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lupestripeWe drove back to Cordoba from Merlo on the day after the eclipse, Wednesday 3 July, still high from the events the previous day. Indeed, we couldn't stop thinking or talking about it as we drove along fertile valleys framed by the mountains in which we had just been. Our day had been enhanced already after we had awoken to see a fox and a cub bimbling around the swimming pool of our apartment. The fox was pretty shy, hiding under one of the sunloungers, but the cub was more confident and allowed me to take some pictures of him, albeit from a respectable distance. This set us up for a pleasant four hour drive through central Argentina. On the side of the road there were numerous little stalls selling all manner of artisinal products - chorizo, oils and fruit mainly - and we were tempted to stop off at one on the way. Alas, the roads were all single file and overtaking became a hassle, with a number of annoyingly slow trucks and cars that we didn't fancy meeting again. Ultimately, we stopped in the city of Rio Cuarto, which was approximately halfway between Merlo and Cordoba. A pretty little city, it contained a few nice colonial buildings and a pleasant little square, where we stopped off to get cash and a bite to eat. A local sweetmeat empanada filled a hole and after a twenty minute walk around - largely on account of us being unsure where we were allowed to park where we did - we headed back to the car and to Cordoba. On the way, we took a duel carriageway and I was delighted to see a large number of Retornos, which evoked memories of my trip to Mexico with Taneli. I texted him some pictures while saying the word 'Retorno' at every sign I saw with this word written upon it, pissing off Wolfie no end.
We rolled into Argentina's second city shortly before sunset, typically in the middle of rush hour. We were staying in the Hotel Sussex in the heart of the city, so we had to navigate the nightmare traffic and crazy one way system. With sat nav though, it wasn't too onerous, and soon we found the hotel. The receptionist didn't speak any English but we were eventually let into the manky car park underneath the hotel, before we had to battle our way up the concrete stairwell as the lifts didn't go down that far. Upon checking in, we noted the wonderous ceiling of this nineteenth century building before heading to our room on the ninth floor. It's fair to say that this hotel had seen better days, with everything in the room being somewhat dated. Furthermore, none of the tables were level so all my stuff kept falling off them, not to mention the paper-thin walls which meant we could hear the conversation going on next door. Still, the room over the main square of the city was definitely stunning and the room was clean, the bathroom functional and the beds comfortable so there was little to complain about. The hotel though had definitely seen better days - it must have been quite stylish in its time and the name of the restaurant emblazened in neon signs atop the building suggested a place of high repute. Alas, the breakfast in the same restaurant was pretty poor, of limited means and with dirty cups too. There was little to recommend it.
After chilling in the room for a while, we decided to head out into the city, taking in a few of the churches which were still open after 7pm. The main one was the Iglesia Cathedral on Plaza San Martin, the church of which we had an excellent view from our hotel window. Construction started in 1577 but continued for over two centuries, with the result being a hodgepodge of architectural styles. It is a very beautiful yet complex structure, made even more so by the huge statue of Christ carrying the cross right in the centre above the main arched entrance. Inside, it's also incredibly peaceful, with ornate ceiling paintings painted by local artist Emilio Caraffa. The warming gold and brown hues aided the sense of tranquility, and it was exceptionally pleasant to just walk around amidst its beauty. On the paving of the square outside the church, I also liked the fact that the shape of the building was drawn out in metal, as if it were a reflection on the stonework. This was quite a common touch with the historical buildings in Cordoba and one I quite enjoyed seeing as it gave another impression of scale.
Our next stop was the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, dating from 1645 but not completed until 1671. The roof in this church, constructed in cedar wood and representing a ship's hull, was the most impressive aspect of the building and reflected designer Padre Philippe Lemaire's heritage as a boat builder. The Capilla Domestica is also an impressive if more grizzly piece of art, being made of a cowhide stretched over a frame of cane and painted with pigments derived from boiled bones. The dark hue of the red was particularly potent knowing this information, with the pastel shade ornate patterns around it adding a daintiness which perhaps it was not worthy of.
