Farewell to South America.... Dec 30/31, 2013

On our last full day in Santiago, we wanted to revisit Cerro Santa Lucia, an easy walk from our place, maybe a couple of blocks. Cerro means hill in Spanish, and getting to the top of this hill involves climbing lots of stairs, mostly irregular old stone steps. And along the way, this small hill is adorned with wonderful facades, fountains, and it even has a castle on it (Castle Hildalgo). At the highest point, a popular tourist spot is perfect for picture taking.

On one side of the hill, Fort Hildalgo was finished in 1820 as a defensive point. A few years ago, Fort Hildalgo was restored and reopened to the public. Traditionally a cannon shot is fired exactly at Noon. The first day Jimmy and I were scared out of our wits when walking nearby and that shot was fired. Today, we were directly above the cannon when it was fired at Noon, and I let out a bellow like I'd been shot and just about jumped in the moat. It's that loud!

Moon rise (not set) at dawn on Monday - most amazing!  We leave our sliding glass door and curtain next to the bed partially open all night, inviting cool air in.  Hence, when birds begin to sing and light comes in, I'm awake.  I watched the moon rise above the trees and took this picture from bed.

Up, up, and away!

Halfway up the hill, overlooking the city, we stopped for a look-see.

We fell in love with beauty of the city.

Speaking of love, isn't this a great picture?

A place to sit near the top, enjoy an orange Popsicle, and admire the views.

The Andes were part of the view!

At the top, crowded with tourists.  Many Brazilians are in Chile on holiday this time of year. 

That's a whale of a century plant growing out of that hill!

Window in the Sepulcro de Benjamin Vicuña MacKenna, appointed mayor of Santiago in 1872. He began extensive remodeling of Santiago and Santa Lucia Hill. The works of 1872 consisted of a road which crossed the hill, which at the top accessed a chapel that he also built there, illuminated by the then-novel means of gas. The actual hill is watered by a sophisticated irrigation system. Jimmy and I became engrossed with the area's history and beauty.

When it came time for dinner, I suggested we find a restaurant that featured real Chilean food. We walked hither and yon, vetoing as we went, till we saw this place. We walked in and were guided upstairs to a pleasant window table overlooking the street. Again, the restaurant was empty... but not for long! We thanked our lucky stars -- our waiter spoke passable English! Jimmy and I each ordered an appetizer, and decided we'd split the main course. I'd tell you what we ordered if I could remember it and pronounce it, but nope, not gonna happen. Suffice to say, the two appetizers were so large (and delicious), we wondered how we'd be able to make a dent in our main course. Just then, our waiter came to the table, leaned over to Jimmy, smiled and said, "Sir, do you still want to order?" We ixnayed the main course and ordered a piece of chocolate cake instead. It turned out to be half a cake and soooo good! We couldn't finish chocolate cake!!!! The kicker? It was a Peruvian restaurant!

 

After dinner, here's Jimmy relaxing on the roof of our building (18th floor, near the pool).   

Self-portrait from the roof.

Whoa, looking down at the street!  

Back in the apartment, we finished packing for our very early rise tomorrow morning.  Our COPA flight to Los Angeles leaves at 6 AM - yikes!  We have to be at the airport at 3, and we've arranged a TransVip van to pick us up, but the only time they can get us is at 1:30 AM for our 6 AM flight. Heck, that's the middle of the night - why bother going to sleep?

* * * * * * * * * *

 COPA from Santiago to Panama City, Panama:  6 1/2 hours.  Two meals!!

COPA from Panama City, Panama to Los Angeles:  6 1/2+ hours.  Two more meals!

End of day, end of month - December 31st - Two weary people.

Farewell to South America.  And farewell to 2013.

Outside air temp at -58 Celsius = -72.4 Fahrenheit.  That's cold!  

Our month is finished: 17 days on a Princess cruise and ten days wandering around Chile. People have asked me what part I liked best, or what was the most memorable. I can't answer that, except to say we loved it all. It was a real learning experience for us, being out of the country on our own, and we feel fortunate to have made the trip. The excursions, food, friends, it was all good. Some days were cold, some were hot, but we lived those days! BTW, altogether our trip from Nevada City to Punta Arenas and back? Close to 18,000 miles!

