Alta Gracia's annual procession for La Virgin de la Merced

Virgin de la Merced

  The patron Saint of  Alta Gracia, the protector of the pueblo,  is la Virgin de la Merced.
  A procession takes place every year in honor of this beloved Virgin.

 This is  an event that gives foreigners an idea of Argentine culture, especially when experienced in the town of Alta Gracia. The  procession begins with several statues of the  Virgin de la Merced held high and proud by locals walking down  la calle Libertador,  the main street entering the city of Alta Gracia. This is followed by  gauchos (Argentine cowboys) men, women and children on horse, dressed in their traditional costumes paying homage to Alta Gracia's most revered Virgin. Both gaucho and horse are dressed  in their best and it is truly a photographic feast for the eye.

This event takes place every year during the month of September. It is probably best to check with the Alta Gracia tourist board  in case of a change in schedule or you can contact 279 Boutique Bed+ Breakfast for the schedule of events.  The procession for  the Virgin de la Merced in Alta Gracia  should definitely be  high on your list when visiting the Province of Cordoba, Argentina .











Remember to reserve your accommodations ahead of time and don't forget your camera!!

Lareo
279 Boutique Bed +Breakfast
www.279altagracia.com

Arte en Cordoba

Leonardo Kilstein

Marcela Moujan

Del 15 de septiembre al 24 de noviembre

Puedes ver las obras de Marcela Moujan , Leonardo Kilstein , Esteban Pastorino, Pablo Demonte, Manuel Quiroga , Oscar Paez y los Premios Arnet 2011 en el

Museo Emiliano Caraffa en la ciudad de Cordoba.

La edicion 2011 del  Premio Arnet a Cielo Abrierto es la tercera consecutiva que realiza la banda ancha de Telecom, para promover el desarollo de esculturas e instalaciones con el fin de enriquecer el patrimonio cultural de la nacion. Por lo menos, sabemos, que los aumentos descontrolados de Arnet/Telecom lo estan usando para el crecimiento del arte.

Si tienen el tiempo a visitar este  museo, son obras  e ideas interesantes que seguro,  te inspiran.

Recuerdas que los Miercoles, las entradas a los museos son gratis.

Lareo
279 Boutique Bed+Breakfast

Photo Exhibit at El Museo de la Estancia Jesuitica de Alta Gracia

     The city of Alta Gracia invites you to the  photography exhibition of world renowned, Wikipidea listed, “ Small World” elite club member , National Geographic and United Nations photographer, Mr Ricardo Preve. 

Did I miss anything Ricardo??

On display at The Museo de la Estancia Jesuitica de Alta Gracia , Ricardo’s beautiful, colorful , large scale photographs of African Rituals , were captured in Haiti, Cuba, Brazil and Uruguay. 

Transporting  the viewer to" moments of time"  that are  sacred, the viewer senses  a certain
exclusivity , entering in a world, that is seen by very  few.
This is a photography exhibition, not to be missed. 

Harley Davidson's roar into Alta Gracia.

I have a confession to make.

I have always wanted to be a biker chic, you know the girl that you see riding on the back of a Harley Davidson, with her arms wrapped around a muscular, sleeveless shirt, overly tattooed, bald , bandanna sporting biker with a hook earring. Yep!! That’s pretty much the description. Although if I had my choice, I would go more with the Sam Elliot look.

 I can’t for the life of me explain the attraction that I have for this particular group  of  characters that caravan from town to town,  arms and legs stretched out long, with their very intimidating engines ,  and an effortlessly cool look that clings like static, making  pit stops at local bars , just to take off again into the wild blue yonder.

    What is it about a Harley Davidson that makes people look and listen?  Is it the unmistakable sound of a Harley engine?  Or is it the cowboy -ish  name “Harley Davidson” that invokes a certain coolness?

 Perhaps, it’s the sleek chromed design of each bike , or maybe  it’s the Harley Davidson lifestyle?

 It could be just that which  attracts many, including myself , to the Harley Davidson mystique, the lifestyle and it’s mantra  “Live to ride”. Can’t get any clearer than that!

By the way, what do these bikers do for a living? Do they work? Tattoos are not cheap and neither is chrome polish! 

An e-mail  arrived from the Alta Gracia Tourist Board announcing the arrival of 150 Harley Davidson bikers in our main plaza.

