Córdoba and the Sierras

First of all I have to say thank you to our hosts, Cristian and his mom Monica, for not only putting up with Andrea and I for an entire week but for showing us a grand time in their beloved city. Córdoba is to Argentina what Austin is to Texas... only greener and more delicious. It´s very much a college town (this is where everyone studies abroad from the US) but it has its own rhythm as well. It´s a decent sized city surrounded by rivers and mountains, so plenty of outdoor excursions to entertain. The alfajores are the delicious part to which I refer- cookies sandwiching fillings of dulce de leche, membrillo, pear, etc... sometimes covered in chocolate, sometimes smathered with suger and coconut shavings... decadent as hell and the reason foreigners gain a few kilos living here for any extended period of time. Córdoba is a famous argentine province for its exquisit selection of artesenal alfajores.

I won´t lie. We had a fantastic time here speant mostly eating, watching Avatar (in 3D finally!!)multiple times, and being lazy by the rivers.

This is a dam on the outskirts of Córdoba. The region is experiencing a pretty fierce drought though because there is hardly any water at the dam and the river around it is nearly dried up completely (at least in certain parts).

We think this is a deliberate joke. Why else?

The second of the three river spots Monica and Cristian took us to. When you swim in the water it looks like you´re swimming in a spilt treasure chest because of all the mica that glitters from the river bed. It´s quite dazzling really.

Why did I put the same photo twice, I don´t know but blogger won´t let me delete it so oh well... This next one is Cristian´s art work though... (he´s actually a photographer unlike moi, hah).

Our last river to visit the day we left. Sometimes Argentina reminds me an awful lot of Texas.

Not the greatest photo but I took it out the car window. This monument marks the center of the country. "Córdoba, el corazon de Argentina". I´d feel proud about that too if I were from here.