Córdoba may be the second largest city in Argentina but it's a far cry from the streets of Buenos Aires. Founded in in the mid 1500s, and settled by the Jesuits, who created the first University in Argentina, this city has fast become recognized as one of beautiful colonial architecture, churches, education, progressive thinking, and human rights.
We arrived here early on a Saturday morning after an overnight bus trip from Montevideo. But there was no time for sleeping as we had to get out and explore this city. First stop on the trip was to the Jesuit Church and the University they built.
Inside the Jesuit Church
As can be seen in the photos above of the church, it was pretty elaborate and reminiscent of the the grand churches in Europe. The top picture is looking directly at the central dome. Whilst you're welcome to wander through the Church, you really need to take a tour to be able to go into the university and through it's back corridors and old libraries. Below is the view from the central court yard. This building is enclosed on 4 sides and behind those walls lies old libraries with books that date back to the 1500s, some of the originals they used to study when the university opened. There is a also a series of maps of Latin America, drawn over different time periods that depict their understanding of the continent and how borders changed over time.
University National de Códoba
The detail in the building and ornaments of the University were almost as fascinating as the church itself and would have been an amazing place to study. But on we went. We moved on from this spot and wandered a little through some of the central Plazas, stopping for lunch in a little local place to try regional Empanadas and Tomales, and then back to the hostel to change for the night. Along the way though we were greeted with the hustle of central Córdoba which reminded me a lot of Pitt Street Mall in places. Even with College kids playing 4 piece string pop music.
In the evening, we went over to another nieghbourhood to check out the famous night market. It was in many ways similar to those we have seen before but the excitement of the people and the general vibe of the market is always fun. And afterwards, we had to try the local drink here. Fernet & Coke. Claire loved it!
Fernet & Coke!
The following day we went on a walking tour of town to explore some other neighbourhoods. It was amazing to see the different pockets of colonial architecture, churches, and even some buildings that were never quite finished. All in all, this was a beautiful city that seems easy to live in.
Alas, we only had planned to stay here for a couple of days so we could spend some more time in northern Argentinian wine Country. So late on the Sunday, we got our second overnight bus in 3 nights to headed to Cafayate.
29 970 Km (14011Km Flights, 7876Km Sailing, 7968Km Bus, 97km Hiking, 18Km Horse riding)