Córdoba, Alta Gracia and Villa General Belgrano

Good morning, good afternoon or evening ... whatever time you interested readers are reading my blog post.

Today is Tanja's and my last night in Córdoba and we can honestly say that we have fallen in love with this 'little' city (only 1.39 million inhabitants, which seems like a drop in the ocean compared to Buenos Aires). The streets of the city center are bustling with people. However, they do not appear stressed or rushed, instead there is a relaxed atmosphere for strolling and shopping. This may be because there are so many students here. And when do students, especially Argentine students, ever get stressed?! You can imagine Córdoba as a bit like the South American Münster, well except that education is completely free for students here and they only pay 4 Pesos (equivalent to 0.25 EUR) for a decent lunch/dinner!

In addition to relaxed students and great shopping opportunities, Córdoba has much more to offer. Here you can find some architectural gems and many wonderful museums to admire (on Wednesdays, admission is free in all museums in Córdoba, which Tanja and I took advantage of right away). If you are interested in Argentine history, you can follow in the footsteps of San Martín here or be reminded of the gray deeds of the last dictator. Tanja and I were on time at the meeting point for the freewalking tour this time and got an overview of everything.

Another destination of the past few days was Alta Gracia (about a 40-minute bus ride from Córdoba). This is where the revolutionary Ernesto Guevara (better known as Che Guevara) lived as a child with his family. We visited his childhood home and learned more about his fascinating story.

On the same day, we took the bus to Belgrano. Belgrano is a pretty small village in the mountains near Córdoba. It entices with its many restaurants and great hiking opportunities. But Villa General Belgrano is not a typical Argentine city. The city prides itself on being 'German'. All the houses are built in the German style and the food is also German ... well, sort of. It was quite nice, albeit a bit curious. After a long search, we even found Erdinger wheat beer here. They wanted a whole 10 EUR for a 0.5 liter bottle!!! We prefer to stick with Fernet Cola and gladly wait until May for the next German wheat beer.

Tomorrow we will continue to Mendoza, where Ajlona is already waiting for us with hopefully delicious wine.

All the best

Anna