Posted June 27, 2018 by travelaroundthegalaxy south america

Cordoba, Argentina

We left the Atacama Desert behind us, climbed into the Andes one last time, and descended into the final stage of our 6-week trip. We arrived in Argentina with some ambitious travel plans, trying to cover a lot of territory over a short period of time. We had a lot of long-distance busses ahead of us and needed to pick a route that would allow us at least one or two stops for some exploring. After leaving Chile we spent a night in Salta and briefly explored the city, having our first taste of Argentine Steak before taking an overnight bus to Cordoba.

Cordoba is Argentina’s second biggest city and has a lot of really cool architecture, street art, and culture. It is a university town, and that provided the city with a youthful buzz that gave the city life. It is home to around 1.3 million people, and the population had a diverse mix. We didn’t have any specific plans for our 2-day visit and elected to spend our first day just wandering around the city. We had some amazing meals while here – Cordoba is famous for its Empanadas – and enjoyed walking around taking pictures of this photogenic city.

Argentina is a beautiful place with a unique people who identify strongly as Argentines. Located towards the center of the country some 400+ Km from Buenos Aires, Cordoba is proudly its own place, not just the countries second biggest city. The city is a mix of old and new, with many of the buildings from the Spanish Colonial era remaining. It is certainly a cultural hub for the country, as many amazing art galleries are located throughout the city. Our visit here was a pleasant surprise.

On our last day in the city, the rain came down, and the city streets flooded. This forced us to stay inside for most of the day, only venturing outside later in the day when the rains subsided. The streets became rivers and impossible to navigate without getting soaked. If we had more time in the city we would have loved to see more of the sights, but our short stay was necessary if we wanted to take the long trip to Iguazu in the north of the country. Losing half a day to the rain was a disappointment. There are several beautiful locations worth visiting outside of the city limits if you have time to explore here for more than just a few days.

Too often when traveling you have to say “well, maybe next time” which is how we felt when we left Cordoba. What we did see while there was beautiful, and we will now share with you our photography. And of course, we can’t wait to go back!