Days 1-3 in Argentina

It was a long, tiring trip from Minnesota - -but our travels went very smoothly. When we arrived in Buenos Aires, our driver was waiting for us with a bus to take us to Santa Fe. It was strange -- and wonderful -- to feel that first blast of hot air as we stepped outside of the airport.

During our five-our drive from Buenos Aires to Santa Fe, some students commented that the countryside looked like, well, Iowa. And it is true that the pampas of Argentina -- the flat and fertile plains that cover over 250,000 square miles of Argentina (and extend into Uruguay and Brazil) -- look remarkably midwestern at times. We passed fields of soybeans, dairy farms, and of course many cattle grazing.

When we arrived in Santa Fe, we were met at our hotel by my colleague Marisa Kalbermatten, a native of Santa Fe. It was 6:00 pm Argentina time, and 2:00 pm Minnesota time. After settling in, we rested briefly before going out to eat at a local restaurant in the old port area. Below is a photo of our dinner -- we are eating outside on the patio of the restaurant, at around 9:00 pm. It is still light outside, and just beginning to cool down.

Day 2: We all took some much needed rest during the day. We are all getting accustomed to the pace of life in Santa Fe, where the tradition of the siesta is still maintained. Nothing except restaurants are open from 12:30-4:30pm. No shops, no banks, nothing. Everything reopens at 4:30, and stays open until 8:30 or 9:30pm. This means that, in general, the life is lived much later in the day. We went for an "afternoon" tour with a local company that operates a double decker bus -- starting at 6:3opm.


Day 3:
After class in the morning, we re-grouped for a walk on the Costanera, the beach along the lagoon in Santa Fe.