We got to Córdoba by 11 AM (on Wednesday), checked in, showered, then did the church circuit. Córdoba is the second largest city in Argentina and has a huge number of universities there so it's a pretty young city. There's also a huge jesuit complex, and some really beautiful cathedrals and churches (as I still don't have a camera, I will try to steal pictures from Sadie). We also went to a cool modern art museum, then went out for dinner and had probably the best pasta I've had the entire time I've been here. The next day (Thursday) we made the trek to Villa General Belgrano, a little town founded by ex-German soldiers that (we were told) still has a very prominent German influence and appropriately hosts Oktoberfest. After a two hour bus ride, we arrived in a somewhat gimicky, but very quiet ski/chateau-esque town. Apparently they too take to the Spanish tradition of the siesta, as we got there by 2 in the afternoon and there were probably less than twenty people on the streets. So, we found a place to get some lunch and kill some time (very few places with actual German food, though that's not surprising), and then headed into the Oktoberfest park. To get in you have to pay an entrance fee, then buy a beer mug from a vendor, then pay to have that mug filled at every different beer stand you go to. It may have been because it was a Thursday, but for what ever reason, the park was deserted. We saw no laederhosens (or whatever they're called), no traditional German dancing, just a big empty stage set up with a bunch of empty chairs. We asked some of the bartenders where everyone was, and they said that it was too early in the day and that the real show started at 10 that night. Of course, the last bus back to Córdoba was at 8:30. So, even though it was a bit disappointing, we still thought it was hysterical that we practically had control of the entire park, but could only entertain ourselves until about 6 at which point we called it a day, bought some alfajores for the ride back (in Córdoba the traditional alfajores are filled with not just dulce de leche but also fruit preserves, specifically one called "membrillo" which Sadie and I deduced to being something similar to a "quince"), and were content enough with our awesome German mugs.
The next day totally made up for the failure of Oktoberfest though. We took the advice of the people we met during breakfast and went to Alta Gracia, home of one of many Che Guevara museums in this country. This one was based out of his childhood home, and was super informative and much more legitimate than many of the other museums I've visited here. For example, did you know that Che Guevara had asthma as a child? Well, now you do. After, we walked around a bit and found a big park next to some old mission ruins, so we got lunch and then walked around the old church and museum a bit - we actually joined in on an elementary school field trip for the museum tour, although how they didn't realize we weren't part of their group is a mystery to me as we weren't wearing the white and blue frocks that all the primary school children wear in this country. We got back to the hostel, played an epic game of Monopoly 21st edition (they use credit cards instead of money!), and then almost missed our bus back to Buenos Aires when the information desk guy told us the wrong terminal number. Oh, and then right outside of Cordoba our bus broke down for 3 hours so we had to switch buses at 3 AM. But, if that was the only major snaffu in our travels, I'm completely okay with that.
Other than me having a little cough that turned into a nasty cold by the time we reached Córdoba, it was a completely excellent and totally successful trip. It's made me way more confident in my solo-traveling abilities (relatively speaking), and I learned a lot from all the people I met. It also, as was expected, made me want to travel much more, though I also now realize that while I liked spending only a few days in Salta and Córdoba, I think I'm enjoying the time I've spent building a deeper relationship with Buenos Aires, and if I do any serious, multiple-month-long traveling in my future, I'll probably need to spend a large chunk of time in at least a few places, so that I have some vague sense of a home to return to at the end. Once again, I have to thank my parents, who I'm really looking forward to seeing in two weeks, for letting me take this wonderful adventure, and now, with only a little less than half of my time here left, I'm excited to see what the rest of the semester will bring about, and hope that I have the energy and drive to make the most of it.
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