Cordoba

Sunday 9th April 2011
We arrived at around 8:30, booked our tickets to BA and headed for our lovely lodgings, Hotel Garden, right in the middle of the city.

Emma at the door to the art gallery.

We couldn't get into our room until 10:30 so we headed out to get a coffee and juice. We found a nice spot opposite a church and could see the masses heading to and from service. We also managed to skype Emma's mum using the excellent cafe wifi.

A dog chasing a duck.

After checking in we set off to explore the city. Cordoba is the second largest in Argentina with 1.5m inhabitants. First up we visited the Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Dr Genaro Perez. This contained interesting if weird pieces by Mariquita Quiroga and Ricardo Geri. Next stop was the Parque Sarmiento, a huge space designed by Charles  Thays who also designed Parque General San Martin in Mendoza. Amongst other things it contains a zoo, a ferris wheel designed by Eiffel, a fair ground and a boating lake. We particularly enjoyed seeing a swimming dog trying to catch ducks. It was never going to get one, but we had to admire its persistence.

Are we in London?

At 6pm we got on the city tour bus, an old London bus and thus obviously right hand drive. The bus ride was a bit of a disappointment: we couldn't hear the guide and what we could hear didn't add much to what we  already knew from our afternoon stroll.

Jumping off the bus early, we had a mooch around the weekend craft and antique fair. For 5 hours every Saturday and Sunday night this closes down several blocks and you can buy a whole array of items. Like most events of this type, women with pushchairs were still the biggest danger with few ankles being left unscathed.

After a bite to eat, we headed back for a well deserved sleep in a proper bed.

Observation: James Blunt is ridiculously popular here. Probably more so than in his own home. Along with Erasure, Rick Astley, the Pet Shop Boys and Coldplay, he adds to the popular if bizarre appreciation of British music.

Monday 10th April 2011
Mondays in Cordoba are much like a lot of others cities in that most museums and galleries are closed so we had to find other ways to enterain ourselves.

The Market.

The north market was a particularly nice way to spend lunch, with empanadas and paella on our menu. All the places were rammed with locals so we were reassured this was the place to be. The man behind the bar serving us was particularly friendly and it was interesting to see the enormous chef turning out plate after plate of food with amazing effortlessness.

Getting into the spirit of the locals we felt it was important that we take a siesta.

Having missed the chance to see the cathedral yesterday, we took a walk around, feeling slightly uneasy as we crossed paths with locals praying and some literally talking to God. One thing we noted was how colourful and hot the cathedral was in contrast to those we'd visited in the north of the continent.

The cathedral.

For dinner we went to a restaurant with a roof terrace. We were able to order two tasty salads and watch the world go by on street below.

Observation:
Smoke and health - it wasn't until we came to Argentina and Chile that we realised how little people smoked in Colombia and Ecuador. It's rife here and bars/restaurants resemble the UK in the 90's. At £1.50 a pack it's affordable here which we imagine isn't in Colombia and Ecuador. We have also noticed many larger stomachs (James's has been here all along) and people in general. Often it's due to pregnancy, but generally it's likely to be down to the large pizzas, the huge ice creams and the enormous servings of meat. It's just as well we're coming home in less than three weeks.

Tuesday 11th April 2011
With museums open and a night bus to catch at 11pm, we set about a day of culture in the near 30 degree heat.

Hundreds of missing people.

Our first stop was the Museo de la Memoria. It's a bit of a grim place if we're honest. Back 30+ years ago the army set up an illegal group (the D2) to capture, interrogate, torture and kill suspected political agitators, many of whom were students. This was one of the torture houses. Along with being able to see the cells, etc. there are also pictures of many of the prisoners, a number of whom are still missing today.

Next we headed to the Cripta Jesuitica. This is situated under a main road and the 300 year old building was only rediscovered in 1989 by some telecoms workers laying lines. The crypt was buried when the one of the main roads was extended at the beginning of the century.

After some time spent updating this blog and sorting UK train tickets, we took a picnic to the park for lunch. It was very pleasant and reminded us of similar times in the Retiro in Madrid.

Cordoba has around 100000 students at its university so it seemed appropriate to visit the museum. Some things of note are:
- the uni church is the oldest in Argentina.
- the original doors of the church were taken by the Franciscans and are now in the cathedral 2 blocks away.
- the library houses the first 'pocket' books, published in Holland and a very interesting bible written in 7 languages (this is not a pocket book!).
- a room of maps showing the changing boundaries of South America from the 1800's. If you visit Cordoba this place is worth a look.

With the day done we headed to the bus station and (probably) our last night bus. This time we went for a suite which basically means the seat reclines to flat. James managed a good night's sleep, but sadly Emma was kept awake by a snoring man. No, it wasn't James.

Dinner time on the bus.