Santiago - Our last day.

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Day 2 - Santiago

Our last day! Determined to make the most of it, we set out on foot with a big agenda. We hopped on the subway, which was the nicest subway we’d ever been on, anywhere. Totally clean, well, lit, and with stores lining the underground tunnels. We walked all around the government buildings, which were actually really pretty. Then we made our way to the shopping district, where we browsed around and watched some wild street performers. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for walking, which was good since we had a lot of ground to cover.

We made a stop at a huge farmer’s market, that specialized in fresh fish. It reminded me of the market in Seattle, but was so much bigger. Dead fish, shrimp, oysters, calamari everywhere! There were also tons of restaurants all begging the browsers to come eat at their place. Unfortunately we’d just eaten a big breakfast, so we didn’t get to try the fresh fish.

After that, we walked to the base of a huge hill right in the middle of the city that boasted a zoo half way up, and a huge park at the top. We hopped on the inclined railroad and trucked up to the top (skipping the zoo), and had an amazing view of Santiago, which is sprawling. At the top, in the middle of the park, was an open-air church, and an enormous statue of the Virgin Mary - much like the statue of Christ in Rio. The church was set up as an amphitheater with rows and rows of stone benches, with flowers growing in between. Really beautiful. Behind the altar was an incredible view of the Andes (had there been no smog). After taking in the view for a while, we headed down to the bottom where we were greeted by people leading llamas and ponies all dressed up in Inca garb. Harold really wanted a pony ride, but we just didn’t have time.

We trekked off to Bella Vista, the neighborhood where we ate the night before, and walked all around taking in the old architecture. It was funny how completely quiet it was during the day, on a Saturday. Most of the restaurants and cafes were actually closed, and there were no cars nor people on the streets. Everyone must have still been asleep from the night before. We finally found a little street that had a few things open, and enjoyed our last afternoon beer in a café. Such a nice ritual, but somehow I doubt we’ll be able to keep it up when we get back.

We had a flight out that night, back to Atlanta, so we had a quick dinner back in a restaurant near the hotel, and toasted to a wonderful trip. We really loved each place we went, and can’t wait to go back to explore the rest of Argentina and Chile. Both are such beautiful places, with fun and laid-back cultures and people. We truly enjoyed every minute of it.

Ciao!

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