Cordoba, Argentina

Cordoba, Argentina's second largest city, is great. A college town simmering with energy and culture, the pace is hectic and the city is full of surprises. With the great metropolitan and cultural climate also comes one of those environmental climates which causes your eyes and nose to burn. The city is primarily on a grid setup, with a few cross-cutting streets, and a huge area in the center composed purely of pedestrian walkways and streets. I was chatting with my seat neighbor Lucas on the bus, shortly after we arrived his brother's girlfriend made us a delicious chicken and pasta dinner:

At night I went to a local bar which had some folkloric bands playing, I saw three bands. The crowd was relatively sparse at the beginning of the evening, but in Argentina it is most common for the big crowds to arrive at bars etc. around 2am, and by that time the place was packed. The headlining band was composed solely of a guitar/singer frontman, a classicly scraggly drummer hitting a freestanding bass drum with mallets, and a singing midget who switched between playing the mandolin, flute, and pan flute. The music was very good, and local Cordobans were dancing folkloric dances in front of the stage. Appearing to be a combination of indigenous tradition with heavy Spanish influence, it was amazing how they all knew how to do these fairly complicated dances, often appearing similar to a flamenco, with arms raised above the head and intricate stomping moves. Sometimes they would include "props" like scarves in their dances. Some of the dancers were very good, and I felt as if they were putting on a touristy show for the benefit of tourists, to showcase their culture. The thing is, I was blatantly the only foreigner present in the establishment, and they were not putting on a show for anyone apart from themselves. It was one of those cultural things which we lack in America, where everyone knows this cultural tradition which is hundreds of years old and shares it together in a celebratory manner. It is obvious that the youth is not leaving this cultural tradition behind. 

Pictures of Cordoba:

Argentinian fast food in a mall. Looks pretty fancy to me!

They have these!

Museum honoring organized workers and labor unions:

Museum of Fine Art:

Days 15-17: Back to Buenos Aires

Now I got to take the ferry back to Buenos Aires, this time at night:

I was accompanied by the lovely Rocio, Naty, & Gaby, we had mate (of course), and I tried my first alfajores. They said that you're supposed to have a sweet snack before dinner, so of course I was happy to oblige, the alfajor was amazing, it is a layer of dulce de leche sandwiched by two cookies, and then the whole thing covered in chocolate. Delicious! Havanna is supposed to be the best brand.

The hand signal they are doing there is Argentinian for "copado," which means "cool."

Buenos Aires from the ferry at night:

There was a ridiculous musical act on the ship of one guy singing to pre-recorded background music. The passengers politely clapped and some children danced a little:

Next I would spend a couple days waiting to take the plane to Iguazu. I pretty much took it easy and took so time to do laundry etc.
On my first night back I was in San Telmo and went to a huge bar which was a lot of fun. It had just opened, and every night they highlighted the music of a 90's artist and played their music and videos all night. This night's highlights were Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots, and it was fun to see all their old videos and music again, and also to see the Portenos rocking out to 90's music.
I also took some long walks and saw the Buenos Aires Museum of Fine Arts and the Buenos Aires Museum of Decorative arts:

Buenos Aires Botanical Garden:

Next day, off to Iguazu!