Things I Love About Being Back in Buenos Aires

Excuse the long blog hiatus. The end of 2014 was crazy for me, and 2015 started off on the same foot. I then went back to South Africa for 4 weeks, and Brazil for a few days (more on both those trips coming…). After the break, I’m back in Buenos Aires, mi querido, with a bit of homesickness and some readjustment shock. But, I am happy to be here and to continue exploring Argentina and South America, and improve my Spanish.

My return to Buenos Aires has been a bit chaotic, very busy, and lacking in sleep (as is normal for my life here).

It hasn’t been easy at all times. There’s nothing like going home to make you remember how much you miss your family and friends. Plus the shock of going back to work after being away for 5 weeks took a while to get used to. Then one friend’s life crisis, made me examine my own life here, and future plans and decisions, which resulted in some extra stress.

But through all of that, it has been a good homecoming. Buenos Aires is an easy city to love, and being back has reminded me of why I love this place. I’ve also realised that it isn’t quite done with me yet, nor have I become satiated with it yet.

Things I love about being back in BA

My apartment. Coming home to my bed and making myself at home again was a great feeling. But it’s really the view I love the most. I arrived back at night, and walked in to the sight of the twinkling lights of the city from the windows. Since then, I have taken many moments to stand on the balcony, soaking in the sounds of the city, enjoying the familiar skyline and watching the sun sink, and the stars rise.

One small weird pleasure for me in this city is taking taxis. Inevitably I take them late at night, and my accented Spanish usually starts a conversation. Late night taxi conversations give me a great space to practice my Spanish and have involved some weird encounters and topics of conversation. I’m also just amazed at the backgrounds of drivers. When I landed back in the city, I took the Tienda Leon bus, which is a shuttle that brings you back from the airport (a good 45 minutes outside of the city centre) to their station, and has a cheap shared drop-off taxi service. This was my first real Spanish in five weeks (minus a couple of short conversations in Brazil, where I relied on my Spanish to make up for my complete lack of Portuguese). The driver was from Spain, although his parents were Argentine. He had recently moved out here and was loving the change, and sure he would never move back to Europe. Here we were, from two totally different backgrounds, drawn to the city by different reasons, chatting freely about our mutual love for the place, and our similar experiences here.

Buenos Aires is full of spontaneous moments that make it interesting. Sitting on the couch at 8pm and getting a text from a friend to try out a newly discovered wrap joint, leading to 3 bus rides and an adventure in the rain, all for the love of good food. It is a quick beer leading to an evening of Brazilian food and drinks on a friend’s balcony. Picnics in the park, listening to the Teatro Colón’s orchestra perform, while drinking wine, followed by sneaky wine drinking in Palermo’s most buzzing plaza, whilst people watching bachelorette games and drunk people, tourists and locals.

Its venturing to the park to read on a bench, surrounded by nature and birds despite being in the middle of the city. Or seeking refuge in a French café, enjoying a coffee and croissant and a book, on my own and perfectly content.

And of course, one of the best parts of returning has been reuniting with friends and rediscovering the incredible network I’ve built up here, which is the reason the city feels like home. From tacos and tequila nights, to fried chicken dinners, coffee and bagel brunches, bus rides, partying all night and watching the sun rise over the river with some crazy friends, celebrations, music festivals, conversations over wine, and evenings of games and party tricks, to those deep and meaningful conversations that you have with only your closest friends, indicating just how deeply friendships can develop in such a short time.

Life has been non-stop since I’ve been back, and doesn’t like it is slowing down anytime soon. In between it all, I’ll try to carve time to sit and write (since at the end of the day, this blog is really a space for me to keep my memories of my travels and to provide an outlet to write and regurgitate my thoughts without worrying too much about SEO, the audience, click-through rates etc etc). In the meantime, I’ll be living my life in Buenos Aires, seeking as many weird and wonderful experiences as I can in this city while I’m still here.

Street Art of Buenos Aires

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I see a lot of people complaining in expat forums about graffiti in Buenos Aires, but when graffiti leads to incredible street art in unexpected places, I’m personally a big fan. This collection is taken from San Telmo, Palermo, Recoleta and Colegiales. They represent a tiny fraction of the number of photos I’ve collected of street art, and an even smaller fraction of the amount of artistic graffiti scattered around the city. They serve as a good reminder to always pay attention when walking the streets of Argentina’s capital, because there are unexpected gems everywhere, sometimes in the form of a massive mural that you can’t miss, and other times the smallest scribble on the wall proclaiming that “Mickey Mouse is dead”.

