[Paisleychick-lj] Saturday's adventures in Córdoba

[Beatrice M's blog]

[![][1]][2]  
[Sierras of Cordoba][3], originally uploaded by [blmurch][4].

On Saturday July 19th, we all piled into [the tiny rental car][5] and drove south from Córdoba for a *road trip* through the country. We listened to lots of cool Argentine music (contemporary pop & rock). It was so wonderful to be out of the city and see the mountains!!! The Sierras of Córdoba, are older than the Andes, but aren't anywhere as big. It honestly lifted my soul to see the ground rise up in the distance. I've spent so much time in Buenos Aires that I missed seeing the countryside and the good dirt in _el campo_. Dirt in the city is dirty - I need to wash my hands and get clean. Dirt from the fields is wonderful (it still might be a bit 'dirty' but I don't seem to care as much), smells wonderful, and isn't something that I rush to wash off my hands.   
  
We stopped at various points along the way to get out, see the view, feel the earth and Kragen was such a little explorer, commenting on the top soil, wondering about the minerals he saw, etc. As Kevin drove along the highway, we delighted in the fact that we were no longer in the city and had such stunning views of mountains, lakes, fields and forests. The car zoomed along and we soon arrived in [Villa General Belgrano][6]. We drove through the most gaudy tourist trap of a town. It's "German", but has the look and feel of Disneyland. I think it was mainly all the lacquered wood signs that are made from horizontal slices of tree trunks. We only stopped to get directions and continued on our way to find the elusive town of "[La Cumbrecita][7]". We had to drive about 30 km down a dirt road, which was in surprisingly good shape, but it took a while.   
  
The town is a little Alpine gem nestled in the Calamuchita valley. The houses were built by central European immigrants in the 1930s-40s when they founded the town as a tourist spot. The 2001 census counted 189 inhabitants in 97 houses. The town is at the end of a long dirt road (about 30 kilometers) and your rattled body and dusty car park at the edge of town and then walk through. It's extremely picturesque and even though it's completely a tourist trap, it feels much less gaudy than Villa General Belgrano. There's a beautiful short hike past the edge of town to a waterfall. It was so very [pretty, but there's hardly any water flowing][8]. There are photos of snow in the winter. We were there in the equivalent of January for North America and [the plum trees were in full blossom][9]. I think the town is going to be hurting for water in the summer. Two weeks prior to our visit the temperatures in Córdoba reached 30 C (roughly 90 F)... in the middle of WINTER. Crazy times.  
  
We were the last car to leave the parking lot and we got a little lost on the drive out of town, but actually made it to where we wanted to go, but thought we weren't going (Los Reartes). From there, we got back onto the highway to Córdoba and arrived back to Alicia and Kevin's apartment around 10 pm (just in time for dinner). It was a long, but awesome day.  
  
I added more photos to [my Cordoba Flickr Set][10]

   [1]: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/2706092136_7114e6afd6.jpg
   [2]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2706092136/ (photo sharing)
   [3]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2706092136/
   [4]: http://www.flickr.com/people/blmurch/
   [5]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2706104520/
   [6]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_General_Belgrano
   [7]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Cumbrecita
   [8]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2705309401/
   [9]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/2705294655/
   [10]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/sets/72157606321890012/

URL: http://paisleychick.livejournal.com/341646.html