Son, Matt, picked us up at LAX, drove us to their place in LA, fed us (yum) and excused us to hit the sack, after about 24 hours w/o sleep. We crashed, missing the ball drop at Times Square, but it seemed to get along fine without us. Matt and Jen went out to a party and we slept peacefully on and on and on....

What a Santiago Super Sunday -- Dec.29th, 2013

I guess we knew, but technically we DIDN'T know just how close the Museum of Fine Arts was to where we were staying.  All we had to do was walk a block and turn left rather than right, and there it was.  We weren't sure if it would be open on Sunday, but judging from all the people in Parque Forestal, we figured something must be going on.  Yes, the museum was open and we paid a few pesos to get in, and then that language thing kicked in again. We wondered if there might be a brochure -- did it matter where we began? No brochure, came in so many Spanish words.  Gestures, friend of the lost, worked, and this time it was a helper who made sweeping motions, indicating downstairs.  What we wanted, what we needed was down the staircase.  OK.

Great entryway.  But, check this out -- we got a two-fer!  We paid to go into the museum of contemporary art (MAC).  On the western end of the building, under this entryway, was the museum of fine arts.  The entire building is known as the Palace (el Palacio de Bellas Artes, and dates to 1910).  Are you keeping up?

This is not a "guard" dog.  I think it's a HUGE horse.

.

Quite a crowd outside the MAC entrance and near the BIG dude above.

The helper was correct -- downstairs was an interactive exhibit in English, featuring quite a few video screens that explained much about Chile in general, Santiago in particular.  I can't begin to relate all of it.  I will say that walking along on the crushed crystal quartz was fascinating.

Georges Russo.  Initially we gave Georges Russo short shrift... until we began to really look at his work.  THEN, we returned to the exhibits and studied them, amazed at what he's done.  Where the lines converge in front on the floor above, a star appears. 

Move left, and this is what you see.  In another direction is a different view.  But only where the lines come together on the floor in front will you see the star.  Enlarge the photos, and use your back arrow to return to this post.

Looks one-dimensional? It is three-dimensional painting.  (Hint: Look at all the columns. Most of the first column is visible. As you look back, more of each column has been painted red. And the in between spaces are all painted).

Same with this.  We have more pictures, but it's time to move on!

El Palacio is a beautiful building, inside and out, both contemporary and fine arts sections.

Walking around to the museum's other side,

it was obvious more people were setting up to sell stuff.

 Looking up to the next level at the fine arts museum.  Stunning statuary. 

One of my favorites. 

Horace imitating life?  Life imitating art?  Jimmy, you rascal!!

This round room was full of color.

Um, I took this photo before I knew "no photography allowed" (got in trouble, too).  Carlos Faz was the artist -- 1931-1953.  He died so young, in New Orleans.  Fell off a boat.  Verrrry interesting work.

My feelings exactly!

Hello!  More art?  Maybe!

Beautiful statue across from el Palacio.  Love the city statuary.

The snow-capped Andes are a different form of art.   

We'd decided to cross the Mapocho River and return to Bellavista Barrio to eat dinner. Jimmy walks on a Parque Forestal path.  The river is to our left. 

A playful kitty in one of Bellavista's open windows -- cute!

Our dinner choice (after checking out many sidewalk cafes, etc) was Backstage.  We ate inside which was air-conditioned -- important to us on a 90+ day.  We enjoyed yummy pasta dinners. 

First time I'd tried Sanpellegrino.  Quite refreshing to a thirsty gal.

Bougainvillea to the max!

More whole-building graffiti in Bellavista.

After dinner, we strolled back toward our place.  Now we understood that every Sunday on Parque Forestal, people turn out here (museum is at left) to sell their stuff.  We saw families, with infants to ancients, sitting in the grass, a blanket or two spread out in front of them with stuff, usually clothes, for sale. 

 And it went on forever!

This is where we turned off to Merced (our street). A band had set up and was beginning to play. We sat for a while and people-watched, listened to music, watched jugglers, and rested our feet. Everyone seemed orderly and happy to be outdoors on a sunny Sunday. I know this is a long post with probably way too many pictures (it is a mere fraction, tho!), but it was such a full, splendid day. I just wanted to share it with you. 