*This is admittedly a lazy post because I have much to write and very little time to commit those words to (digital) paper at the moment. A good sign, at least, that my life is currently (overly) full of exciting things!

La Exposicíon Rural: A taste of country life

There is a massive venue a few blocks from where I live called “La Rural”. There is pretty much always something going on here. I’ve attended Nuestros Caballos y Perros and Feria del Libro so far, although there is an event on most weeks it seems. Next month is of course the famous Tango festival which I’m really looking forward to.

But the main event at La Rural is La Exposición Rural. This annual agricultural fair has been going on for years. It is a great celebration of Argentina’s massive agricultural industry. If it’s farming related, it’s here – livestock, with rows of cows of every breed, sheep, horses, and unnecessarily large farming equipment (just look at my pictures of the tractors and the like. The wheels on most of the farming monsters were taller than me). Then there’s the food…

La Rural

I got to stroke this little cutey

How many steaks does a cow make?

Sheep!

Mmmm…chocolate

Amongst the many exhibition stands, there were great products on sale, from handcrafted chocolates, dulce de leche, organic honey, jams and preserves etc. Plus a range of great parrillas and food stands, where I devoured a choripan (because a good chori and salt-of-the-earth farmers and traditional agri-related-everything just fit so well together).

Then there were the horse related stands, with top quality tack and riding clothes that made me itch to buy things despite the fact that I no longer own a horse. Not to mention watching the show jumping competition, and stables full of horses – it made me miss riding and being around horses so much.

Warm up for the competition

Horses photo bombing horses.

More horse photo bombing

Just to add to the rugged display of all things agricultural, there was a massive pit with a 4×4 course, where people were queueing to get a chance to ride in massive 4x4s around the course. Not my idea of a thrill, but entertaining to watch none-the-less well enjoying my choripan in the sun.

The whole event made for a fun sunday out. It’s incredibly family orientated, especially given it is school holidays here, and the huge venue was jam-packed with people, including a mass of excited children at the sight of all the animals. But it was worth the crowds to get a taste of life in the pampas!

Ridiculously huge tractor/vehicle.

Monster Farming Equipment

Offroad course

La Rural

Día del Amigo

Last Sunday was friendship day (la día del amigo) here in Argentina. It is technically International Friendship Day, but it since it originated here in Argentina, people celebrate it seriously. The day was the brainchild of Dr. Enrique Ernesto Febbraro, a philosopher and dentist, who, after watching the Apollo 11 landing in 1969, was so struck by the unity and connection this moment brought mankind that he decided to create an International Friendship Day on 20 July. He wrote hundreds of letters to various countries putting forward the idea. The day really took off in Argentina, where it is officially recognised (although isn’t a public holiday). I know it is also celebrated in Paraguay and Brazil, but can’t really speak for anywhere else.

It is a wonderful celebration here as everyone meets up with friends and spends the day (if not weekend or week, since celebrations tend to go on much longer than just the one day) together. It helped that it was a stunner of a day, with blue skies and surprising warmth after a week of cold and rain (a brief respite, since it has since been sub-zero freezing). It seemed like everybody was out and about in the parks, at the markets, and in restaurants and cafes, enjoying the great weather and company of their amigos.

Without the initial intention to celebrate the day, I ended up spending it in great style with a group of friends. I met up with mi amigos at Buenos Aires Market, a great food market that takes place once a month. With a range of great organic products and various handcrafted goods on display, this market never disappoints. After coffee, fruit juice and a very more-ish pain au chocolat, the clock struck 12 making drinking an acceptable activity. We grabbed a range of artisanal beers (including an amazing smoked one) and sat in the sun, enjoying life. Since the day was just so beautiful, everyone was keen to hit up another market so we headed to Recoleta and the Plaza Francia market. More decadence followed, with chocolate dipped strawberries on sticks, followed by choripans and (more) beer, enjoyed on the grass whilst listening to live music, a gymnastic performance and catching the late afternoon rays.

