Asado in Rosario

My stomach is terribly full with yesterdays asado (steak). Our host, Esteban was buying so much meat in the supermarket that i was thinking it is going to be for a whole footballteam but it turned out to be only for the 4 of us (a friend from Barcelona came as well). We went to an amazing place on the riverside (this river looks like the sea more or less from its size) - vereybody making their asados, playing the guitar and having fun with friends. It is more or less like this how i imagined my travel.

All they long we were walking around on the riverside (costanera) and we drank some mate. The last time i drank it was in spain. Little green stuff :)  Esteban told us it has a stroy in everyones life: when you are young you want to drink it coz u see your father slipping it. but they dont give you (for me it is almoast stronger than coffee). Then when you are a teenager you start taking mate with your friends, but mate dulce (with sugar). Mate is usually taken by groups of people, with one straw (bombilla) and it is passed around like a joint. Every person has to drink out one portion of water (very little since the "pot" is full with the leaves). Then, getting older, you gradually switch to mate amargo (without sugar). You have reached your maturity when you are even taking mate on your own, in your home. Only the uruguaians exceed the mate consumption of the argentinians: they even drink it while riding the bike. However, the riverside here in Rosario was also full: not only with people, but with mates passing around.

Rosario is lovely! With more than 1 million inhabitants, but after buenos aires it is like a weekend city. The riverside is incredibly relaxing, like a little paradise. There is the museum of contemporary arts, some art schools, restaurants and parks. There were old couples dancing zamba (not to be confused with the brasil samba)and some cool band was playing as well. They even had a flee market where i found Mr and Mrs Evita.

The handsome Manuel

The city is famous fot two things: Che Guevara was born here (but actually apart from being born he did not anything here) and the Argentine flag was born here as well. There is a huge monument for the flag (everything is huge here in general), iwhich was invented by general Manuel Belgrano. He was sent here during the fight of indipendence (1810-1816) but Esteban told us he was handsome so they chose him, but actually he did not understand anything about politics. So by the way, he invented a flag, which is supposed to be the colour of the sky, but in reality they were copying the Bourbons. I asked: Why on earth would they want to copy someone from whom they want to break free? They were confused - Esteban said. Actually the whole process of indipendization in 1810 with the first free gobernement could take place because of Napoleon shaking the powers in Europe.

Jose San Martin (you remember the national heroe) was good friends with Bolivar and they decided to free all Latin America and had a vision of one and only Latin America.

The flag (http://wikanda.cordobapedia.es/imagenes/Bandera_de_Argentina.png)  has also a sun as a symbol. This was originally used in the war. Now it is alwas there. Sweet.

I met Klaudia, a hungarian volunteering here at a women's right organization. She told me very interesting things. I will write some time later about it. Tonight we should cook something for Esteban, something typical... Hmm, the problem is that central european food is a little bit difficult to cook, so we will just invent some potatoe stuff :)

Piropos of the day: I love you - from a worker on the street.

Tomorrow we leave to the Iguazu falls.