"Funiculì, Funiculà" -- All day Saturday, 12/28/14

   Remember that famous Neapolitan song ?

Wait, that's close, but ... let's make that Funicular!

We don't have the street configuration down pat yet, but everything is so close -- within walking distance, really -- which is so great. Yesterday I posted about Cerro Santa Lucia. Today we aimed for the Funicular to take us to the top of Cerro San Cristobal and Santuario de la Immaculada Concepcion. Along the way, we strolled thru Parque Forestal (a wonderful greenbelt park, aptly named) that borders muddy Mapocho River (which flows from the Andes and divides Santiago in half). And I felt so much better today!

When we crossed the Mapocho, we entered Barrio Bellavista, a cool bohemian neighborhood famed for its restaurants, pubs, theaters, craftsmen's workshops and galleries. Many intellectuals and artists live in Bellavista, following the footsteps of its most famous denizen, Pablo Neruda. In the evening Bellavista pulses to the beat of music pouring from its discos and bars. On weekends, an evening handicrafts market runs the length of Pio Nono (where we crossed the river). In other words, a fun neighborhood. Lots of people milled around, crowding the narrow streets, Latino music boomed, brassy murals decorated old bldgs, and we walked, enjoying the activity, till we found the Funicular.

Ready to ride!  We bought one-way tickets to the top.

One of the large murals painted on the side of a restaurant.

 All aboard for the trip to the summit. 

If you look closely, at the top you can see cars descending as we begin our upward trip.  The funicular dates from 1925 and has been declared a Nat'l Monument.  It's a must-see attraction for tourists and locals alike, and it was crowded today (weekend).  The Funicular runs for almost 500 meters (1/3 mile) on a 45-degree incline, which is very steep!  Fantastic city views!

One view from Cerro San Cristobal, 984 ft above the city. 

A Wikipedia view looking up at San Cristobal Hill.  (keep this picture in mind)

Here we are at the top.  But this photo doesn't show the crowd!  The huge 1,780-acre Metropolitan Park is full of trails, a zoo, swimming pools, botanical gardens, and the Statue.  On its summit is a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, with a 22-meter statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an amphitheater and a chapel.

 The crown is the Virgin Mary statue,

and it can be seen from virtually anywhere in the city.

 Inside the Sanctuary of the Immaculada Concepcion.

My capture of the statue from a sanctuary window.

We decided to walk a trail back down to the city, but the signboard - in Spanish - to the trailhead was confusing. We set off, down that hill (remember the photo above?), stopping at this scenic overlook. The number of bicyclists crawling up this hill and cyclists flying down the hill amazed us. Walkers, too. What we didn't know is: We were on the wrong path .  Long story short (but not the hike!!), we went considerably out of our way and ended up with a six-to-eight mile on-yer-feet hike today!

However, if you look closely at this picture and the one above, you can faintly make out snow on the Andes, to the left of middle. Another Los Angeles, CA, similarity is summertime smog.  Santiago's AQ was poor.  We understand that winter in Santiago affords clear and magnificent snow-covered Andean views.  The construction of the sleek, TALL blue-glass bldg on the right is almost complete.

We eventually made our way back to the river (a lifeline to find our way home) and the Parque Forestal. Chileans make graffiti an art form.  This beauty, about three times the length of the car above it, graces the side of the cemented-in Mapocho River.

What a great city to be in!

The day being hot, 90ish, half the city seemed to be outside, lounging in the shade of mature sycamore or pepper trees or playing in one of the many fountains we encountered on our way, like the fountain above. 

Well, it was a long day, a very long walk, but it was a good day.  I am so grateful that I can walk these distances without that danged plantar fasciitis pain that plagued me most of last year.  Near our apartment, we stopped at a cafe for dinner and learned what the word bebida meant:  What do you want to drink?

Another great feature of our location is a grocery store - Lider Express Merced - ten paces to the right of our Merced entrance. Truly, out one door, in the other. It was always crowded, but we made do each time we stopped in. We nearly fell over when we spied Great Value items on shelves and, lo and behold, if Wal-Mart wasn't listed on the label. I guess they really are everywhere in the world.

We were tired, oh sure, but we surely enjoyed our day!