It was a perfect sunday, and reaffirmed (not that I needed reaffirming) that life here is very good indeed. More than the wonderful feeling of contentment and savouring every minute of a beautiful life in Buenos Aires, the day also reminded me of how important a network of friends is. It’s great knowing I have such amazing friends at home (and scattered around the world, since a few of my favourites are off on their own adventures to far-off places this year). The joys of technology means I get to keep in close contact with them. But I’m also extremely grateful for having developed a great network of friends here as well. Being an expat brings a whole new element to forming friends – everyone has left their safety nets and support systems at home, so you tend to form bonds much more quickly and intensely.

Having a group of international friends, all with interesting life stories and experiences, a shared love of Buenos Aires and travelling, and adventurous spirits, friends who you can call on when you want to head to a bar, try a new restaurant, spend a lazy day at a market, or when you need to vent, need a shoulder to lean on, or just general life support, makes living far from home so much easier. It’s the people you meet while travelling, after all, that really make your journey memorable.

To add a shameless plug at the end of this heartfelt post, the website I write for has been celebrating friendship day and month by sharing our team’s favourite spots in the city, including my own. I think I’m officially integrated in this city now that I’m giving out advice to others on where to go! You can read my insider tip over here!

World Cup Madness in Buenos Aires

Argentines are incredibly passionate people, but the one thing they are most passionate about is football. Football is pretty much a religion here, and Maradona is God (I’m not exaggerating, there is an actual church of Maradona, with 10 commandments and all). So the vibe here last week was pretty indescribable. For those that live under a rock and who don’t eat and breathe football during the world cup, Argentina won their semi-final last Wednesday, and played in the final on Sunday.

As I write this, I am physically and emotionally exhausted from last week’s craziness. I’ve never really had a team to fully support in a world cup. Bafana Bafana crashed out early in the last world cup (although I had great fun getting to support them from Mexico), and I usually pick teams based on playing style. For the last three cups, it’s always been a toss up for me between Spain, Germany and Argentina. This world cup was a no-brainer, especially since I have been a casual Argentina supporter for years. This year was all about La Selección, the beloved Albicelestes. And I have never felt so deeply for a sports team, not even for the Springboks or Proteas. There is something about the FIFA World Cup that is just on an entirely different level to any other sports competition in the world. It sucks you in, causes you stress, elation, and the full range of emotions in between. I’ve never before felt so much emotion supporting a team.

Let me try to describe the atmosphere here. On Wednesday, we packed in with a crowd of what newspapers have estimated between 15,000 and 20,000 people in Plaza San Martín. Everyone was decked out in blue and white, and there was a palpable air of anticipation. As the game got under way, and we headed deep into extra-time with no goals, the crowd was quiet and tense. Nails were bitten, people were offering silent prayers, and hands were wrung in tension as the game went to penalties, not something fans consider Argentina’s strong point. But then Romero saved the first penalty shot. The entire crowd went absolutely mental as it realised how much closer we were to winning this now. Then Romero saved a second and it was all down to Maxi’s last penalty shot. The roar of excitement when the ball hit the back of the nets, with Argentina winning 4-2 on penalties, was unreal. I can’t say much more about that moment since I was jumping up and down and screaming with the rest of the crowd. We were then swept along with the crowd down the road, along Avenida 9 de Julio (the widest avenue in the world) to the Obelisco. There the crowd thronged, growing into a mass of tens of thousands of elated fans, singing, dancing, waving their flags, shirts and scarves in the air. There were plenty of insults thrown at Brazil along the way – the two countries are mortal enemies when it comes to football – which peaked when a giant inflatable Christ the Redeemer floated above the crowd. There we drank a celebratory Quilmes, joined in the singing (“Brasil, decime que se siente” has since been stuck in an endless loop in my head) and soaked up the incredible atmosphere of the biggest street party I have ever witnessed. In desperate need of food, we set off, walking halfway home given that transport had come to a standstill near the centro thanks to the masses of people – cars were simply being abandoned anywhere and people had taken over the streets leaving no room for cars to manoeuvre. Along the way we treated ourselves to some delicious Kentucky pizza, beer, and a free ice cream from Burger King (because even the staff were in a celebratory mood). Finally we managed to catch a bus, where the party continued with people singing and jumping . Even further from the centro, people were in the streets everywhere, having a party wherever they could.

