In Argentina, Another Comely Córdoba

Argentina‘s second largest city (pop. 1.3 million) is definitely a change of pace from Buenos Aires. While the country’s capital impresses with its imposing buildings and the pace and trappings of a major world city, Córdoba, smack in the centre of the country some 700 kilometres (435 miles) northwest of B.A., does so in a gentler, more laid-back way, with colonial elegance and provincial charm.

One of the architectural centerpieces of the city’s historic core (est. 1573), the so-called Manzana Jesuítica (Jesuit Block), is like a tour of the history not just of Córdoba but the whole country. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is where the eponymous Catholic order had its local headquarters and founded Argentina’s first university. It’s a big reason why Córdoba came by such nicknames as “La Docta” (“The Learned”) and “city of the bells”.  keep reading

Surf's Up! In...Um...Munich?


Picture it: Bavaria, end of the 19th century. The young monarch Ludwig II (the one dubbed by some at the time “mad King Ludwig“) wants to irrigate Munich‘s English Garden with its River Isar. So his engineers divert some its its water, creating a new river, the two-kilometre (1¼-mile) Eisbach – which thanks to its slope and other factors turned out to be in parts quite the wild, whitewater bit of business. Essentially the world’s first FlowRider. And surfersthroughout Europe today are grateful, indeed.  keep reading

photos |  Roppongi Art Night,, Ana