”Whoever said money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping”. Bo Derek might have had Buenos Aires in her mind while she was saying those immortal words. Shopping in this city is a true pleasure unmatched elsewhere in South America and a great place to extend your wardrobe.

Buenos Aires is a melting pot with custom made leather goods, funky one-offs and tremendous design – and after the economic crises in the beginning of the millennium and the devaluation of the peso Buenos Aires has become an enormous crazy discount shop for deep-pocketed tourists and a place to make some very good bargains. And keep in mind that every time you purchase Argentine-made products worth at least AR$ 70 (€ 14) you can be given back the 21 per cent sales tax when you leave the country. Read all the details here.

As any other big city Buenos Aires has exclusive neighbourhoods with world famous brands, but if you are looking for the significant porteño-style you should avoid streets like Avenida Alvear and the big shopping malls and instead head for the unique shops in Palermo, San Telmo and Recoleta.

Palermo 

Photo by Diametrik

The hip neighbourhood of Palermo has everything on the wish list and is a shopper’s paradise on earth displaying the latest trends and creativity of Buenos Aires. Young designers fresh out of school show their outburst beside established local names and a desire of inspiration is excuse enough to go shop hop around the trendiest part of town.

Almacen de Belleza

Just being in Almacen de Belleza makes you feel comfortable. Fashionably decorated in black and white this shop is one of its kind. Here you can find all the clothes and accessories that you need to dress like a true diva from top to toe. Nightdresses of pure silk, jewelleries exclusively made for the shop and stylish interior complete the picture.

Bensimon

Do you like Paul Smith and Pringle? Then you will definitely love Bensimon. Details stand out but the prices don’t. Their shirts, jeans, belts and sweaters in bold colours and of high quality give you a great casual look with a twist. Bensimon kits out staff at some of the funkiest bars in the city.

Bolivia

Photo by Qara

If you are looking for multicoloured clothes with small but essential details – or a plain black blazer with a leopard dotted lining – this is the place to go. Bolivia is one of the most colourful and innovative menswear shops in Buenos Aires. They also have a great selection of jeans in every thinkable kind of style.

Carla Disí

Fans of vintage eyewear must go and check out Carla Disí’s completely original collection of glasses from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. Here are frames for all tastes. I set the ball rolling by trying a minimalistic pair with a thin frame and small circular glasses but they made my hair look longer and suddenly I looked like John Lennon. Instead I grabbed a pair which was more special than beautiful and with those on my nose I looked like a yellow version of Elton John when I saw my self in the mirror. Hoping to get a more sophisticated look I picked up a classic pair in black with a massive frame, but with that pair I became a 50 years younger copy of Woody Allen. With none of them working out I went for the classic Ray-Ban and with those shades I really felt comfortable. It is after all better to look like a police officer from Texas than a suspicious look-a-like.

Calma Chicha

In Calma Chicha you can find a typical but great selection of Argentine home accessories. The great draw of this design store is definitely their patchwork made rug of cowhide. It will cost you less than AR$ 1500 (€ 300) to bring one of those cool rugs home as an unusual souvenir. Pay also attention to the multi sized pingüinos – jugs shaped as penguins smarten up every table.

Fair at Plaza Cortazar

Photo by Blueskylimot

Twenty-something trendsetters should head straight to the artisanal fair around Plaza Serrano during the weekends for the latest in local designers fashion. Here is the best showcase for hot new fashion talents, and you can pick up clothes, bags and accessories with unusual details for just a few pesos – even though most of it is handmade.

Maria Cher

Maria Cher being one of the most important designers in Argentina you simply have to check out her collection. She designs anything from bikinis to galla dresses so you will be able to either go swimming or drinking cocktails in clothes with her label on.

Papelera Palermo

This shop is worthwhile a visit even though the prices are bit more exclusive than the products. They have a large number of handmade paper, carton and boxes in different sizes, shapes and colours all made of recycled paper. Look for the notebooks with reprints of calendar girls from the 1950s on the front.

SoldBA

Photo by Michael Setboun

Since this underground multi brand shop constantly is changing its collections it is always possible to find what they believe is the hottest and trendiest right now. More than 30 young and upcoming Argentine designers and artists are selling fashion clothing, shoes, accessories, bags and music from the shop on Costa Rica 4646 in Palermo.

The Beautiful Ones

Those who are shaking their bits to the hits may find this pure rock ‘n’ roll boutique worth a look. Go after The Beautiful Ones' cool and laid back t-shirts (with black and white prints), slim fit jeans and vests to dress like a true rock star.

Prüne

Even though Prüne is an Argentine chain of shops it may be the best bet to find a cool leather bag in a high quality. Their shops are located through out the city but head for the outlet in Palermo; this is the place to find the largest choice and the newest models.