For days after, people were singing on the bus, the subway, and in the streets. So by the time Sunday rolled around, excitement was fever pitch. I headed down to Plaza San Martín again with a crowd of friends, thinking we’d be ok getting there 2 hours early. But it was absolute madness already. There were so many people, blue white and yellow wherever you looked, drums beating, people singing, vuvuzelas (well, not real ones, but mimics), whistles, flags waving… it was such an amazing feeling to be part of that crowd. Plus we racked up some bonus points with the crowd around us as we starting handing out leftover cake (decorated with the South African flag – spreading some saffa love) from the previous night’s birthday party.

But then the game didn’t go quite the way the crowd was willing it. Things quietened down as the stress set in. The most heart-stopping moment was when Higuaín scored, and everybody jumped up screaming only to realise it was off-side. Into extra-time we went with still no goal. And then absolute heartbreak when Germany scored a few minutes from the end. There was just shocked silence, until a few seconds after the final whistle blew, and people just started clapping. It wasn’t a cheer or excitement, but a show of respect, to a good game and to an Argentinean team that had done everybody proud. Of course, there were people that were distraught, with a group of guys next to us dissolving into guttural crying, and an old lady in shedding tears well. The emotions and passion, as ever, were strong. As we started walking back, in a crowd of people that was a good couple of thousand people strong, everyone just started singing and waiving their flags. It was like the shock of losing wore off and people decided they were going to party anyway – hey, we made it to the finals, finishing ahead of arch-rivals, Brazil!

Being emotionally exhausted from the stress of the game, physically drained from standing for last 3 or 4 hours, and still feeling the effects of a night out before, our group decided to head back home, despite the fact that masses were streaming to the Obelisco again. As we walked home (again having to walk nearly half-way home before getting to a place where the buses could actually drive), people were just coming in waves, all heading downtown in an elated party mood. I can only imagine what it would have been like if Argentina had won.

In the end, I was quite glad I didn’t head down. As always in a big crowd, there are some that are just looking for trouble, and some drunk youths starting fighting and breaking things. The police reacted, there was some chaos and a number of people were arrested. It’s a pity that this marred an otherwise peaceful and happy atmosphere.

But all in all, people are proud of the team, for getting to the final and putting up a great fight, and for beating Brazil. And I for one am extremely grateful for this experience. I had been deeply regretting not making it to Brazil for the world cup, but partying in the streets with thousands of Argentine’s was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that I’ll never forget, and more than makes up for not being in Brazil. As a friend remarked as we stood in the middle of a heaving crowd of ecstatic Argentines, there’s nowhere I’d rather be at this moment than in Argentina.

The crowd gathering to watch the World Cup Final

Spot the shirtless man in the trees.

People watching the crowds from a balcony overlooking the Plaza

People resorted to the trees for a good viewing spot

Christ the Redeemer came floating down Corrientes

The elated crowd at Obelisco after winning the semi-final

Fans starting climbing on traffic lights and metro signs to celebrate above the crowd

The crowds streaming down Avenida 9 de Julio towards the Obelisco

The crowds at Obelisco after winning the semi-final

Watching the World Cup Semi-Final between Argentina and Netherlands

 

Parque de la Memoria

Remembering Argentina’s Violent Past

Something not listed in many tour guides is the Parque de la Memoria (Memory Park) in Buenos Aires. Between the local airport, Aeroparque Jorge Newberry and the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), looking out onto the Río de la Plata estuary, this park is a memorial to the victims of the military regime.

The 1976-83 military regime was and is a very dark patch in Argentina’s history. The scars of which can still be seen today in society, such as in the continued existence of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. The military government called this time the National Reorganization Period, an all too sanitary name for this extremely violent spell during Argentina’s Dirty War. In this time, it is estimated that 30,000 people went missing, most of them young men or boys. Bodies were flown from a military airport close to where the memorial is today, and dumped in the river.

Hence Parque de la Memoria’s strategic position on the banks of the river, a reminder of the chilling acts of this regime. There is one particularly moving sculpture which stands in the river itself and becomes obscured when the water level rises. The park is fairly sparse, with scattered monuments and sculptures, and two large walls of names of victims. There is a big hall in the centre of the park which contains exhibitions and serves a cultural centre as well. It is fittingly quiet here, despite a fair amount of locals and kids playing on the ramps leading past the wall of names, and its proximity to the airport.

Parque de la Memoria is unpretentious, undecorated, sombre and haunting, even in the light of a beautiful winter’s day. I feel it is a fitting memorial to pay homage to such a terrible scar on Argentina’s history, and provided an insightful and sobering visit.

