Día del Campo is a typical excursion organized by study abroad programs around South America. Why? There's such a distinction between everyday life in the city and everyday life in the countryside. Specifically in Argentina, there is much to discover and learn about daily rituals outside of this massive capital city.
So, we flew! Just kidding..our destination was close enough to reach in only 4 hours by omnibus (Argentine way of traveling in style). In total, we were three buses of American students at maximum capacity. The word overwhelming doesn't begin to describe it. We journeyed to visit Estancia "La Mimosa", just outside of Luján. Luján is located on the outskirts of the Capital Federal city of Buenos Aires, but still in the province of Gran Buenos Aires. Porteños are very proud of where they come from. So, it's very important to realize while living here the difference between Argentina's capital city and province with the same name.
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| Basílica de Luján |
On the way to Estancia "La Mimosa", our three buses stopped at a very important location in Luján. La Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Luján, or simply Luján Basilica, was built by French architect, Ulrico Curtois, who began around 1890 and finished in 1935. It was built in honor of Argentina's patron saint, the Virgin of Luján. Luján is actually noted to be la Capital de la Fe (Capital of the Faith), because of this large neo-gothic building. Every year, more than six million people make pilgrimages to the Basilica, many of them walking all the way from Buenos Aires!
Aside from our ISA group of 200, the plaza in front of the Basilica was packed. The entire area was busy with buzzing tourists. So, I took as many photos as I could then ordered some medialunas and hot chocolate at a cafe next door. Once an hour passed, we hopped back on our buses en route to La Mimosa, finalmente. I was anxious to see La Mimosa. I love animals. I love green grass and flowers. I love gaucho pants. And that's exactly what greeted me once we arrived.
Estancia "La Mimosa" is a family run business of sorts. They open their doors to the public for special occasions, such as birthdays or anniversaries. They also organize tours for groups such as ours. Because this ranch organized a very detailed tour..I can't say that we learned the everyday lifestyle of a gaucho living in the countryside. I only mean that much of our day consisted of "show and tells" versus "natural observations". However, I'm in no way complaining! This ranch is definitely authentic with gauchos who've run away from the effects of the city and chosen to live on their own, secluded. They have the freedom to do whatever they please and only have to answer to themselves.
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Chorizo..I dressed it up myself haha. A little salad atop to garnish
and chimichurri sauce to the right. |
The air was clean and clear. The peacocks ran with the dogs, while the dogs ran with the goats. I tried my first Argentine asado (barbecue more or less). Argentine asado is known to be the best in South America. These people love their meat! I told myself that I'd try as much of it as possible. I'm not really a fan of beef, but I wanted to keep my mind wide open. The first portion, chorizo (a type of sausage), came around the table and I enjoyed it. But, after the second portion, which was some cow part that I couldn't identify..I gave up. I feel bad that I can't tell you what the blood sausage tasted like or the names of the 5 or 6 other slivers of beef they served. I did try. In the end, the vegetarian plates of pasta and grilled vegetables looked so appetizing. I'm used to the countryside and I've spent tons of time on secluded land in Alabama, where my dad is from. However, I was not prepared to eat beef whilst listening to cows mooing just outside the windows.
After lunch, we watched traditional, folkloric dancing! Of course, I adored anything that had to do with music and danced with a gaucho as well. Someone took a video of my dancing skills, so as soon as I find it..I'll let you take a look. Día del Campo was an experience to say the least. It took me out of my comfort zone for just a minute and showed me all the wonderful things that Argentina's countryside has to offer. I'm extremely happy that ISA organizes this trip every semester.
Be sure to check Shutterfly for more photos of this excursion.
