I fly a lot but it still seems strange to me that it’s possible to board a plane and a few hours later land in a different country, where everything from the weather to the living conditions and even the season are different.Travelling by car or by ship the changes in landscape, climate and culture are gradual. Arriving by plane throws you suddenly into a new environment.

My first day in Argentina was spent getting used to the abrupt change in season (from winter to summer) and taking some photos in La Plata. The prettiest part of the La Plata is the Plaza Moreno, the large square in front of the Cathedral. Here are a couple of photos:

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La Plata is a suprisingly interesting town to walk around and observe the everyday things going on in the streets. Away from the centre there’s lots of quiet and tranquility. I like the old things, old cars and trucks, old buildings etc. I like the way there’s lots of small neighbourhood shops. I like it when I see a horse pulling a cart. I like the evenings when the kids are on their way home from school, people are coming back from work and the streets are full of life. It’s a little like small town England 30 years or so ago.

Yesterday I went to visit the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the centre of La Plata. La Plata is a planned town like Canberra, Australia and Brasilia, Brazil. The city was officially founded on November 19, 1882. Construction of the cathedral soon began and took over 100 years, with the towers finally being completed in 1999. Inside the cathedral it’s easy to see why it took so long, the quality and detail of the construction is absolutely breathtaking.

Underneath the cathedral is a museum with photos and information about it’s construction. There’s also an elevator that takes visitors to the top of one of the towers. There are views over the city of La Plata and it’s also a good place to see close up the details of the external construction of the other tower. I was amazed to see statues on the other tower so high above the ground in a difficult to appreciate position.

Here are some photos from my trip (the ones with blue sky were taken a few days earlier).

The Cathedral on a sunny day.

View from the tower.

View towards the Municipilidad from the tower. Notice the tree-lined streets.

Interior shots of the Cathedral.

Today is beautiful and sunny, perfect for walking. Here are some things that I saw today in La Plata.

Shrine in a park in La Plata.

Doorway in La Plata street.

The very impressive cathedral in La Plata.