Ready? Set. Santiago!!!

There's no rest when you quest across a continent. With one day to see Santiago, we knew what was ahead...so we flew out of bed, chewed through our bread, and, dude, did we shred our feet pounding street after street after street. A short time-warping walk from the antiquated London-Paris space, we entered the accelerated downtown pace on the liberator's boulevard, Avenida Bernardo O'Higgin's--eight careening lanes of car lines, racing between green lights. Bubbling away was this watery display which marks where another wonderful, beautiful, exhausting, sight-filled day ends and embarks...

The Heroes Monument Television Tower hides on the horizon.

Speaking of hidden, let's begin the "Cuántas Leandras?" contest! Count how many times Leandra appears in this post and put your name and the number in the comments--the winner gets a Montevideo asado dinner with Adam and Leandra!


A few meters behind the fountain lies Santiago's oldest building--the Convent and Museum of San Francisco. A bit ironic because, built over 400 years ago, thrice it was saved from the earthquaking wrath of God! Had the priory perished, this cherished parish couldn't share its precarious but well-cared wares: hundreds of religious relics housed in the nunnery dorms, protected from quaking and the taking of photos. But, like a scene in a moving movie, the cloistered courtyard gardens--crossed by enlightened paths--burst with the quenched thirst of lush plants, plump coi, and fluttering doves...







Scrambling through traffic, and ambling down the avenue, we find the financial district where we take stock of what thrills are due. Built in 1917, Bolsa de Comercial, in a doubly domed art deco design, is Chile's capital city center of trade. Inside, La Rueda, or The Wheel's wood rails roll around the room, waiting to bolster deals after the brokers' midday meals. Then, we hobbled the cobbled street of Nueva York to meet with Plaza Constitucion, where the historic Palacio Moneda looks mint. However, in 1973, Pinochet and his rebel posse bombed this building in a coup d'état that began seventeen years of dictatorial tyranny. Next, we entered the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, and our thoughts centered on the remains of surly Spain's early conquests. Over a thousand rousing pieces created uncounted ancient Americans were guarded from cameras by the ancestors of their conquerors...







Plaza de Armas, was built in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia, who proclaimed Chile for Spain. Today, it was being conquered by multiple mascots of Dr. Simi--Mexico's multi-national poor pharmacy...I think this campaign is called "Hugs AND Drugs". Unlike the monastery, the Metropolitan Cathedral has seismically suffered five times since being built in 1748. Beside Catedral Metropolitana, the previous palaces that prettified the perimeter now proudly possess Chile's Natural History Museum and Central Post Office. Nearby, Casa Colorado, constructed colonially between 1769 to 1779, was Chile's first president's residence...








Wandering toward Rio Mapocho, we pondered a call on Santiago's Mercado Central. If fish is your wish this caboodle of kitchens have your dish--from fresh ceviche to deals on conger eels. Sinking into the inner depths, we find schools of tourists swimming about while predatory waiters try to lure them to their tables. But, after checking the sundial, we disembarked with a smile, and set a course for the virgin shores of Cerro San Cristóbal. A two man marching band greeted us as we fleeted away...






We hopped a cab and stopped to grab the spectacular funicular that climbs Cerro San Cristóbal. Like a Disneyland ride, the dizzying rails hide inside a castle with room for long lines. But, with a very brief wait, we soon escalate the eight hundred meter incline. Below, Santiago shows places we were and will go: edificios, museos, barrios, mercados, and cerros. From above, Parque Forestal, the green riverside sliver, and Cerro Santa Lucia, the little hill we will visit still, are easily identified between Barrio Bellavista and downtown. Climbing higher toward heaven, we admire immaculate marble versions of saviors and virgins whose global renown was reckoned by Pope John Paul II in 1987. Around back, a teriffic two-tiered teleférico transmits toursists from top to bottom, where you can choose interludes in blooming gardens, azul pools, or a cru museum. We u-turn on the tram, return to where we began and find some final Andes-backed--albeit smog-packed--pics of the city, before we plummet from summit via diagonal train...













Funneled from the funicular tunnel, a cute couple of exploited llamas caught our eye, but we avoided their photo-taking peso-making owner and sneakily illegally poached our own picture! After food, drinks, and cheers to us, we hustled through plaza Mulato Gil de Castro. Named for a Peruvian portrait painter, the ambience is adorned with adorable cafes and vendors' splendors. Sydney, a local photogenic Jack Russell, auditioned his acting abilities with permission of his proud personal trainer...






With an original aboriginal Mapuche moniker meaning "melancholy", Valdivia founded Santiago on this stocky outcropping in 1540 knowing it's essential potential as a fort. Before its renaissance, it served as a reconnaissance point for conquistadors. Once thought a pox on the city, in 1872, a prisoner crew re-drew the rocks into pretty walks and fairy tale terraces. Nicely cultivated gardens, highly regarded cultural centers, and ardor grew widely among artists, architects, anthropologists, arborists, and amorists. It's authentic Spanish cannon booms at noon, while historic and histrionic stuctures cluster around: the steeple of Santa Lucia Chapel, the fortifications of Castillo Hidalgo, the brick portcullis of Fort La Marcó, the baroque gurgling golden Temple of Neptune, and the yellow stairs and squares surrounding the Museums of Art and Anthropology...













With a camera low on power we slam into rush hour back on Avenida Bernardo O'Higgins. We wiggle through crowds toward Hotel Vegas passing Chile's biggest of bibliotecas, the National Library. After showers and rest, we're dressed to digest Chile's best at Confitería Torres, Santiago's oldest restaurant, blessed with a tango duo on a red stage, red meat and red wine--a formula for business success since 1879. Waltzing away dessert, we flirt freely if front of Plaza de la Libertad, across from illumined Palacio de la Moneda's regal facade. Despite the dark, the stark television tower gives us a good reception...







Just outside the London-Paris area's edge, Leandra lounges on the fair fountain's ledge, allowing a luminescent look at the abbey of Saint Francis where we began our day. A short stride away, Hotel Vegas hides away, waiting to welcome two weary world wanderers...

Tomorrow, we say so long to Santiago, bus back across the Andes with reservations in Mendoza's renovated resort and bodega, Club Tapiz, for an extensive stint scrutinizing vintners and vintages...