Córdoba

I have been spending the last few days roaming around the city of Córdoba, the second-biggest in Argentina after Buenos Aires. It´s positioned nicely in the middle of the country; "el corazon del pais", as they like to put it here.

Like its Spanish namesake it is infernally hot in the summer (don´t forget it´s summer here!) But that doesn´t spoil the fun; on the contrary, I like the feel of it all. The streets are wide and it is lively all around. It is not touristy here and you don´t feel like you stand out because of it. If it wasn´t for the fact that I have to open my mouth from time to time, I could almost blend in. (On a sidenote: I don´t know what it is that they babble around here in Argentina, but it sure doesn´t sound a lot like the Spanish I know. Just stick to the language, people!)

So I have been wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere and trying not to overheat too much - a real danger here ... I can´t put my finger yet on the Argentinians, but I´m getting closer. All the luxuries of the modern world can be found here, but you also see a horse-drawn carriage going down the streets. Big supermarkets and trendy malls, but also loads of the little neighbourhood shops. It´s like a crossroads of the "poor" and "rich" world. Sometimes you think you are in southern Europe and *poof* ... you´re in the USA. But it´s all Argentina ! :-)

Icecream parlours, yellow cabs, big sunglasses, baguettes with bacon and cheese, weird door keys, air-conditioned buses, cooking shows on TV with nuns, fast computers (I finally got to play some Civilization IV - thanks Ries) and finally: friendly, polite and frighteningly beautiful people.
But not much rest allowed in the city. I´m off to find some peace and quiet (and a pool). I bet they have that here too in Argentina.