Forget me not: 5 reasons to remember buenos aires
Buenos Aires is a city full of passion and vitality, the birth place of the tango and the playing field of Diego Maradona. We take a look at just five reasons why this Latin capital is worth making a song and dance about.
The Obelisk of Buenos Aires
1. Weather - a spring in your step.
The weather in Buenos Aires - which in English means fair winds - is lovely, especially in the spring time. Around November it is glorious, with mild temperatures and blossoming flowers and trees all over the city, making the place feel radiant and alive.
Buenos Aires has a humid subtropical climate and the average temperature is 17.6 °C. The summer months of December, January and February are the hottest, averaging around a sumptuous 30 °C (86 °F).
2. Tango - the heat is on.
Tango music was born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, notably in the brothels of the Junín y Lavalle district and other rundown areas.
Its sensual dance moves were seen as too sexy and provocative until adopted by the Parisian high society in the 1920's and then the rest of the world followed step.
Tango has evolved throughout the years and is now expressed in a variety of ways, by means of its music, its songs, and its dance. In its infancy, Tango was played without lyrics and was only instrumental; then the dance became a major factor and suddenly the music had voice.
The dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as the crowding of the venue and the style of the clothing. The techniques are mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow connect at arms length, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect chest-to-chest.
Today, there are many tango dance styles, including, Argentine Tango, Uruguayan Tango, Ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish Tango and vintage tangos. In Buenos Aires tango schools and academies are very popular and popping up all over the place for those looking to learn the techniques, improve fitness or just feel the heat.
3. Football - more than just a game.
More like a religion in this part of the world, the Argentines are extremely passionate about football and support their local teams vehemently.
Buenos Aires has the highest concentration of football teams of any city in the world (featuring no less than 24 professional clubs), with many of its teams playing in the major league.
The best-known rivalry is the one between Boca Juniors and River Plate; a match between these two teams was named as one of the "50 sporting things you must do before you die" by The Observer.
Other major clubs include San Lorenzo de Almagro, Vélez Sársfield, Argentinos Juniors and Huracán.
The most famous football player to come from Buenos Aires (born in the Greater Buenos Aires area) is the legendary Diego Armando Maradona, acclaimed as one of the greatest players ever to lace up a pair of football boots.
Maradona will be remembered most for his wonder goal against England in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, as well as the cheating handball goal, which he claimed was ‘the hand of God.' He played for both Argentinos and Boca Juniors, before moving to Europe to further his career.
4. Horses - a breed apart.
Argentines' have always been crazy about thoroughbreds, and this can be seen in a number of events in Buenos Aires.
Horse racing at the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo racetrack, polo in the Campo Argentino de Polo and pato, a kind of basketball played on horseback that was declared the national game in 1953.
5. Beef - rarely off the menu.
Argentina may be a vegetarian's nightmare, but it is heaven for dedicated carnivores. The country has the highest per capita meat consumption in the world and locals boast that when you get a good steak in Argentina, there is no finer.
When Europeans first settled in Argentina and brought their cattle with them, the cows thrived on the rich grasses of the Pampas. No hormone shots or special feeds were necessary to make Argentine cattle the superb animals they are. And nowhere will you find bigger, better, juicier, tastier and tenderer steaks than in the top Parrillas (steak houses) of Buenos Aires.
Conclusion
A place that is Vogue and vibrant, Buenos Aires is the hub of Argentina and becoming the focal point for numerous tourists hoping to catch some of the city's style and passion.
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