My Argentinean coup de coeur

Finally I found my coup de cœur among Argentinean cities. Without any reservation. Let me introduce you to Salta. Salta is a relatively small city (or a big town) not far from the north-eastern border with Chile and Bolivia. It’s a beautiful place where one can wander around admiring nicely preserved colonial architecture. And at the same time one can feel the strong presence of Andean culture – the faces of people walking around the streets, the souvenirs sold in the shops, and the music played on the streets and in bars.

I should also mention that we actually don’t hesitate to explore different corners of the city. Salta seems to be the safest place we’ve been in Argentina since we left Patagonia. Salta lives almost entirely of tourism and they take the safety of tourists very seriously. There are police officers at almost every street corner. At the main square I once counted 10 policemen at the same time. Believe it or not but it actually works! We walk around stress-free and we even went out for an evening photo session.

Salta is vibrating with life at every time of the day. There are people on the streets from the morning throughout the day until late at night. Surprisingly this is true even during the siesta time when shops are closed. However, I must admit that I kind of took to the idea of siesta. We come back to our hostel and relax for a couple of hours before going back in town for the evening stroll / glass of wine. I actually warmed to the idea of a siesta so much that I’m thinking of starting a petition to introduce siesta hours back home in the office. Anybody wants to sign? :)