Rosario & Victoria

Trip Start Dec 29, 2007
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Argentina  ,
Sunday, January 20, 2008

An early start on a weekend, my idea of hell but I was getting to see more of Argie & Vanesas dad was the chauffeur so no complaints. Rosario is about 300Km from BA. It's 1 of the 2 second cities of Arg, the other being Cordoba. It's located in the province of Santa Fe on the banks of the Paraná & is a major port for the north west of Arg. I would love to divulge all the finer details of the flora and fauna en route but I was too busy in the land of nod. It´s a good 3 hour drive but looks deceptively small on the map & we were bombing it. A word of warning for those going backpacking around latin america, always carry 1 unit of bog roll with you. When they say cleanliness is next to godliness, Arg must have converted to Buddhism.

It was 23C on arrival & I could feel that icky tshirt glued to my back feeling exiting the car. The first thing we were confronted with was El Monumento Nacional a la Bandera (the flag monument) Rosario
Rosario
 . It's fairly stunning in size & if you see an aerial view you will realise it has been built in the shape of a ship. Manuel Belgrano short for Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano (a lot to be said for Jon Smith) created the Argentine flag & was the first man to raise it in Rosario.

The Monumento has three parts: the Tower (Torre) or mast, 70 metres high, which commemorates the Revolution of May 1810 and houses Manuel Belgrano's crypt in its base; the Civic Courtyard (Patio Cívico), which symbolizes the effort of the organization of the state (the Courtyard is used for massive open-air shows) & the Triumphal Propylaeum (Propileo Triunfal), representing the Nation as organized after the 1853 Constitution. The votive flame permanently burns in honor of the dead for the country. Under the Propylaeum there is the Honour Room for the Flags of Latin America. Belgranos sword & a copy of the national anthem accompany the Argentine flag. In the midst of our awe, the extended family of Vanesa arrived so we went together to the summit ($1.50) of the monument as can be seen in the pics & videos.

All history-ed out, we made tracks through the town. It's obviously a lot quieter than BA, it reminded me of Hyannis in Cape Cod where the prosperous go to retire DC Calle de Cordoba
DC Calle de Cordoba
 . Rosario Central who play in the Argentine Primera División have their stadium in the centre of the town & Lionel Messi owns a huge appartment complex in construction overlooking the beach area. Following plenty of scenic snaps around the Uni & after a breakfast of air sandwiches, we went a searching for food. Due to its location, fish tops most menus & La Escauriza was no exception so when in Rome... A ploughmans dinner & a few bottles of Isenbeck later, we literally rolled out the door. I can't emphasise enough how big portions are.

Not wishing to break the trend, I snoozed all the way to Victoria which is about 40 Km away in the province of Entre Rios. We found a space right across from the Victoria Casino, how convenient! Feeling it rude not to admire the splendour of the local casino, we went for a wander. I entered with 100 pesos & departed with 92 & apparently that was the most expensive bottle of water in history, I say try Londis on Bridge St!

We spent an hour in there looking at Roulette, Blackjack & being dazzled by the kaleidoscope of fruit machines. No Holdem tables were to be found, Baaaa*****s! I was drawn to the Blackjack table & fancied my chances after reading a few Ben Mezrich books. The house was cleaning up. Optimistic tourists were dealt Qs, Js, Ks much to their delight & naturally enough split their initial pair & doubled their bets to take advantage of their good fortune. After a round of 'hit me' their 20s looked good. Well low & behold, the house got an amazing run of cards & hit Blackjack. This was repeated about 3 times in a row, the dealer discarding their cards & removing their chips with speed & precision while displaying as much concern as missing an episode of Ros na Run. Safe to say, the pesos stayed in my pocket vane Calle de Cordoba
vane Calle de Cordoba
 .

The sun was starting to saute me again so I remained in the shade, once bitten... After chinwagging among the family (which left me thinking what have I learned) over MATE it was time to motor. I did manage to stay awake for the treck home so all the greenery you will see towards the end reflect it. It was a nice change from city life & reminds you of home. We passed over countless bridges, the most eye catching being PUENTE Rosario-Victoria. It crosses the main course of the Paraná River & touches down on several islands of the Paraná Delta on the way. The road resembles a US interstate although it was polluted with toll stations on the way which amounted to ~$40 total. As the sun was going down in the west & the lucid moon apparent to the east, we ventured south...
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