A day out in the country

The largest cathedral in Argentina, is situated in Lujan, about 50 miles west of the capital city of Buenos Aires. So one Sunday my friend Roberta and I decided to take a bus out to Lujan see the cathedral and carry on and have lunch in the little village of Carlos Keen - a place I had read up about in one of those 'what's happening" magazines.

Anyhow the city was settled in the 1600s when travelers supposedly spotted the Virgin Mary. Many devout Catholics make a pilgrimage to Lujan each year. There is an amazing collection of Virgin Mary dolls and statues in the crypt. It was the beginning of Holy Week (Palm Sunday) when we visited, and it was very interesting to see all the people in a kind of religious frenzy, trying to get their blessing of Holy Water or buy a religious icon (made in China)...... all that was just too much for Roberta and I and as we had some time to kill before the bus to Carlos Keen left we decided to have a cold beer in a cafe down by the river.

After 40 minutes bus ride and we arrived in Carlos Keen for an amazing lunch. The little village of Carlos Keen is now a gourmet paradise. The Village is designed around a big central common and the railway station, which since the collapse of the Argentine Railway, no longer operates. Every Sunday the deserted station becomes a hive of activity as locals set up stands selling their wares. A lot of families from the capital drive out or like us catch the bus and spend time in the country and breath some fresh air!!! and enjoy some fantastic home grown food. The restaurant we chose, and there were about 20 to choose from, was offering a special traditional menu. We started with a Picada (a selection of hams, salamis and cheeses - all local produce- and so damn good) next course were empanada, followed by gnocci and then roast beef and veg. we couldn't even try the dessert it was just so much food. We needed a walk after that and strolled around the village, just admiring the simplicity of the architecture and imagining what it must have been like to live there in the golden age. After a coffee it was the bus ride back home. I slept well that night, what with a belly full of good food and a day out of the city..... definitly need to take Brad out there for lunch soon