It was pushing 8pm by this stage and some of the local furries wanted to meet with us so we decided to head up to where the main nightlife area is. This was very near the aforementioned Parroquia Sagrado Corazon de Jesus de los Capuchinos church we had seen on Monday night, and we had hoped to be able to see its interior that evening. Alas, it was closed by the time we got there, so we decided to head to a local bar we found on Google Maps. Called The Brotherhood Beer, their symbol was a Viking and they brewed their own beer. We grabbed an IPA and a green lager, with both of them quite reasonable. We decided to go here as it was reasonably central and provided a good meeting point for the local furries. Sure enough, three of them soon arrived, but we were almost finished our pints by this time. The bar was good, but a little flat, so we decided to head outside to see what we could see. Checking back up on the church, we ended up in Antares, the Cordoba branch of Buenos Aires's oldest craft brewery which we had been in in the Palmero district the previous week. Our new friends were quite fond of beer, so we decided to grab a seat right near the doorway, on account of this being the only table left. This place was rammed, accounting perhaps for the fountain show which took place outside the Paseo del Buen Pastor at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm every day (more on this later), but the atmosphere was good and there were a few new beers to try. Our friends weren't particularly knowledgeable on beer so I suggested they got a sample tray, which was well-received, while we grabbed a few of their special anniversary beers as these were the only ones we hadn't had before. It was a really good hour or so, but with tummies rumbling and more furs on their way, we decided we needed food.
After wandering around for a short while, checking out the beautifully lit Museo Superior de Bellas Artes Evita, which we were going to visit the next day, we ended up in popular local restuarant El Club de la Milanesa. The Milanesa is a popular local dish not dissimilar to Wiener Schnizel, except there are a range of toppings on top of the breaded meat. We got a creamy garlic one, a BBQ one and a fresh tomato one, along with some dauphenoise potatoes and paprika fries with a fried egg on them. The three schnizels and two sides were still more than enough for the eight of us at the table, while the beer from the La Birra Del Club Brewery was a fantastic accompaniment. The restaurant was quite busy but not overly rammed, and it was all very pleasant, as was chatting with the local furs who had come out to meet us (huge thanks go to Dunker, Warren, Dutchie, Gixer and Gaston). Some of them had been at ArFF, but others had not, and I rememer this being one of the best evenings of our entire stay. We had eaten an awful lot though, which made us stopping off at a local ice cream parlour on the way home even more illogical. Still, we got to try a few local flavours including dulche de leche, so I was quite happy with that, even if my stomach was not. It was past 11pm by the time we had gone to the ice cream plade though, so after the long drive, we just wanted to head back. This we did, with our new friends seeing us back to the hotel, and with a resolution we would meet up the next day. Only a few of them could in the end, but we still had a great time.
We rolled into Argentina's second city shortly before sunset, typically in the middle of rush hour. We were staying in the Hotel Sussex in the heart of the city, so we had to navigate the nightmare traffic and crazy one way system. With sat nav though, it wasn't too onerous, and soon we found the hotel. The receptionist didn't speak any English but we were eventually let into the manky car park underneath the hotel, before we had to battle our way up the concrete stairwell as the lifts didn't go down that far. Upon checking in, we noted the wonderous ceiling of this nineteenth century building before heading to our room on the ninth floor. It's fair to say that this hotel had seen better days, with everything in the room being somewhat dated. Furthermore, none of the tables were level so all my stuff kept falling off them, not to mention the paper-thin walls which meant we could hear the conversation going on next door. Still, the room over the main square of the city was definitely stunning and the room was clean, the bathroom functional and the beds comfortable so there was little to complain about. The hotel though had definitely seen better days - it must have been quite stylish in its time and the name of the restaurant emblazened in neon signs atop the building suggested a place of high repute. Alas, the breakfast in the same restaurant was pretty poor, of limited means and with dirty cups too. There was little to recommend it.
