Stately Córdoba

I had never really seen Córdoba before, and ended up very impressed by its size and the wide range of things it has to offer. Córdoba is famous for its "Sierras," which are rolling foothills that seem to go on forever and are dotted with vacation homes, hostels, and retreats. We stopped at a few, one of which (La Cumbrecita) is out in the middle of nowhere and looks like a miniature German village (lots of Germans settled in the area). The first picture is the inside of a small hostel not too far from La Cumbrecita. For 160 pesos ($43) a day, you get a room plus breakfast and dinner (they call this "media pensión). We had afternoon tea there, and the homemade cakes they served us were exquisite. Wine is extra, but like most places we've been you can find very good wine for 25-50 pesos a bottle ($7-14). On the way back to the city (I was driving) we were hit by the most incredible rainstorm I have even seen.

Downtown is full of pedestrian-only streets, such as the one in the third picture here. The second picture is of an inner courtyard in the 300-year old Colegio Montserrat, a rather exclusive high school in the center of town. Most kids in Argentina wear uniforms to school.