The promenade along the river bank.

“Pensar es un hecho revolucionario” – To think is a revolutionary act.

“To think is a revolutionary act / Pensar as un hecho revolucionario”

Music, Art and Malbec: Ciudad Emergente 2014

The city government of Buenos Aires is extremely good at hosting all manner of free events around this city. As if there wasn’t enough to do already. One of their recent events was the Ciudad Emergente festival – billed as an underground music and arts festival for emerging artists. It’s a five-day, free festival taking place in the Recoleta Cultural Centre. Five days of art exhibitions, live graffiti, photography exhibitions, music listening halls, stand-up comedy, free performances of Fuerza Bruta (a long-running, extremely popular post-modern theatre show / extravaganza), and of course a big outdoor stage on the terrace where upcoming and more established Argentine rock (and pop-rock) bands were performing.

Given that the festival is run by the city, there was also an interactive space where people were asked to write down their suggestions for improving the city, according to various categories like social interaction, community development, green/environmental issues and nightlife. After getting pulled into a conversation with one of the volunteers working there, he insisted we add a suggestion, even if it was in English. We obliged, hopefully leaving our mark on the city’s future developments.

The whole event made for a great afternoon and evening, wandering around the various exhibitions, and listening to some live music. Whilst sitting on the bottom terrace enjoying a glass of wine and a hotdog (odd combination of classy and cheap!) in the winter sun, listening to the music filtering down from the terrace above, I had a moment of pure contentment, realising that life here is pretty good indeed. The day was nicely rounded off by meeting up with friends at the adjacent Hard Rock Café for a drink – and dessert -before heading back into the cold night air to listen to some more music under the stars.

 

Car Graffiti

Photo exhibit of rock concerts in BA

One of the exhibitions in the Cultural Centre

One of the exhibitions in the Cultural Centre

Ciudad Emergente logo

Our addition to the community suggestions for city improvement.

Posing with Messi

Rolling Stones photo exhibit

Rolling Stones photo exhibit

Rolling Stones photo exhibit

Music gallery in the Cultural Centre

The main music stage on the terrace.

The main stage on the terrace at night.

The Romance of the Foreign City

I’ll admit it, I’m a hopeless romantic. Not in a relationship/dating sense (quite the opposite in fact), but when I travel I turn into a falls-head-over-heels-in-love romantic, especially with regard to new cities and places.

One of the simplest pleasures in life for me is exploring a new city, walking its streets, saturating my senses with new smells, sights and sounds, and trying to get under its skin, to feel its pulse. More often that not, I’ll find myself seduced. If I had to make a list of cities I’ve loved (and still do), it would be fairly long. I can find something to love about most places I visit. But there is a difference between these fleeting affairs and my big loves.

My first great love was Mexico City. This was my first solo adventure and I moved across an ocean and a hemisphere to the second largest city in the world by myself, without putting too much thought into it, or – truthfully – doing much research into the city. I don’t regret this at all. It created the conditions for a surprise love affair, as the city quickly and unexpectedly grabbed hold of my heart. I was supposed to be in DF briefly to do a TEFL course. I stayed for 10 months. It seduced me with its sprawling mass, incredible cultural richness, multitude of museums, art scattered all over the city streets, enticing food, warm people, its passion and brashness, the fast pace and rushed faces coupled with quiet spaces and green parks, its vibrant colours and sounds and a spirit and soul that was intoxicating. I loved it, but I left, returning home to continue my studies.

And here I find myself again on an adventure, falling in love with a new city. Buenos Aires is my second big love. It is softer, less brash and in-your-face than DF, quietly enveloping you into its fold. It’s an easy city to love, with its old-world architecture and charm, cobbled streets, tree-lined avenues, parks bursting with families enjoying the green spaces, it’s many coffee shops offering a quiet time-out. At the same time, it has this contradictory chaos, with stark modern buildings standing close to old churches, gridlocked traffic and disregard for road rules, insane pace the city runs at where there is always something to do at every hour or the night and day and of course the sheer number of things on the go at any given time. It’s common to walk home from a bar at 1am and still see families eating dinner at a restaurant, or a pair of grannies enjoying a cup of coffee at a sidewalk cafe. It’s chaotic in its sense of time, and urgency, as people rush around filling up way too many hours a day, but simultaneously don’t stress over actual deadlines and getting places on time. It is slow and fast, modern and old, European and Latin all at the same time.