After chilling in the room for a while, we decided to head out into the city, taking in a few of the churches which were still open after 7pm. The main one was the Iglesia Cathedral on Plaza San Martin, the church of which we had an excellent view from our hotel window. Construction started in 1577 but continued for over two centuries, with the result being a hodgepodge of architectural styles. It is a very beautiful yet complex structure, made even more so by the huge statue of Christ carrying the cross right in the centre above the main arched entrance. Inside, it's also incredibly peaceful, with ornate ceiling paintings painted by local artist Emilio Caraffa. The warming gold and brown hues aided the sense of tranquility, and it was exceptionally pleasant to just walk around amidst its beauty. On the paving of the square outside the church, I also liked the fact that the shape of the building was drawn out in metal, as if it were a reflection on the stonework. This was quite a common touch with the historical buildings in Cordoba and one I quite enjoyed seeing as it gave another impression of scale.
Our next stop was the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, dating from 1645 but not completed until 1671. The roof in this church, constructed in cedar wood and representing a ship's hull, was the most impressive aspect of the building and reflected designer Padre Philippe Lemaire's heritage as a boat builder. The Capilla Domestica is also an impressive if more grizzly piece of art, being made of a cowhide stretched over a frame of cane and painted with pigments derived from boiled bones. The dark hue of the red was particularly potent knowing this information, with the pastel shade ornate patterns around it adding a daintiness which perhaps it was not worthy of.
It was pushing 8pm by this stage and some of the local furries wanted to meet with us so we decided to head up to where the main nightlife area is. This was very near the aforementioned Parroquia Sagrado Corazon de Jesus de los Capuchinos church we had seen on Monday night, and we had hoped to be able to see its interior that evening. Alas, it was closed by the time we got there, so we decided to head to a local bar we found on Google Maps. Called The Brotherhood Beer, their symbol was a Viking and they brewed their own beer. We grabbed an IPA and a green lager, with both of them quite reasonable. We decided to go here as it was reasonably central and provided a good meeting point for the local furries. Sure enough, three of them soon arrived, but we were almost finished our pints by this time. The bar was good, but a little flat, so we decided to head outside to see what we could see. Checking back up on the church, we ended up in Antares, the Cordoba branch of Buenos Aires's oldest craft brewery which we had been in in the Palmero district the previous week. Our new friends were quite fond of beer, so we decided to grab a seat right near the doorway, on account of this being the only table left. This place was rammed, accounting perhaps for the fountain show which took place outside the Paseo del Buen Pastor at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm every day (more on this later), but the atmosphere was good and there were a few new beers to try. Our friends weren't particularly knowledgeable on beer so I suggested they got a sample tray, which was well-received, while we grabbed a few of their special anniversary beers as these were the only ones we hadn't had before. It was a really good hour or so, but with tummies rumbling and more furs on their way, we decided we needed food.
After wandering around for a short while, checking out the beautifully lit Museo Superior de Bellas Artes Evita, which we were going to visit the next day, we ended up in popular local restuarant El Club de la Milanesa. The Milanesa is a popular local dish not dissimilar to Wiener Schnizel, except there are a range of toppings on top of the breaded meat. We got a creamy garlic one, a BBQ one and a fresh tomato one, along with some dauphenoise potatoes and paprika fries with a fried egg on them. The three schnizels and two sides were still more than enough for the eight of us at the table, while the beer from the La Birra Del Club Brewery was a fantastic accompaniment. The restaurant was quite busy but not overly rammed, and it was all very pleasant, as was chatting with the local furs who had come out to meet us (huge thanks go to Dunker, Warren, Dutchie, Gixer and Gaston). Some of them had been at ArFF, but others had not, and I rememer this being one of the best evenings of our entire stay. We had eaten an awful lot though, which made us stopping off at a local ice cream parlour on the way home even more illogical. Still, we got to try a few local flavours including dulche de leche, so I was quite happy with that, even if my stomach was not. It was past 11pm by the time we had gone to the ice cream plade though, so after the long drive, we just wanted to head back. This we did, with our new friends seeing us back to the hotel, and with a resolution we would meet up the next day. Only a few of them could in the end, but we still had a great time.
