Days 23, 24 and 25: The only foreigners in Paraná

Day 23

For our last breakfast in Cordoba we once again feasted on ´medialunas´, essentially a sticky croissant which the Argentines love to slaver in jam and even more butter.

Then, in a continuation of our economy drive, we walked to the bus station with our bags. As has become a daily occurrence in Argentina, we were accompanied on our walk by a stray dog which followed us with utter devotion until the bus doors eventually shut on its face. My theory is that all of these dogs used to be domesticated and have been abandoned, explaining both their docility and their tragic yearning to spend time with humans.

The bus took us to Paraná, a satellite city of Santa Fe and it would seem rather off the tourist trail. We stayed at the only hostel in the city and were the only foreigners in the hostel. Indeed, from our two days there it would appear we were the only foreigners in the city. Builty on the hilly banks of the Paraná river, this is an attractive seaside (or rather riverside) destination for Argentineans who come for the healthy air.

Of course to me the river meant only one thing, fish! Following the recommendation of a lady at our hostel, we went to the riverside and ordered the ´Menú Pescado´. The first course were fish empanadas, that is pastries stuffed with local river fish, red peppers, spring onions and cheese.

The next course was a platter of fish balls, fish in breadcrumbs and blue cheese.

Followed by barbecued fish...

... followed by fish cannelloni. Rather than the more famous pasta form of cannelloni, these cannelloni consisted of savoury pancakes and, after rather a lot of fish, we eat found ourselves concentrating on the pancake.

Day 24
We passed the morning walking round the town centre and its attractive plazas.

Then we got a private boat where two local fisherman gave us (in very simplified Spanish) a waterbourne introduction to the wildlife of the river and the traditional lifestyle of the islands inhabitants. We learned which trees cure syphalis, were told the local crocodiles were utterly friendly and had a ´duh´ moment when we were utterly confused by the captain´s suggestion that the plants here faced north. ´Why north?´we asked, considering the fact the sun lies to the south. ´Because we are in the Southern Hemisphere´ came the answer. Duh!

Always looking to sample the local culture and customs, I reluctantly agreed to spend the entire the afternoon relaxing on the beach, swimming, building sandcastles and generally enjoying paradise.

As an afterthought, here is a picture of the cake aisle present in every supermarket that serves as such a daily temptation.



And here is a picture of the ´Frutigran´ section of the biscuit aisle. Fruitgran has become almost our daily bread on this trip as we have steadily become addicted to its oaty, raisony, Omega 9 delights. Seriously the best biscuit money can buy.

As a further afterthought, I have grown bored of constantly buying ham and cheese sandwiches or pasta from the supermarket. For lunch today I got a spniach tart, an Argentine take on a pork pie and potato salad

Day 25

A whole day dedicated to sunbathing and ice cream. Utter torture.