Argentina- Entry 8

 Peatonal, Río Parana and the Rosario-Victoria Bridge (Day 7)

January 17, 2014

By Monday, I had fallen in love with the city of Rosario. My aunt, uncle and I decided to take the day to do some exploring. After being turned around and asking for directions several time, we found the Cordoba peatonal (a street with no cars). It was bustling with people going from one shop to the next. It was full of boutiques and little shops and even a department store. It is said that no one picks up a book in January (no one studies during the school break) and it shows. The stores were packed. I've also noticed that Rosario doesn't smell bad like New York City does during the Summer. My sense of smell greatly appreciates that. I picked up an inglés to español/español to inglés diccionario (I need to do better with my Spanish) and a pretty purple skirt that my aunt agreed I should purchase. We met two sisters Susanna and Bibi working at one of the public witnessing carts. Susanna told me she was in the Italian group and that her grandmother was Italian. They were so sweet in helping us out (yes, we got turned around again). We hailed a taxi and headed to the river. It became my aunt and uncle's favorite place to eat. We ate at Rio Mio and the food was delicioso. I had pechuga con papas puré (grilled chicken with mashed potatoes). The plate presentation was beautiful and the mashed potatoes were to die for. It was served with a yummy lemon sauce and had bacon and capers mixed in. Perfect!!! 

Around 7 pm, I went to the river again  to eat dinner with Telma. As we approached, there was a mass of people jogging. I asked Telma if there was a race scheduled. Come to find out, jogging at dusk is just as common as eating at midnight. I was wondering how everyone maintained their weight so well :) I dearly wished I had been wearing my jogging clothes so I could join them but eating great food was a good alternative. We ended up going back to Rio Mio. This time we shared a Metambre dish: cerdo a la pizza (a huge flat piece of pork with slices of ham and mozzarella cheese on top). And yes, it tastes as wonderful as it sounds :) Telma's friend Sandra joined us and then we took a ride to Rosario del Norte (The North). We stopped so I could get a good look at the Rosario-Victoria bridge over Río Parana which connects Rosario and the province of Santa Fe to the adjoining province of Entre Río. It is beautifully outlined in lights and it is so long that I wonder at how it stays up. We ended the night with Helado (ice cream), music for the states and many giggles. I also learned today that Rosario is the Argentine Capital of Ice Cream. It is a well-deserved title. I have had ice cream every single day since I arrived and it is delicious and it doesn't make me sick (like in the US). My new favorite flavor: Dulce de Leche (yum!).