seem to be the favourite of many men of the capital. It seems that 99 percent of residents of Palermo Viejo are very happy that they are out of sight with the huge increase in real estate prices and to visit on the weekend and see the activity is a huge surprise for many visitors considering that just 5 years ago we were supposed to be in economic meltdown

Viveza Criolla

2006-06-28T18:23:00.000-03:00

My post today is about viveza criolla and how mostly all foreigners here bag Argentina as a very dishonest place to do business which is utter crap and very damaging to the countries image.

Viveza criolla is human nature and to say that portenos are a step above most other countries like united states Australia and most of Europe is a fantasy.

In all the years I have been coming here the most dishonest things that have happened to me have been being ripped off by taxi drivers by a few pesos .

I'm sure that bribes happen but I accept that and deal with it.

In Australia which people believe to be paradise .I clocked up 3000 dollars in fines just for parking and also the police in Australia are known for their heavy handed attitude.

People of the lower classes in Buenos Aires in the main are kind honest and trustworthy and I can tell you that I have dropped money on the street here many many times and had it returned by poor people .

I believe that foreigners in Argentina are using this line to create fear and business for themselves .

I remember when I brought my apartment here recently I went to this very famous foreigners real estate office in Argentina that deals with buying property in Argentina . They tried to tell me that if I didn't deal with them I would be fleeced of my money while trying to charge me 7000 pesos just to get me a CD and constancia de mi domicilio.

That job took me 3 hours and cost 20 pesos.

In Argentina I have to say that the Escribana system is excellent and they do a very thorough job and most only charge 1 percent .

Well good luck Argentina and my prayers are with you against Germany

Dos porteñas en Palermo Soho

2006-06-20T15:37:00.000-03:00

Argentina is the new El Dorado for stressed out New Yorkers

2006-06-12T16:39:00.000-03:00

Today is a cold and cloudy actually my favourite weather for being inside and enjoying a book and catching up on my Argentine vocabulary.

I have been living here 8 months now since October 2005 and has it been a challenge.
Moving to another country is much harder than anyone says especially one where the native language is not your own.

I have wanted to live in Argentina for as long as I can remember from the first trip here in 1983 to many trips over the years there was a very strange pull to this place that made me want more and more.

Nowadays it seems that Buenos Aires is the hot spot for New Yorkers and stressed out Americans wanting to escape George Bush high real estate prices and the fear of terrorism.

I have to say I have good feelings about this movement overall as I believe that in time that the influx of different energies and ways of doing business here will create a very different Buenos Aires one that is more modern and progressive.

I hear a lot of complaints on other sites about expatriates moving here and not adapting to the culture and treating it like a cheap place to have fun in my experience I have met plenty of expatriates here who after just three years are very integrated into Argentine society.

I live in a area full of Arabs and Armenian and they are Argentine first I must tell you . In a city of 300 thousand people of Arabian descent they have assimilated into Argentine culture amazingly .

I am of Greek descent born in Australian to Greek Cypriot parents. The Greeks of Australia still very much live a Greek lifestyle even after 2 to 3 generations but here in Argentina I have met numerous Greeks who had a Greek parent or grandparent and their culture was completely modified by Argentina to the extent that most do not speak the language after 2 generations.

Argentina is a great melting pot that has accepted and created a very homogeneous society.
The problems I foresee here is the integration of the newest immigrants from Peru Bolivia China . The racist comments I have heard regarding Peruvians here have surprised me .

Argentina seems a fine place for European races but be black Indian or Peruvian the road seems a lot harder.