La Plata

So, a few months ago, a couple of friends invited us to go with them on a day trip to La Plata, the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires. La Plata is known as the second largest city in Buenos Aires and serves mostly as a college town. It's a beautiful little city, very different from the hustle and bustle of BA, yet still very active, touristy and well run.







One of the most impressive aspects of La Plata is its local government. It was officially founded by Governor Dardo Rocha on November 19, 1882. The governor modeled the set-up and facade of the city on that of Barcelona. Many of the government buildings and the city's cathedral are adorned with intricate brick work that evokes images of Gaudi's Barcelona. The city is also set up as a grid and was, originally, a perfect square.










And, then, we get to the Cathedral of La Plata, the real reason one visits La Plata. This particular Cathedral is the largest in Latin America and is astonishingly ornate. Though I have no pictures of its interior, I can assure you that the amount of detail and gold is staggering and matches that of the exterior.