Argentina travel blog by Mark Berman -
May 2012
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I spent a great day in Parana after I visited Santa Fe
the day before, it's on the eastern side of the Parana River 1hr from Santa Fe. Parana is a place I would recommend visiting if you like attractive
cities and peaceful walks along the riverfront. I was here on a weekend and there was lots of activity down beside the river, the locals are
very lucky. From the bus terminal I walked into the center of the city, it was at least a kilometre. City Tour
As
with most of my city tours I like to start at the central plaza, in this case Plaza 1 de Mayo (Plaza 1st of May). Like most city
plazas, it's Parana's social and cultural meeting point and is surrounded by emblematic buildings. The plazas 2 fountains were built in 1886 and
the main monument is to independence leader Jose de San Martin. Those emblematic buildings include the stunning cathedral, Palace Episcopal,
College del Huerto, Palace Municipal, School Jose M. Torres, the post office and the social club. Even the McDonalds restaurant has it's own
historical building on the corner while Parana's theatre Teatro Municipal 3 de Febrero is 2 blocks away. A few blocks from the center is Plaza
'Juan Bautista' Alberdi, he was a political theorist and lived from 1810-1884. The plaza / park is grassy and has a monument to the volunteer
firemen of Parana. The city has several museums - Museo Historico Provincial Martiniano Leguizamon, Museo Bellas Artes Pedro E. Martinez and
Museo de la Ciudad. More churches include San Miguel, Nuestra Senora del Carmen, Nuestra Senora de la Piedad, Sagrado Corazon and Nuestra
Senora de la Asuncion. Other plazas include Plazas Alvear, Mitre, Saenz Pena and Carbo.
Sunday Feast
I decided to bypass McDonalds this time
in favour of an 'all you can eat' lunch at the big Chinese restaurant on one side of the plaza. It cost 50 pesos ($11USD) for an absolutely great
Sunday feast.
Port and River Tours
I wanted to get down to the river and take a look,
the port is called Puerto Nuevo (New Port). I walked several blocks and arrived at the Navy building Prefectura Naval Argentina which is a brown
and white historic building with a monument to Martin Jacobo Thompson (1777-1819), he was the 1st captain of the ports. Another monument to Admiral
Guillermo Brown is in the small park across the road. Around this area people were fishing, boats were docked and ferry boats left to take people
on river tours. There is an impressive wall of graffiti art and murals on a wall at this end of the walkway including Albert Einstein and John
Lennon.
Along the Riverfront
As I walked along the riverfront past the police monument, it was clear to see that half of the cityfolk were down here enjoying themselves -
sipping mate tea, eating, playing, walking and relaxing. Sailboats cruised up and down the river and kids rode their bikes along the boulevard
of Parque Urquiza. A monument to the heroes of the Malvinas (Falklands War) could be seen as I walked towards the Puerto Viejo (Old Port). Along
a little from the fountain is a pretty beach area with umbrellas and small wooden wharfs. It was a nice place to sit quietly for a while and
relax watching the river flow by. Next a man came and said that the beach was private. I had wondered why no one else was there, but it was nice
while it lasted. The big hill behind the road offers some higher views of the area and has an airplane monument at the top. It was an enjoyable
afternoon spent beside the Parana River. I sat and had a beer while watching the sun go down and boats sail into the orange sunset.
Bus to Colon
That evening I travelled east to
Colon near
the border of Uruguay, the journey took 5hrs and is 290kms. Distances from Parana to other cities in Argentina / Uruguay are as follows: Buenos Aires
470kms, Cordoba 360kms, Corrientes 573kms, Formosa 761kms, Mendoza 952kms, Tucuman 794kms, Posadas 758kms, Resistencia 590kms, Rosario 180kms, Santa Fe 30kms,
Concordia 261kms, Gualeguaychu 322kms, Piedras Blancas 117kms, Montevideo 639kms and Paysandu 300kms.
Ferry and yacht on the Rio Parana in Parana.
View of the Parana River from the new port in Parana.
Albert Einstein wall mural beside the Parana River in Parana.
Wharf, cranes and Navy boat at the Parana port.
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