Relaxing in Rosario

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Wednesday 11^th March 2015 to Sunday 15^th March 2015 (days 20 to 24)



After leaving Iguazu on Tuesday I arrived in Rosario on Wednesday morning. The bus I got this time was not as nice, it was a different company so maybe I just got lucky the last time.I found I couldn't sleep on the bus and anytime I did mange to sleep I woke up 15 minutes later with either a staff member or other passenger staring at me, so by Wednesday morning I was tired and looking forward to relaxing in my hostel. The hostel was 10 minutes walk from the bus station upstairs of a building. It was a very nice looking hostel. High ceilings with stone work visible and it is clean and not cramped and there are boxes to lock your valuables in, in the rooms. However the bunk beds are terrifying (probably only 2.5 meters off the ground, using my room mate as a measuring stick, he tells me he is 1.9 meters tall) , as I am sleeping on the top bunk and there is no rails or guards so you don't fall climbing up and down or when sleeping, but aside from this its a nice hostel and the people seem friendly.

By the time I checked in, unpacked slightly and relaxed for a little while, it was late afternoon.My roommates (A Italian guy, an Brazilian guy and a Spanish woman) were very excitedly trying to tell me something, so through the universal language of mime,I guessed they were telling me there was going to be a BBQ, so I followed them to the shop to get food. Back at the hostel on the roof the others had the BBQ heating and soon we were all chilling out up there, music going and plenty of laughter (mostly from a lot of mis-communication) but everyone was in good form.

Thursday I woke up early and after breakfast went exploring Rosario, it was a lovely day, but towards the early afternoon the heat and humidity were getting hard to manage! I found the National Flag Memorial, which is a huge memorial in honor of General Manuel Belgrano, who raised the newly created Argentine flag on the shores of Parana for the first time. After walking along the coast walk I ended up in Urquiza park, which is a public park where the Planetarium and Observatory are located. I was tired by this point so I wandered back to the hostel through neighborhoods admiring the differences in the architecture from back home, far less balconies at home!. There are also several museums in Rosario, but I didn't stop to visit any of them.

Friday, a group of us from the hostel, went to the Parque Independencia where we sat around enjoying the sunshine and eating ice cream for most of the day before having another BBQ that evening. On Saturday I walked around the town again, this time in the other direction. That evening we went out for pizza. Sunday was my last day in the hostel so I decided to see more of the coast, and also the hostel had told us that on Sundays, they have "Ciclovia" or open streets, where the streets are closed for all cars and people walk, cycle and skate along. We walked along Bv Orono, its a lovely avenue with trees all along it, we ended up again in Parque Independencia, but this time we continued walking and made a loop with the coast walk, where 5 hours later we arrived back in the hostel.

I had heard mix reports about Rosario, some people loved it, some people though it was some where to stop on your way to some where else. I find I fall into the second category, it is a nice city but a stop of a day maybe 2 would have been enough for me, I am more into seeing the wildlife and coast than the shops, and so I now find my self in Patagonia, in Puerto Madryn.

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Comments

[Grainne]

Relaxing!
I am glad that you saw Rosario and took some time to relax there. The photos are stunning. Love the statues and old buildings. Meeting and enjoying the company of people from other cultures must be very enjoyable. Bon Voyage on the next stage of your trip.