We had
a great dinner in Puerto Iguazu, but to make our flight we had
to get up at 0500 local time. Our taxi came at the
appointed time and all was well. The flight from Iguazu to
Cordoba was only 90 minutes on a small (2x2 seat) Embraer jet
that looked like a mini-737.
The photos below are what we saw.
For
whatever reason, we had to wait about 20 minutes for a taxi at
the airport. When the taxi came, there was some
negotiation between the taxi master and the driver as to whether
he would accept the ride. It seems he was complaining
about congestion in the city center and did not want to take the
fare. I proactively got in a different cab and we launched
off on a 30 minute high-speed ride to the center of town.
This day was our first day in-country using ad hoc
choices. We did not choose the hotel until we were sitting
on the baggage claim belt, so we were not sure where the hotel
was or what it would be like. My angst was peaking as we
pulled up to the door of the hotel. The scene was something
akin to Avenida Revolution in Tijuana on a national
holiday: dense crowds of people pushing and shoving their
way down the street serenaded my continuous honking of angry
taxi horns. We literally had to elbow our way through the
throng to get across the sidewalk from the curb to the access
door of the hotel. Outside, the scene was something from
Baja with exposed rebar and electric wires strung hither and
thither. Something good (or bad) was going on at the BSE
(a bank) building at the right of the photo above. There
was a huge line of folks waiting to gain access. The line
blocked the street forcing pedestrians into the traffic
lanes. Was this a run on the bank? Postscript: we
learned from a local the following day that a bank holiday was
coming, therefore these folks were attempting to conduct
transaction prior to the holiday. Banks in Cordoba, and
presumably all of Argentina close their doors at 1330.
Banker's hours indeed.
After
checking in at the front desk, we were told that check-in time
was 1400 and since it was only noon, the lady gave us a
suggestion for a nice restaurant for lunch. She stashed
our bags in the bellman's closet and we hit the bricks.
From the street, we could see the European-style architecture
reminiscent of the 1800's.
Looking
back toward the hotel, we could see the line for the BSE and an
endless line of municipal buses and taxis on the narrow street.
One
block away, the crowds were just as large and had nothing to do
with whatever was going on at BSE. It was lunch time in
downtown Cordoba and the herd was on the move.
From
Plaza San Martin we could see more nice buildings.
In the
plaza there is a bronze statue on a huge plinth that is
dedicated to "Don Jose de San Martin, Liberator of Argentina"
(translated). In Spanish, "Don" is similar to saying "sir"
or "lord".
On the
side of Plaza San Martin was a cathedral. While small by
European standards, it was a nice building.
Oddly,
there were not that many folks in the plaza itself.
While
the plaza may have been relatively quiet, the main street was anything
but quiet. It seems that all the municipal bus lines have
stops near the plaza resulting in huge crowds standing on the
sidewalks blocking the pedestrian traffic flow. Note the
stone walls on the right are part of the cathedral.
The back
side of the cathedral had a statue of Jeronimo Luis de Cabrera,
founder of Cordoba. Founded in 1573, Cordoba is one of the
older settlements in the New World.
More
nice buildings in the classical style.
The side
streets were much narrower than I expected. In retrospect,
given the age of the city, this should not have been surprising.
Some of
the park areas were a bit more modern, but there were few
"modern" buildings like Manhattan.
The
river that flows through the center of Cordoba was rather
small. I am guessing that in the rainy season, if indeed
there is a rainy season here, it runs strong and fast.
This
government building was in need of some paint and general
maintenance; it looked quite shabby. We had an awesome
lunch at El Papagayo and then returned on foot through the city.
Several
of the narrow streets had been turned into pedestrian malls
which were quite pleasant, and indeed much safer than walking
next to high-speed vehicles. There were a wide variety of
shops selling all manner of consumer items from shoes to
hardware.
Worried
about the health of American brands abroad? Don't be concerned,
for McD at least, as we saw outlets everywhere.
Another
narrow street converted into a pedestrian mall.
Our path
took us past a convent. The cupola was covered in
intricate hand-painted tile. A close inspection of the
photo above will reveal a strong Moorish influence on the tile
(this cannot be seen in the reduced resolution photo in this web
page, but trust me).
We got
back to our hotel and were shocked to see the dichotomy between
the outward edifice and the interior. "Don't judge a book
by it's cover" rings true in most cases, and it was surely the
case here. The entryway was stunning.
Contemporary
in style, the room sported tropical hardwood floors and tables
and tile accents on the wall.
The
interior courtyard was nice as well with floors done in cut
stone. Note the original brick walls and doors.
From the
entrance to our room, looking back at the reception area.
We were
told there was a roof deck so we went to check it out.
Very nice.
From the
deck, we had a clear view of adjacent buildings. The story
here is not the buildings, but rather the ad hoc wiring. I
am guessing that local building codes do not prevent this sort
of thing or if they do, they are not enforced.
The
pattern was repeated on nearly every building we saw.
Below
us, across the street, the ad hoc wiring is remarkable in its
extent. I am not sure what is up with the exposed
rebar. Either the rebar was left exposed to render the
building "in construction" for tax purposes or the contractor
went bankrupt.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2018, all rights
reserved.
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