Been There – Buenos Aires
Starbucks Been There – Buenos Aires complements Argentinian collection of BT mugs. It was no surprise to see it being released as Buenos Aires is the largest city and the capital of Argentina. The city, which name can be translated as “fair winds”, is the second-most visited city of Latin America and the top tourist destination. It is well known for its preserved Eclectic European architecture and rich cultural life. Interesting to know, that it’s neither part of Buenos Aires Province nor it’s capital. In fact, it is an autonomous district which was removed from the province in 1880 and granted the title of Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (“CABA”) in 1994.
Here are some points of attraction and symbols from the mug:
– Puente de la Mujer (“Woman’s Bridge” in Spanish) is a pedestrian rotating bridge opened in 2001. The design belongs to a Valencian architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava. This interesting and impressive asymmetrical bridge was built in Spain and moved in parts to Buenos Aires. According to the author, his work represents the figure of a couple dancing the tango, where the white mast is the man, and the curved silhouette of the bridge is the woman.
– Palace of the Argentine National Congress was built between 1898 and 1906 in Neoclassical style and is now a National Historic Landmark. It is worth noting about the Kilometre Zero – a starting point for all Argentine National Highways. It is marked on a milestone at the Congressional Plaza, next to the palace.
– Poncho – is a rectangular piece of cloth which protects the body from the weathering yet still leaves freedom for hands. Certain regions in Argentina have ponchos with their unique ornaments and colors and can be easily distinguished from others.
– The bandoneon is a musical instrument which is pretty popular in Argentina. It was brought to the country at around 1870 by German and Italian immigrants. It was later adopted as an essential instrument in most tango ensembles.
– Argentinian beef has a reputation of being one of the best in the world due to its tenderness and rich flavor. If you consider yourself a meat lover, trying a steak in one of the numerous steak-houses in Buenos Aires should definitely be on your list.
– Soccer ball and goal are symbolizing Argentinean infinite love for this sport. Buenos Aires, in particular, has the highest concentration of soccer teams in any city in the world.
– Polo is another popular sport in Argentina with Campo Argentino de Polo a.k.a. The Cathedral of Polo being the major polo stadium in Buenos Aires. It was opened in 1928 and holds many most important competitions in the world, since.