Cordoba, World Heritage City in Argentina

Arriving in historic Cordoba via the 'slow route', Chevallier Bus from Areco, Semi Cama, meaning reclining seat for ten hours. Don't drink too much prior to boarding, as bus facilities are disgusting enough to make one throw up. Despite numerous stops at ever minor town along the way, not one was long enough to escape to an earthbound toilet -albeit they may have just been as 'interesting' as the rolling one.
By 7 a.m. at the terminal, and a taxi to Garden Hotel, right in the historic centre of Cordoba. All still shut tight of course, the hotel is on the first floor, above a few shops. The marble staircase looks a little dinghy, so does the reception. However, when we finally got our room - surprise, clean, neat, tidy, well furnished...
Off to stroll the still sleepy city.

Quoting from Cordoba's Tourist brochure with it's quaint use of the English Language:
Since the foundation of Cordoba, on the 6th of July 1573 and the arrival of religious orders, the distinctive religious profile was forged. Over time, the fusion of architectonic styles gave the result of great varied and exquisite aesthetics to make each church a relic to discover.

Albeit Cordoba is the undisputed centre of learning in all of Argentina, somehow the mastery of the English idiom has not quite make it yet. But one gets the general idea from the brochure description.

Here the 'Cabildo', municipal building.

To quote again from the inimitable English version of Cordoba Brochure:
In other times the tolling of the church bells announced joy, danger, party or death. Today in the bell towers can be discover old bells made in the Jesuit missions and modern bells of present times.

Sounds as if the writer just came from one of those parties, which the bells announced in other times.

A quote from the brochure about a cloister for nuns:
Women consecrated their lives to pray, founded the first cloister monasteries in the city and had buildings for their early education, showing an example of integration and evolution.

I cannot quite make out what that means, unless I read the Spanish version, which makes more sense.

Cordoba is prone to flooding, and wise city fathers constructed a long ditch around the city. However, population growth has expanded beyond the ditch. Today, the ditch serves somewhat like a social divide, instead of living on the wrong side of the tracks, here one lives on the wrong side of the ditch.

The city centre, as opposed to Nueva Cordoba and the district of Guemes, is a treasure trove of architecture. Churches, old universities, cloisters, remnants of city mansions all crowd together in a few city blocks. By night, the centre literally turns out the lights, everything, even the restaurants close and one is lucky to find a 'kiosko' to buy a bottle of water.
Just crossing the street from El Centro to Nueva Cordoba makes a difference, there life is starting at the stroke of nine o'clock in the evening: bars, restaurants, shops are all doing brisk business. Being a university town, young people crowd into the discos or the 'penas' where they dance 'quartetto' sung by the local star La Mona, and things are jumping until the early hours of the morning.

Plaza San Martin, one of those in every city of Argentina, honouring the famous General who carried the flag of Argentina across the Andes.

Buskers almost at every corner, some of them very talented. This one with a beautiful voice was earning her tuition fees for university.

An excuse to buy flowers...this flower stand displayed the next series of 'Dia de ???', every remaining day of November was designated to celebrate something, whether it was human rights, Santa Cecilia or meat.

Plaque in Cordoba's Cabildo, which has a lovely tiled courtyard and is surrounded by passages with lofty columns. Here, at night under a starry sky, I visited a free concert given by a local youth orchestra. For an hour one could listen to classical music and a few modern pieces, and mingle with the audience, which included one large basset hound and a whole horde of children, very quietly playing their video games on smart phones, whilst the parents enjoyed the music

Art, old and modern, abound in the city. here a rather whimsical piece of arms and legs, trousers around ankles, and drains...must be some deeper meaning to this.

Weird ideas sprouting from a bronze head

Cordoba cerveza, cold, tasty, just the right thing in 30 degrees centigrade. La Mandarina, a restaurant which could compete with anything organic in Cowichan Valley, the food was so good, tasty, fresh and clean, I regretted not discovering it on the first day in Cordoba.

Sunset over Cordoba's Cathedral

Jacaranda trees in bloom bring their own challenges to open air cafes. Not only is there is constant rain of delicate violet coloured petals, but the profuse pigeon population deposits their white dumplings onto chairs, tables and sun umbrellas. By evening, waiters hose down the works, including the top side of the umbrellas.

The only thing lit up after nightfall over the Centre of Cordoba...a church.