Written by Jesper Vestergren Hansen and Mathilde Hvidt - Momondo

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Want to spend a night in East Germany? Then book a room at Ostel, which is the name of Berlin’s first DDR design-hostel. The hostel offers guests a chance to experience life in the old East Germany and a bit of communist kitsch.

All interior at Ostel is from the old DDR. Everything is brown or orange and made from materials that are anything but good quality. In the reception there are different watches showing the time in Moscow, Havana, Beijing and Berlin and on the walls are pictures of former communist leaders keeping a watchful eye on the guests.

Ostel is situated in a residential area behind the station Ostbahnhof and do we need to say that it is located in a concrete block of the kind favoured by communist leaders from Berlin to Novosibirsk.

If you want to enjoy real DDR-extravagance then book the Stasi-suite. The suite is decorated with authentic furniture from former members of the Politburo and with a big picture of a smiling former Communist Party leader Erich Honecker. As an extra luxury the suite has a balcony with a spectacular view of great DDR-style concrete blocks.

Ostel opened 1. May 2007 and has received a lot of attention from around the world. However some guests have been a little bit too interested and nicked interior from the hostel. Therefore Ostel has begun selling DDR-souvenirs including photos of Erich Honecker.

Ostel – das DDR Hostel, Wriezener Karree 5

Author David Rich Momondo

Go further: Sleep next to Kim Jong-Il at the former North Korean embassy in East Berlin.

Find more Berlin hotels. 

Around the world, opera increases its popularity by the minute and new impressive operahouses spring up like mushrooms. The latest example is Oslo’s New National Opera House, which was inaugurated on April 12 2008.

The new opera is situated in the Bjorvika harbour area, where its sloping roof rises from the Oslo Fjord itself, and parts of the stage are 16 meters below sea level. The building is drawn by the young wonderboys in Norwegian architecture, Snøhetta, who have won international acclaim for their new national library in Alexandria, Egypt.

The New National Opera House has an impressive opening program, which in the first year offers guest appearences from i.e. the Berliner Philharmonics and Simon Rattle, Cecilia Bartoli, Daniel Barenboim and Lorin Maazel.

Apart from the opera house, Oslo will get another new landmark in 2010, when the city’s new ski jumping hill ‘Holmenkollen Lighthouse’ is expected to be finished.

Amsterdam was pioneering, Oregon tried, Copenhagen has had them for years, Paris got them in the summer 2007 and now London wants them too. We are of course talking about public rental bikes, which currently seem to be the hottest service a city can offer its inhabitants and visitors.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone recently announced a cycling and walking plan for London that will see 6000 public bicycles available at docking stations 300 meters apart in central London. The bicycles will be free for locals and visitors the first half hour of use, with a fee of around $2 for each additional half hour - with prices rising sharply for longer periods. The only not so good thing is: The bikes are not expected to be introduced until …..2010!

Ken Livingston’s modest and very sympathetic goal is to turn London into one of the most cycle-friendly places in the world. The Mayor says that the city will spend something like £500 million over the next decade on cycling - the biggest investment in cycling in London's history.

The investments will among other things include the creation of a series of Bike Zones for shoppers in Inner London and two-wheeler superhighways that will link popular residential areas to the city centre cutting a swath through traffic and congestion. Authorities expect the many bicycling-initiatives will stimulate a 400% increase in the number of people pedalling round the capital by 2025.

Author David Rich Momondo 

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Picture from Jamble 

By 2020, the number of international arrivals by air and by sea could reach 1.6 billion annually. As tourist numbers grow, so will their demand for energy, water and natural resources to support their holidays. This will obviously have a significant environmental impact.

In an effort to reduce the impact, the United Nations recently launched the Green Passport website, which aims to raise tourists' awareness of their potential to contribute to sustainable development by making responsible holiday choices.

"Governments have a key role to play, but so too do individuals and families when planning and going on holiday,” said Achim Steiner, Executive Director for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) upon the launch of the Green Passport website.

The site offers green travel tips in areas such as planning, getting there and climate change, rather than suggesting everyone to head for an organic farm or tipi for their next vacation. Among other things it advises the tourists to prefer destinations that have demonstrated responsible practices like human and environment conservation records, commitment to peace and pay fair wages to hotel workers. Also it advises that tourists should avoid buying souvenirs made from wild species, should use solar rechargers instead of disposable batteries and it reminds us that we shouldn’t shower in desert regions and that skiing in resorts where snow machines are used can mean less water for the local community.

The Green Passport website also advocates for “slow travel”, which can include choosing not to fly. If you think travelling across the globe by train is too time consuming and decide to fly instead, Momondo suggests that you support the Climate Care.