I am currently in Mendoza, Argentina at the B&B (lovely change after hostels) waiting for our 10 p.m. flight after a nice relaxing weekend of sunshine and wine with my parents who arrived earlier this week! I will post later in October about their visit in Argentina and our adventures together! But, I am behind on blogging so I need to catch everyone (or whoever reads this anymore) on Oktoberfest. What´s that you say? No, I did not buy a last minute plane ticket to Germany, but instead planned a long weekend (it was Columbus day in Argentina, too) at Argentina´s Fiesta Nacional de la Cerveza a.k.a. Oktoberfest. The festival takes place in a small town about two hours outside Córdoba called Villa General Belgrano. There is a large German population in Argentina and mostly settled in the Córdoba province of the country. After doing loads of planning back in August to find the perfect place to stay and buying bus tickets we finally were ready for our trip on a Thursday evening for our shortest bus ride yet, just 11 hours! My friends and I actually wanted a longer ride because we had to get up at 8 a.m. to get off at Córdoba.
Once we got to the bus terminal, we had to figure out what bus would take us from there to Villa General Belgrano. After paying 20 pesos we got on a bus that took us into the town. I don´t know if any of you have been to Epcot in Disney World, but imagine German Epcot and you have Villa General Belgrano. The main street had small little stores filled with beer steins that donned German crests. We were your average tourist and all bought one, including the strap to wear around us so we wouldn't lose it or drop it. We looked like such fools. There were flags from countries around the world lining the streets. So, the best part? Well, the first day we decided not to go into the actual park and just grab an artesanal cerveza from a restaurant on the main street. We got some great beer and after feeling buzzed after only two (it's a lot stronger than that Milwaukee's Best stuff at Richmond) I declared that you shouldn't drink a beer that is taller than you. Translation: If the alcohol content is greater than your height in feet and inches, don't drink it! Unfortunately, not many of us followed that rule the rest of the weekend.
We headed to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients for an asado that night. Ingredients: 25 chorizos, a few bags of rolls, lettuce, red peppers, potato chips, and mustard. The six of us got into some cabs and headed out of town back to our campground. I asked Lorenzo for some charcoal and he had his minion build us a fire on the outdoor stove. Neither of the boys knew how to grill, so I was left in charge! I threw on the first round of sausages, waited a while, turning them with a stick I had found and we sat around the picnic table waiting to make our choripan. Sausage sandwiches with lettuce, peppers, and mustard. Now, in Salta and Mendoza someone (myself included, once) had gotten sick from choripan. However, it was a great success and everyone stomached it this time! We all went to bed, happy and full and ready for the full day at Oktoberfest!
Choripan and the asadora a.k.a me
The next day we woke up, ate some lunch at the campground (goulash, anyone?) and then made mimosas while we waited for our taxis to bring us into town. It was much more crowded then the day before but we paid our 50 pesos and headed into the Parque Cervecero to join the party. I don't even entirely know how to describe what happened next, because I never have seen so many people, drunk, in costumes, sleeping, wearing funny hats and drinking beer. I will just give highlights from here on out. Guys would just come up to us and grab our faces and try to kiss us, no thanks! There were men with pink wigs saying it was their friend's bachelor party, and when you asked when he was getting married he'd say today! and to you! Once again, no thanks. Meeting people on our way out of the bathroom because of my hand sanitizer. Drinking raspberry beer. Losing Joe because he passed out with some Australians, and then finding him again, hours later. Stealing a guys hat and he didn't even notice that it was in my bag the entire time. Dylan getting freefils (free refills) somehow, Dylan throwing his undershirt into the crowd, guys carrying around fake babydolls in order to get girls, watching people bring their children here...why would you bring your children to Oktoberfest? Me telling guys that we were all lesbians so that they would leave us alone, and discovering that then NO one left us alone.
New friends at Oktoberfest
We spent the rest of the next day just relaxing by the river at the campground. Steph and I went around the riverbend to discover tons of rocks that we climbed all over and sunbathed on. It was so nice to finally feel springtime and enjoy the warm weather. The night before we had stargazed and they were so bright we couldn't even tell which constellations were what! Also, too many shooting stars to count :)
After leaving Villa General Belgrano, we spent an hour seeing the Cathedral and town hall, Cabildo, of Cordoba. It was a holiday, so not much was open. We took the 11 hour bus ride back to Buenos Aires. It was a great trip, the following day my parents arrived to Buenos Aires! I will start working on that blog next! They just left today, after two weeks traveling to Mendoza and Bariloche and seeing Buenos Aires :)
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