Catching up

We really did catch the bus fromIguazu to Rosario where Matias met us at the bus station...but we have been having such a wonderful time that I just haven´t found the time to catch up on the blog. There is so much to tell.
First our experience on the bus...We sat in two of the three seats right in the front up on the top. , with the third seat occupied by a guy from Germany named Horst. He and Jurg spoke in German throughout the trip, as for most of the way we were the only people in the bus. Jurg felt right at home...the seats were like sitting in a lazy boy chair with a big screen TV playing out the scenary of Argentina in front of you. Only you couldn´t put it on pause for bathroom breaks. As it got dark the stars appeared in front of you as there aren´t many lights along the highways. We drove into these little towns where people gradually got on and filled up a few o fthe seats. As the night wore on, I kept wondering about the dinner they said we would get. Finally about 10:30 we pulled over in a town and I saw a young man run out with a stack of what looked like takeout dinners. There were only about 6 or 7 people on the bus. Ididn´t want to fall asleep until we ate. It was about 11:30 before they finally brought the dinners aroundwith a choice of red wine or coke to drink. Not quite elegant but welcome. Breakfast never did ap`pear..but we arrived in Rosario an hour early at 8 am...18 hours after we started. Jurg thinks this is the bestway to travel and Greyhound should get with the program.
Now on to Matias and his mom and Dad...Roseanna and Horatio. What gracious welcoming hosts they were. They live aboutan hour from Rosario in the town ofFirmat..several thousand people live there...in a lovely house with a beautiful garden and pool. The houses here take full advantage of the climate and they all seem to have abig room with a fancy firepit and lots of room round a table where they host their Argentinian BBQ and serve assado...several types of cuts of meat that are slowly cooked over a fire. We had marvellous grassfed beef for our assado on Sunday at mid day, with Argentinian wine, a few salads and then a tiramisu for dessert. Delicioso!
Matias showed us around Firmat and took us to see a Lagoon called Melincue...a shallow lake in the pampas where people drive up with their cars, have picnics, swim, sail and enjoy the sun. We also spent time getting to know the family, meeting Roseanna´s mother and father, her sister and brother in law and watchingsome DVD´s of their daughters wedding. Roseanna andHoratio are young and fit and gorgeous looking...weightwatchers inspiration.
But the piece de resistance was that Matias arranged a trip to the Nestle factory for us. The HR manager at the plant had spent 5 years in Montreal and was a Canadian citizen He loved his time in canada and was glad to oblige us with a tour. We donned caps (think Gilles Duceppe atthe cheese factory) coats and earplugs and saw this modern plant. They were absolutely meticulous about hygiene and we had to take off our jewellry to ensure we didn´t contaminate anything. Matias translated for us and Jurg was able to feel like an engineer again. Part way through the tour, the oldest employee at the plant came by, one Christan Celauro, who remembered Jurg´s Swiss friend Heinrich who had worked there. He said he was a great engineer and a terrific guy...Jurg was delighted! Felt like he had found the Holy Grail.
Then after the tour we drove Matias to Rosario....where he and his parents maintain a flat. So we had a grand city tour last night...seeing the monuments and recreational areas along the River Parana, savoring a beer as we watched the ships sail by and then enjoying a big platter of Argentine specialities in a restaurant in the busy entertainment area. Today we walked the city with camera in ahand and marvelled at the historic buildings from the early 1900´s, and the wonderful shops along the pedestrian only streets in the centre. It feels so much like Europe! After a lunch at a Parilla ( great bbq meat) we have said goodbye to Matias and await our overnight bus to Mendoza...Again we will sit in the top two front seats so Jurg can feel like he is watching a DVD of Argentina. He has said so many times that, DVD´s are the best way to travel.
Hasta Luego!