Bronze statue of Anne Frank in Buenos Aires, Argentina

 I knew about the statue of Anne Frank in the Netherlands. But I didn't know about the one in Buenos Aires. Until too late, I thought, after it had gone. The news reported that the statue had been stolen. Now I have just learned that the statue was recovered and restored to its rightful place. 

Apparently it was not taken by anti-Semites but by the 'bronze mafia' who stole statues to obtain the metal. Luckily it was found in time.

Buenos Aires, meaning beautiful air, in Spanish, is the capital of Argentina. In South America.

From the Wikipedia description I have picked up some handy Spanish words, or reminders. I am learning Spanish, slowly, a little every day, whenever I can.

Spanish - English

Ana - Anne

Argentina (the country)

Argentino - Argentinian (person from the country of Argentina)

de - of

en - in

Español - Spanish (language)

estatua - statue

la - the

madero - log/timber/board

puerto - port

réplica - replica

Roberto - Robert

English - Spanish

Anne - Ana

of - de

in - en

port - puerto

replica - réplica

Robert - Roberto

Spanish (language) - Español

statue - estatua

the - la

...

Description	Español: Réplica de la estatua Anne Frank (Ana Frank) de Jet Schepp. En Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires Argentina. English: A replica of the statue of Anne Frank (Anne Frank), Jet Schepp. In Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires Argentina.
Date	1 May 2015, 15:39:36
Source	Own work
Author	Roberto Fiadone

Recording Your Travel Trips

It is very useful to have a record of the dates of your travel trips and the hotels, restaurants and airlines and even the fellow travellers, hosts and people you met.

My husband has a travel spreadsheet on his computer, as a diary on Excel. If I want to know how many years I have lived in a foreign country, I can ask him the dates of our first trip to or from that country. He can do a search for the country or destination or date.

In my family history book, a page at the back lists all your vacations. When I was just married for a year or so after the birth of our son I started compiling the family history book and added the list of where we went on our honeymoon and first anniversary.  It seemed like overkill as I could remember the dates and places clearly.

However, as each year passes, the list become more important and interesting and relevant. I went to Morocco for my honeymoon.





Which year did I visit Morocco on my honeymoon? Morocco is a country in the ancestry line of my future daughter in law.




How many times have I visited the USA? Which year was my first trip, before or after the Vietnam war? When did we live in Rockville, Maryland? When did we move to Connecticut? Which years did we go skiing? How long after the earthquake did I visit San Francisco? Was it the same year or a year later?

Which trips did I take without my husband and without my son?

If you don't already have a list, start one.

You may also wish to keep a record of the number of countries you have visited. This is useful when writing the introduction to yourself when giving a talk on your travels, visiting a country on a conference, talking to your in-laws and the audience at a wedding.

In the good old days you could keep your passport forever with a record of your travel trips. After my late uncle died I could see which countries he had visited and when. I knew whether his stories about going to America on a cruise ship and visiting Berlin postwar were lies, fanciful, muddled dates, or the truth. I could see the exact truth, the day he arrived in and left each place.

Now that concerns about stolen or copied passports make the authorities ask you to return documents. it is helpful to take photocopies of photos of yourself in your old passports and on holiday and in ID documents, as well as recording dates, visas, entry dates.

Author
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.  

Watch out for pickpockets and thieves when taking photos

A photo has been published in the Daily Mail online and several other places showing a lady posing with two girls in national costume. It is alleged that one of the girls with her hands on a watch was attempting to steal it. The watch was later missing.

Read the story and form your own opinion. Whether or not a theft was in process, it is a reminder to travel with inexpensive items and cover them up in public places.

Readers made many different comments. For example:

1 Travel with inexpensive jewellery and watches. I sometimes buy two of a cheap item, either same colour or different colour. If one is stolen or lost, I have a replacement at home.

2 Take insurance.

3 Do not pose for photos with children because
a) You might be accused of exploiting them
b) They should be in school, not out being photographed
c) They will demand money
d) They are orphans or kidnapped for the express purpose of getting money from tourists and you are encouraging the kidnappers
e) They offer to photograph you and then run off with your camera
f) While you are distracted they steal from your bag or pocket or remove your watch
g) A common technique is to press against various parts of your body with two hand of each person so you are not noticing the hand doing the theft
h) Your eyes are on the photographer not on the people standing alongside you
i) They could steal from the person being photographed, the photographer, or both

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1853867/two-tiny-thai-thieves-in-traditional-dress-steal-from-a-female-tourist-but-would-you-have-seen-what-theyre-up-to/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3807242/Adorable-thieves-traditional-dress-photographed-moment-stole-woman-s-watch-wrist-outside-temple-Thailand.html

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.