A Day in Parana

Today was practice day for Chad (as Des and Dave didn’t make it to the semi-finals) so the guys headed out early to the practice field. They took their new kites with them so I’m sure they’ll have a good time.

Kelly, Rosemary, Brian and I jumped into my little car and headed to the nearby city of Parana. There’s a long tunnel under the river (probably 2km) from the city of Santa Fe to Parana. And of course there’s a tollbooth. I think the majority of our money is being spent on tolls. They’re everywhere. Once in Parana we located the shopping district which is an outdoor pedestrian shopping mall just like the one in Santa Fe only bigger. We parked in a car park and wandered thru the stores. There was a city park in the center with a cathedral and a local public market. The only thing we purchased was some sugared almonds that a local vendor was making in a big boiling pot (1 peso) and they were delicious.
From downtown we drove to a hilltop overlooking the river. There was a big statue of a guy on a horse (forgive me for not remembering all these Spanish names, there are statues everywhere and we can’t read the plaques). We had lunch on the balcony of a nearby hotel and then wandered thru the park and took pictures. On the way home we drove down by the river and beaches. A quick stop at Wal-Mart for supplies (water, cheap beer and wine, etc.) and now it’s 4pm and we’re back at the hotel waiting for the guys to come back. We’re planning to take Mark and Dave for their 1st shopping experience tonight (don’t forget the stores don’t reopen from siesta until 4:30 and we can’t eat until 8:30).