Notes for visitors 9th World Symposium on Choral Music, Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, Argentina, 3-10 August 2011

 

By Daniel Garavano, IFCM Vice President

 

 

 

The most frequent question we are asked is, “How do I get to Puerto Madryn?”.The answer is easy. Firstly, get to Buenos Aires and from there take a domestic flight to Puerto Madryn orTrelew.

There are daily flights to Buenos Aires from nearly every major capital city in the world. When you arrive at Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini Airport, you will find our representatives, all clearly identified, ready to help you to get to the domestic airport, Aeroparque Jorge Newbery.

The journey time to the domestic airport is about one hour and a half, depending on traffic and the time of day. It is best to allow three hours minimum between your flight arrival and your domestic connection.

To get to Puerto Madryn, you can choose between flying to Puerto Madryn Airport (PMY) orTrelew Airport (REL).The airport in Puerto Madryn is 15 minutes away from the centre of the city and the hotels.

Trelew Airport is situated 50 kms to the south.There is a bus service running betweenTrelew and Puerto Madryn, and you can also contract the Symposium’s tour operator www.argentinavision.com  to provide transport.The journey fromTrelew airport to Puerto Madryn takes about half an hour.

In both airports there will be clearly identified Symposium representatives there to help visitors.

And the food?This is another question we get asked.The answer is very tasty and varied! But you tell us! Puerto Madryn is a tourist city with many different kinds of bars and restaurants with lots of different kinds of food.There are restaurants specializing in seafood, selling prawn, mussels, crab, scallops, different fish – grilled, in a paella, soup or casseroled. DELICIOUS! 

Other restaurants specialize in meats, such as the famous Argentine beef, and the lovely Patagonian lamb, spit roast or with sauces and herbs. Imagine that in front of you, accompanied by a salad of fresh vegetables.TASTY!

There are also fresh pastas – ñoquis, raviolis’ and lasagna with different sauces…..four cheeses, bolognaise, tomato, fruits of the sea….INVENT YOUR MENU!

There are of course lots of pizzerias, with more than forty kinds of pizza. Enough for all tastes. And the fast food places and bars sell sandwiches with cold meats, and hamburgers…..HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS AND FUN FOOD!

And don’t worry about the cost, you can always find good food at an accessible price. As a bonus, there are places right on the sea shore to WATCHTHE WHALES JUMPING.

We would like to suggest something. Why not get to know more of Argentina? The Symposium begins on Wednesday August 3rd and finishes on Wednesday August 10th. So you might think of a two week trip, arriving in Buenos Aires on Sunday July 31st or Monday August 1st, to enjoy this beautiful city with its tango and Argentine beef.

The Symposium also finishes on a Wednesday, and visitors might think about seeing some of our incredible countryside, The Iguazù Waterfalls in the north of Argentina, near the border with Brazil and Paraguay is spectacular.The natural scenery there was the setting for the film “The Mission”, and the sheer force of the water and the profound depths of the jungle are impressive. 

Those who enjoy the snow and winter sports have the option to visit Esquel, which is only 600 kms from Puerto Madryn, and in the same province. A little further north is Bariloche, with countryside similar to alpine Switzerland and Austria, with its famous Cerro Cathedral.

To the South are other great destinations. Beautiful Ushuaia, the southern-most city in the world. El Calafate and the nearby famous Perito Moreno Glacier. If you take an excursion you can actually walk on this impressive river of ice.

To the North, are the cities of Salta and Mendoza with vineyards and bodegas with the tastiest of wines.The amazing Andes cordillera has many other possibilities for travelers whose desire it is to come into contact with the culture, gastronomy and the country.

For all these proposals, you can contact the Symposium’s official tour operator Argentina Visión.Through its web site www.argentinavision.com, you can arrange travel, accommodation and excursions, whether to get to Puerto Madryn or to other destinations within Argentina.

The entire city of Puerto Madryn is preparing for the 9th Symposium on Choral Music, Argentina is waiting for you, don’t miss this special opportunity!!!

 

Translated from the Spanish by Martin Clarke