New stuff!

Please find a new section in the right column: Extraordinary Events. For you pleasure I am working on a picture bank; it should be ready within 2 weeks.

MALBA and Palermo

The Museo de Arte Latinoamerica de Buenos Aires (Malba)** hosts many artistes like Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego de Riviera, Antonio Berni, Xul Solar… My favourite is Wilfredo Lam (a kind of Cuban Picasso). For the record it is not the first time I’ve seen his painting as he is also at the Tate Modern in London. After the visit, I had lunch at the cafeteria of the museum; it was good but nothing exceptional.
Then I discovered the Palermo District***. This might be the area I want to live in. It is very calm with a lot of trendy shops, parks, bars and clubs.
On the student side, I think I know where I will take Spanish lessons - I should start on Monday. I am still looking for a flat, but an Argentinean couple invites me tomorrow for diner, as a friend of them has a flat to rent. I keep you up to speed on this one.

San Telmo

Besides searching for a flat, and for Spanish lessons, on Monday I went to the Museo Històrico Dr Arturo Jàrechte*, afterwards I took the undergound to the San Telmo District**. The museum was interesting in the sense that it enlightens on the economical history of Argentina. The thing to remember maybe is that just before the crash of the pesos in 2001, you could find 1.000.000 notes in the country in order to keep up with a skyrocketing inflation. No country in the world has bills of that amount. Of course it is no longer the case.
Then I walked to San Telmo, a district full of charm with pavement streets and tattered mansions. There you can escape all the noise and pollution from the city centre.

The Hassle

After 9 great days in Brazil, problems started. On the 26th, someone stole Roberta’s bag (car keys, mobile …) in Lapa (RJ). Therefore I had to take a bus to Sao Paulo in order to prepare my backpack as I was leaving the day after for Buenos Aires. I arrived in SP at 0300 in the morning and I had to be at 0630 at the airport. Despite the language gap everything went smoothly.
So, I arrived yesterday in BA, and after 3h spent in the city my wallet just disappeared with all my credit cards. Here starts my learning of Spanish. Indeed, I had to explain to the policeman what happened in Spanish. This was very funny!
I succeed in sorting everything out, but my only concern is that now I just have 400 pesos to leaving for 1week. This could be a bit short; maybe I will have to work as a gigolo!
Anyway, the city seems nice, for the little I have seen and I am now looking for a flat and a place to learn Spanish.

The Beach

Samba!

What a great dance. It has been created by poor people from Favelas 70 years ago. It is now danced by every one, in couple or alone. Yesterday after a very tiring day, we all went to the cradle of samba. The samba played there is called the samba for workers. All the musicians are seated around a table, facing each other. Everyone can take the microphone. The people are aged from 7 to 77.
As my friends told me, the songs are about funny stories and the arrival of black people in Brazil. I have also been to another samba place: Mangueira***. This is one of the biggest school of samba in Rio. At the moment, all the schools are rehearsing for the Carnaval.
Samba is, according to me, a dance that flows into your body. Even the most reluctant to dancing would not be able to stay stoic.
Despite dancing, I enjoy the beach the the culinary treasure of Brazil.

Leaving to Rio de Janeiro

I am leaving to Rio today, I will be back on the 26. Be patient for stories and pictures. Program: Sea, Samba and Sun! Bejos.

The Sunburn

Today I caught a bad sunburn walking in the street under an aggressive sun. I walk a lot from the heart of the city to the most famous avenue in SP: Av Paulista. For your information, Paulista is the name of the inhabitants of SP. Along this walk, for your pleasure, I took the picture of a traditional SP house and another of the MASP*** (Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo).
There I saw an exhibition on European and Brazilian painters: Poussin, Murillo, Lucientes, Delacroix, Corot, Van Gogh, Vuillard, Cezanne, Monet, Degas, Matisse, Renoir, Modigliani (one of my favourite), Ernst, Soutine, Bonnard, Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, Segall, Malfatti, Constable, Turner. Then I went to the Museum of Industrial Design*, this was not that interesting as they are all the same around the world. And tonight I am going to dance Salsa. I am so excited about it, and I’ll try not to step on my partner´s feet!

2nd and 3rd days

On the 17th and on the 18th I went to visit few museums.
On the 17th Roberta accompanied me to the Pinacoteque of SP* and the museum of history of the Portuguese language***, after a nice lunch in the food market** of SP. We ended the day by a marvellous dinner that her mother cooked for us, at her parents place with her friends.
The 18th was the occasion for me to see the city on my own. I visited the MAM***: museum of modern art (see the picture above) followed by the museum Afrobrazil**, both located in one of the biggest park of SP, called Parque do Ibirapuera. Both were very interesting with a remarkable architecture.
Just a little comment on Brazilian girls before I leave: they totally deserve their worldwide reputation and they are, on the top of that, very friendly.

First Day

My first day was very calm, Roberta (picture above) showed me the city and we ended the day in bar called Sasha***(www.bardosasha.com.br) that I recommend to every person that stops in SP. It was the occasion to see most of my former flatshare (Raphael with the black curly hair, and Dani the smiling tanned girl in the back) and to drink few beers and the local cocktail: caipirinha, accompanied with traditional food.

Arrival In Sao Paulo

Hi everyone,
My first days in Sao Paulo have been great!
I would like to start this blog by expressing my gratitude to Roberta, my former flatmate in London, and her family for the astonishing welcoming they offered me for my first time in South America. To be honest, I have never seen that in my entire life. I attached a picture of my room.