Visiting a place and knowing its culture broadens minds and improves the way life is viewed.

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I met Beverly, one of our hunter’s wife, at 11:20 am in Cordoba city. She had been previously picked up by a driver who arrived at the lodge at 10:30. On the way to the city, she could enjoy the calm of the countryside.

 

The first thing we did was to visit the Jesuit Block. We walked into the Cathedral Church. A church built by the Jesuits in the 16^th and 17^th century. Beverly was impressed by the paintings and sculptures on the ceiling. She added that a friend of hers would love to visit this church since this lady has visited churches all around the world.

 

Next to the Cathedral, it’s the Cabildo building which was the government meeting place begun in 1588 and then a police station. Today it functions as a cultural center showing pieces of art by artists from Cordoba. We also walked by the priests’ residences. A Gaucho Statue called Beverly’s attention and she was excited to take a picture of it.

 

Lucas, the driver, picked us up and took us to the next attraction: The Cappuchinos Church which is only a mile away. This amazing church was built in 1901 and since then it is been repaired and taken care of. Beverly asked me what all the pieces of papers in the gate in front of the Virgin Mary statue were and I explained to her that people write their petitions and give her offerings.

 

The Buen Pastor cultural center and ex-women’s prison was our next destination. I told Beverly the sad history behind this modern and crowded place. Cordoba is full of history which contrasts with the contemporary and fashionable look of the city.

 

There were two restaurants to opt for and Beverly chose Alcorta, an Argentinian parrilla where we enjoyed delicious dishes and a nice talk. On the menu there was a wide variety of options, however, Beverly didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have Argentinian meat. She even took some Argentinian asado to her husband. She wanted him to have some even though she said that they were having wonderful barbecues in the field.

 

All women love shopping so we ended our tour with a walk in the Olmos Shopping mall. I bought some Havanna chocolate and alfajores for Beverly to try.

 

This was an email I received from her a few days after the tour:

My new friend Berenice,

I was eating my Havana cookie as I read your email. It was heavenly! My husband and I have arrived home in Louisiana just 2 hours ago and we can’t quit talking about our wonderful trip to Argentina. There were so many things we enjoyed and will always remember. Thank you for the pictures and information you sent on Córdoba. I enjoyed the city tour so much and really appreciate your friendliness, interest, and obvious preparation. I hope you told your students how much I enjoyed their city. Thank you again for a very memorable day. We hope to return to Argentina someday. In the meantime, I will be practicing mi espanol.