More than the city itself, it’s the people here that make it such an amazing place. Whenever I’m in Latin America, I know exactly why I chose Latin America – the people and the culture. People here are so incredibly warm and inviting, whether they are simply kissing you on the cheek as a greeting, going out of their way to help you when you can’t express what you want in Spanish, or welcoming you into their homes. What makes people here even more interesting is their rich heritage, with most people having close links to other places thanks to a history of immigration, as well as freedom of movement between South American countries. It’s amazing to see so clearly the mark of so many different cultures, creating a great melting pot of people.

Of course every great love has its sticky moments and points of conflict. I’m not blind to the problems here, and I’m certainly not immune to the bad economy (since I’m earning in pesos and don’t have a source of dollars to fall back on), the social and political problems (especially striking bus drivers). But I see its faults and love it anyway. I love it for its beauty, its pace, its people and its buena onda (good vibes), and for the many lessons it is teaching me every day that I’m here.

Maybe I’ll fall out of love one day, or perhaps I’ll be seduced by somewhere else – lord knows I have terribly itchy feet and can’t seem to stay in one place for too long. But for the moment I am blissfully happy in Buenos Aires, and am happy to call it home.

Sunset 4

 

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted – Bill Bryson

 

Four evenings a week I teach an online class at 6pm, and I’m lucky enough to sit down at my desk of my fifteenth-floor apartment and look out at the sun setting over the city. And every day that I watch the city slide from day to night, I want to take my camera out, as each sunset seems to be more spectacular than the last. It’s a small luxury to have the time to appreciate the sunset each day, one of the many little things that add up to a beautiful life here in Buenos Aires.

MALBA: An Afternoon of Art

At long last I made it to MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires), one of the most important art museums in Latin America. I had been putting off the visit in order to go on a Wednesday when entrance is half-price, but eventually realised that my schedule doesn’t allow this, and I’m perfectly happy to spend 50 pesos to see a great collection of art.

This museum is dedicated exclusively to 20th century Latin American art, and boasts an impressive permanent collection as well as changing exhibitions. The building itself, purpose-built to house and grow this collection, is a piece of art as well. It is a modern, in a city full of old-world French architecture, juxtaposing big concrete blocks on the outside with huge windows to one side, creating a very light and airy space on the inside.

 There is a permanent collection on the first floor, with artworks ordered from early modern and avant-garde movements, to surrealism and contemporary and conceptual art. The stand-out (for me anyway) is Frida Kahlo’s “Self-Portrait with a monkey and a parrot”. It was particularly special for me to view this and Diego Rivera’s “Portrait of Ramón Gómez de la Serna”, since I’m currently reading Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna, which revolves partly around the lives of these two great painters and exceptionally larger-than-life personalities. It has also stirred many memories of Mexico, so I’m finding it an incredibly evocative and nostalgic read.

On the second floor there is currently an extremely striking exhibition of Mario Testino’s photography, titled “In Your Face”. While I was familiar with his work, as a famed fashion and celebrity photographer, I had not known he was from Peru. Also of interest is the exhibition on the lowest floor, named “The Opposite of Magic” which, curated by Argentinian artist, explores the problematic relationship between art and science in contemporary society. This is a thought-provoking exhibit, and comes from the point of view that while both professions don’t occupy a space with huge recognition in society, the position of scientists is even lower than that of artists, presumably in a Latin American society.

My time spent wandering around the museum also prompted some thought on the role of cameras in museums (and travelling in general). My feeling is that people are more concerned with recording their experiences than actually experiencing where they are. Ironic, since I’m also guilty of snapping away, but I tend to get poor quality shots (or good ones thanks to my camera rather than the time I’ve taken to set up the shot) because I’m very aware of not living through my lens. As much as I want the photos as a reminder of the experience, I don’t want to worry about this at the expense of fully appreciating and being present where I am. Something that is very difficult to balance. I will say that my enjoyment of museums certainly decreases on busy days when hordes of people are snapping away, taking art selfies, and constantly making me feel like I’m in the way of their shot of the art.

Complaints aside, this is museum is well worth its price, and most definitely worth a visit. Find more information about the permanent collection and upcoming exhibitions on MALBA’s website here.