Of course I immediately ironed my official  Harley Davidson  “tres cool” T-shirt, charged the battery in my camera, and took off with my dog Indiana Jones to welcome the bikers.

Now, personally speaking, I don’t think that you have lived, until you have witnessed  the  thunderous roar of 150 Harley Davidson bikers driving through the main street of a small town.

There is only one word that could best describe this event, "AWESOME".

Lareo
279 Boutique Bed+Breakfast

Arte Contemporaneo en las calles de Cordoba

Llega una muestra de color, fuerza y expresion, con una meta fundamental: ACERCAR EL ARTE CONTEMPORANEO A LA GENTE.  30  obras de artistas argentinos se instalan en el Centro Historico de Cordoba, formando parte de la vida de la ciudad. Una verdadera intervencion del Patrimonio Arquitectonico y Cultural, con la frescura de las expresiones actuales.

Un homenaje a cinco grandes maestros

El concurso tuvo un espiritu de "homenaje" a cinco referentes del Arte Contemporaneo: Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Friedensreich Hundertwasser,Xul Solar y el cordobes Ernesto Soniera. Asi, los artistas se inspiraron en estos grandes maestros que abrieron nuevos espacios dentro del arte.

Del 18 al 26 de Agosto de 2011 en la Plazoleta del Fundador.
27 de Abril y Obispo Trejo en el Cabildo, Monumento Historico Nacional. Cordoba, Argentina

The Fab3

Last week, I decided to treat myself to the pampering services of the Fab3, as I like to call them.

After several years of  trial and error, I finally found  three dedicated  professionals who love what they do and have become 279 Boutique Bed + Breakfast’s favorite !

Maria del Carmen is  279’s  exclusive masseuse . She arrives with her table , music and oils and her scrub outfit nicely starched. Her small frame and soft voice are  deceiving but  her hands  tell another story.  They are strong , yet sensitive, as they  massage their way through your body, seeking out  and working through , the knots and contractions  hidden deep within.

Her massages usually last around 2 hours as you fall into a deep relaxation , enjoying the “California” technique she takes pride in exercising. As you finally wake up , your body feels like it is floating on air  or better yet, as  if you  were walking on clouds.

                                                                                        


When Vilma arrives with her equipment bag on wheels and her white lab coat, the  only thing  missing is a team of nurses behind her.   She gets to work immediately setting up her sander,  sterilized scraping knife and  lights.  The first hour of your pedicure, Vilma methodically works on your heals and every toe as she carefully slices away calluses , dead skin and whatever else gets in the way of her razor. As you stare at your lizard skin feet , you can’t help but wonder if a miracle can actually be performed. After a long period of concentration and  the sound of  non stop scraping , the end is near as she whips out her sander  and starts to smooth the rough edges. She gently  adds lotion and  massages your feet for the final touch.

Et Voila! Indeed a miracle has taken place. Your feet have now been transformed to the unbelievably soft skin of a baby. No more lizard skin!!

    Raquel always greets you with her smiling eyes and a friendly hello as you enter her immaculate facial room with her impressive machines and high end products prominently displayed. As she places a blanket over your body to keep you warm and a hair band to prep your face, you instantly feel relaxed. Raquel, takes her job very seriously and is very informative about the products she is using on your face and her technique to remove  facial impurities. Her facials are what I would call a full no nonsense facial. Aside from the usual masks and scrubs, Raquel , extracts black heads , and uses a suction machine to really penetrate the second layer of skin. Her protein masks which are full of vitamins are accompanied by a cotton cloth outlining your face, to help  absorb the vitamins.

After one of Raquel’s facials, you walk out with a fully hydrated face and a wonderful healthy glow.

ANOTHER FACELIFT ?!!!

  There are some women  who just can't grasp the idea, that less is more....not the case with this lady, Nuestra Senora de la Merced de Alta Gracia.

       After her first face lift several years ago which withstood several unpredictable seasons of sun, wind, rain, snow and hale, her architects recently decided that a little retouch was in order.

   Her serum is not botox, but a coat of weatherproof  liquid coating  that will preserve her outer layer from mother nature's forces for several more years to come.  Meanwhile, her majesty still peers out from her iron bandages so that we can still enjoy her beauty .