Day 2

In a small hotel after a day in Santa Fe. We were picked up this morning , taken to a small hotel and then off to the center square.
First to the collegio of the jesuits, the first secondary school in latin america. It also functioned as the home of the council of government when santa fe was moved to its present location after the first city was flooded out and attacked by indians. The new location is protected by water on three sides. The new pope francis was educated in this school. Lovely courtyard and cloister area.
Second to the church of the miracle of the virgin. The painting of the Virgin behind the altar began to weep from below the waist and people gathered the water and it eagled people. The Vatican sent a team to inspect this and they could find no explanation for it. And so it was classified a miracle. The church is old colonial style from the 1600s with intricately carved wood, especially in the confessionals , carved by native that we're evangelized by the Jesuits and Fransicians.
Then across the square to the house of the government. It is a relatively new building in the French style from the early 1900s. The stained glass in the ceiling contains the prologue of the constitution.
There was a battle for the future of the country between the "untiters"  from buenos aires who wanted to govern the whole country and the "federalists" from the northern provinces who wanted a federated republic with power shared over the whole country. This fight went on physically with waring armies and the hero in the north is general Lopez who saved the country. The first national constitution as written and ratified in Santa Fe but buenos aires did not accept it, until the revision also in Santa Fe. Santa Fe is rally the political heart of the whole country, although buenos aires has forgotten that and ignores the north. There is lots of feeling in santa Fe about this and very little regard for Christina , the president, and the high level of corruption in buenos aires.
We visited the cathedral of the constitution, also very colonial with nice wood.
The we visited the oldest house left in Argentina. It is just off the square, built of adobe with wooden supported galleries, a tile roof and very thick walls of adobe and another style of mud construction, much like wattle. Some wonderful old colonial artifacts including the governor strong box, the covered box that was used to carry rich people to church sported on poles by four laborores.
The patio of the house was very beautiful and is planted the way it was in colonial times.
We then went back to the Jesuit convent and saw a striking tableau of the signing of the constitution and the famous table with the Tigre/panther claw marks in it.
Off to Lunch  down by the water at chiquitos, the temple of friendship, a very famous informal restaurant now run by the wife of the originator. The walls and ceiling are filled with photos of famous people. The boxer mason ate there every day and there is a stature of him by the road. The meal was seven courses of different kinds of fish from the parana river. Fish empanadas, bolitas of fish liver, a lightly breaded fish fillet, and the different whole fish flame broiled with garlic and parsley. Red wine and soda water and some coffe at the end. Very relaxed informal with about ten members of the Santa Fe club.nice people, some pointed questions about what my club does, a discussion about women members, and some politics. They have a women's associated club with thirty two members that have there own activities, meet with the men once a month. They seems to think that's a better system.
Then off to a quick tour of the port of Santa Fe and the to the beer factory for a full tour. The factory produces seven different brands of beer including Heineken and Budweiser , but Santa Fe is the local and popular brand. Otto Schneider stated it all because the water is good here. Mostly the beer is drunk locally from kegs in a special thin walled straight glass and liso, which means they clean the foam off with a straight edge. Golden, light, very fresh, and smooth. The average consumption in Argentinas is 40liters per year, but in Santa Fe drinking Santa Fe the average is 80liters per year.
One of the rotarians then took us out for a beer. Very good
Ernesto is the president.  and Jose the incoming.
Tonight is the meeting, they have there own building and their club with wives will be there and the presidents and wives of four other clubs, about 60 people.