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As we flew from Buenos Aires,
Argentina to Santiago Chile, we could see the border between the two
countries. It is the peak of the Andes Mountains. |
In addition to a great view of the
city, the apartment included a fully equipped kitchen, living room and
bedroom. And an elevator! |
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| These
people love their hot dogs. It's like going to a Subway--you get a bun
and hot dog then pick all the fixings you want on the dog. |
We met Marci Whiteman, a friend of
a friend of ours from Boise. Her husband works at the American Embassy.
Here she is treating us to gelato. |
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We toured parts of the Embassy
but were not allowed to take pictures. In fact, when we went through
security, we left our phones there because of security concerns. |
About sixty Americans work at the
Embassy, including diplomats and agents from other departments of the government.
An additional 100+ Chileans are employed there also. The building and grounds
were superb. |
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Santiago boasts the tallest
building in South America, the Gran Torre Santiago. It is a 64 story
skyscraper towering over all the other buildings. We were told that
Marriott had rented 30 floors for a hotel and conference center. |
Built in 1895, as the mint, it would
later become the president's palace. While the current president does not
reside there, it is used for several departments of the federal government
including presidential offices. |
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| The
awesome thing about the large cities in South America is that nearly all the
federal government offices are located in or near the main plaza. This
building is comparable to Capitol Hill in Washington. |
The
Justice Building is equivalent to our Supreme Court. This building is two
blocks wide and one block deep and surrounded by statues of famous people
that brought judicial reform to Chile. |
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While touring the plaza, which is
the main square of Santiago, we caught these two policemen on horseback,
beside a statue of San Martin, a famous hero of the revolution for most South
American countries. |
It was amazing how many streets were
closed to vehicular traffic, allowing pedestrians to bike, skate or walk through
the downtown area. Artists were given liberty to express their creativity.
It was cool! |
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| The
Cathedral of Santiago is the largest and tallest building along the plaza.
The building replaced the former cathedral with construction beginning in
1748 and lasting over 50 years, with recent renovations. |
The
cathedral is massive. Twelve columns, each about 6 feet x 6 feet and 30 feet tall
each supporting the gilded arches that create the true image of grandeur. Along
the side walls, are 12 ornate chapels. |
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art work was exquisite. This one is about six feet by 10 feet. |
This
silver alter is one of 12, each one more elaborate than the next. |
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The Mercado Central has been the
source for fresh fish, shell fish and crab since the 1800s. In addition, the
center of this market is home to several upscale seafood restaurants. |
Santiago is home to some seven
million people, 40 percent of Chile's population. The city is divided into
districts and neighborhoods. Bellavista was listed as one of the most
visited, mostly because of the artwork. |
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Some call it art and others call
it graffiti. |
This
one belongs in a gallery, we think! |
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| This
is San Cristobal Hill, a large park in the center of Santiago. Near
the red and white tower is a statue of the Virgin Mary. |
It didn't look to far, so we decided
to hoof it. The gravel trail was at least a 20 percent grade all the way to the top. Note
the statue is getting closer. |
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| The
Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception on San Cristobal is its official
name. The statue is nearly 50 feet tall and provides a panoramic view
of the city. |
At
the base of the statue is a small simple chapel, where this couple was getting
married. Pope John Paul II was said to have prayed here. |
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We decided to take the
"funicular" that runs from the top of the hill down near the city center.
It beat walking. |
During our walk back to our
apartment, we stopped by this community center where people were doing the
Tango. |
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These are two cross streets near
our apartment. Larry thought it was cute to see Carmen and Bernardo (a
form of Barnhardt) together. |
Thanks to our new friend, Marci, we spent a day
in the Chilean
wine region, who along with Argentina grows and distills the finest wines of South
America. |
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We arrived during the harvest
season and the grapes were nice and plump. |
After walking the vineyards, we
spent time waiting for our luncheon reservation. |
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The restaurant at this vineyard
was awesome, expensive, but awesome none-the-less. |
These
oak barrels serve as a resting place to allow the wine to age before they are
bottled. |
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| The
wine sampling was great, not only because of the great wine, but the fun
people we sampled the wine with. The kids on the right all work for
the Hyatt, opening new properties around the world |
Larry lucked out. He called a
chiropractor/physical therapist one morning and by noon had gotten a diagnoses,
treatment and prescription. It was sciatica. From here, we headed to
Argentina, again! |
