After an adventure filled Sunday, Monday turned out to be very low key. I returned with the wife of one of Jim's business associates to Los Dominicos and bought some souvenirs. I then spent the afternoon wandering the streets of Santiago trying to find a particular souvenir shop. My mission was not accomplished. I did get brave enough to try a traditional Chilean food for lunch, pastel del choclo, which is a kind of corn and meat pie. I have to admit that I was not particularly impressed. Dinner with the HP bunch was much more impressive. Jim and I tried congrio (conger eel), a fish particular to Chile. My caldillo de congrio, a hearty fish stew, was delicious. The recipe is actually the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's, Oda al Caldillo de Congrio.
Jim's filet was outstanding!
First stop was the Parque Arauca Shopping Center. Not interested in shopping, I took pictures from the bus.
La Chascona, another home of the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.
Hidden, seemingly ancient ruins.
Parque Metropolitano, a nearly 2,000 acre park and recreation area located on a hill in the center of the city.
I traveled to the top via funicular which was built in 1925.
The funicular station
The funicular
The views could have been spectacular on a clear day. Unfortunately, it was cloudy.
On my hike to the top of the hill, I encountered a church surrounded by beautiful gardens,
adjacent to an area with stadium-type seating.
The top of the hill was crowned by a 72 foot statue of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepcion.
I rode a cable car from the top of the hill to the base. As I was swaying above trees and rocks, I was hoping that cable cars in Chile are well maintained.
Midway in my journey my car entered a building. An attendant opened my door and seemed to ask me in Spanish if I would be getting out or continuing down the hill. Surprise! I didn't know this was going to happen. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I knew I wanted to end up at a Sheraton Hotel and asked him if this was the stop for the hotel. He didn't understand me. I couldn't understand his reply. He asked me for my ticket but I couldn't find it. Throughout this whole exchange the cable car was moving. Exasperated, the attendant closed the doors and I continued down wondering where I would end up. I found myself at a park, not the Sheraton Hotel. After about a half hour of walking without finding the Sheraton, I came upon some guards at the entrance to the Parque Metropolitano. After another exchange with little understanding on both sides, I continued on my way towards the funicular, the only word I was able to understand in my conversation with the guards. I found it and was thankful to be no longer lost!
Next, I explored Bellavista. It's tree lined streets are filled with colorful antique houses that have been converted to shops and restaurants.
Some of the buildings looked ancient and some, neglected.
I saw mounted policemen and felt very safe.
In my quest for lunch, I walked through an area filled with small shops and restaurants but decided I didn't want to take the time to sit down and eat. I satisfied my hunger with a gelato instead.
Our next stop was at the The Palacio de Bellas Artes, the city's Fine Arts museum, inaugurated in 1910. I didn't see much in my quick 20 minute tour. The building was exquisite. I especially loved the glass roof.
I reboarded the bus to continue the tour and disembarked at the Plaza de Armas. Pedro de Valdivia, who conquered Chile for the Spanish crown, founded this plaza in 1541.
The Cathedral of Santiago and the central square
The Royal Court of Justice which is now the National History Museum
The Governor's Palace (now the Central Post Office) and Santiago City Hall
The former National Congress Building
We continued our tour to the Mercado Central. A large share of Chile's economy depends on the exportation of products such as fruits, vegetables, and seafood, and the market sells everything the country has to offer.
Cold, footsore and out of time, I skipped the last couple of stops to get back to the hotel to rest up and prepare for dinner.
Dinner with Jim's business associates was at a crazy ship-inspired restaurant in the Bellavista district. Since I had visited the area earlier in the day, I was able to play tour guide after dinner and lead everyone to Pablo Neruda's home up the street.
The next day, we ate breakfast for the final time at the hotel dining room buffet. It was delicious as usual, especially the fresh fruit!
Then we hailed a taxi to take us to the airport to catch our flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina and our next adventure.
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