A short trip before THE trip to the Iguazu Falls

Last weekend, Nuria and I decided to go for a short biking spell away from Moreno, my home town. On that Saturday morning, we managed to catch the train to Mercedes, a small town 1h20m away from Moreno. In spite of our excitement on the trip, we almost fell asleep as we woke up at 9.20am when the train departed at 10. We got ready in a few minutes and cycled to the railway station as fast as we could, catching the train with just a few minutes to spare.

The trip seemed to take us less then expected. After talking and listening to some music, we found ourselves in the city of Lujan. This city brings me fresh and unforgettable memories; last year, I cycled there and made it after 1h 45 minutes on a sunny and hot December afternoon.

We reached Mercedes at around 11.30 am. As we didn't carry a map or had a fixed destination in mind, we set off so as to bike around. It was then when at 30 blocks away from the railway station we bumped a Pulperia dating from 1830. A pulperia is like a sort of pub nowadays. That Pulperia is run by Carlos Di Catrina, nickanmed Cacho. You must believe me-stepping into that place feels like being in a time machine and travel back to the nineteenth century. Old pictures are hung on the walls as well as old pieces of furniture and a bricked floored give the place a unique atmosphere. We would have enjoyed a short chat with Cacho, the owner of that pulpuria, but we had just some hours ahead before going back to Moreno.

After leaving the Pulperia, we had lunch and rested for an hour or so on a park, a few minutes away from the railway station. We had to take our train back to Moreno at 5.30 pm so we cycled around for a while before reaching the station. One distinctive feature of the city is that you can find lots of schools in Mercedes. We also came acroos a very picturesque and old Irish Church which made Nuria feel flabbergasted. Fortunately, my bike, nicknamed The Lusitana, did very well as we didn't get a flat or anything. Respect Lusitana!