Comida!

Food! Lots of it! That is what we have been doing..EATING! A ton. Its wonderful....and a little painful...
But it has been a week since i've written so where should I begin...

THE GRINGOS

Last saturday thirty Americans arrived at the Rtiz Carlton in Santiago, California, I mean, Chile, awaiting a week long excurstion around central Chile building up to their beloved Heather's wedding.

Meanwhile, Heahter and Renato take me, Heahter's father, and sisters Tori and Colby to Renato's mother's annual family reunion. Over 200 family members gathered together at an aunts house for a barbeque. Thats a lot of cheek kissing. We got to spend the afternoon drinking white wine with strawberries, eating sausage, and watching cousins play futbol before hurrying off to get ready to meet 'the gringos'.

Heahter, Renato, Colby and I froze as we walked into the loby of the Rtiz to see them all waiting for us. Its quite a large group made up mostly of Heahter's step father, Stewart's, family, and other close family friends. After qucik hellos they all got onto their tour buss (that they have for the week) an headed off to the restaurat we ate at a few nights before with the brits. The patio was as beautiful as it was before with the sun beginning to set and the Andes posing in the backround. We all drank pisco sours and muched on apetizers (I made poor heather try an oyster with me, but we both declined the blood sausage). Then sat down to eat with Renatos wine and a choice between steak, salmon or octopus. And what did I choose...the last one of course.

Dinner ends, and the tears begin already. Stewarts grandmother owned a turkey ranch and Thanksgiving is a very important holiday for their family. Stewarts sisters presented Heather and Renato with what they called, the 'Thanksgiving book', a photo album they put together with thanksgiving and other family photos from over the years. It was very beautiful.
Stewart then went over his very nicely detailed itinerary with his group. They have all kinds that they are doing over the next week and I am going to be hoping in Heahter and Renatos car as the three of us tag along.

After the dinner Heather, Renato, Me, Colby, Chrissy (close close family friend and sudo sister) and Amy (an aunt) all head of to a party! Now, this is not a casual kick back at someones apartment. One of Renatos friends is an event planner of sorts. He throw 'parties' a few times a month at venues all over Santiago. They are like moving discos, or raves. This particular event was held in an ancient, and huge, spanish mansion right in the heart of Santiago. It was beautiful and I wish I had photos, but I don't. It is called the 'House of Glass' an has many stories of big open (and empty) rooms with big white, spiral staircases and is mostly windows, even the rooms are sometimes divided by windows. Now, we arrived at 1230 am...and it was even open yet! Have you noticed how hard chileans party yet? They usualy got from about 2am to at least 6am. So we arrived at half past midnight, early, so we wouldn't have to pay. We arrived and met Fonchi (Renato's sister) who was bar tending. Colby got to have her first piscola, Chrissy and Amy tried to recall when the last time they had gone dancing was, and I drank a jugo de naranja (orange juice- no pisco for me..). After a little foolish dancing to 80s music in the basement, we headed out around 3am, and there was more of a line to get in than to get out!

Vina Del Mar

The next day the tour bus took off with Heahter, Renato and me fallowing along in the car, headed an hour away to the beach at Vina del Mar, for the next few nights. On the way there you go through the Casablanca Valley, one of the many wine valleys in Chile, if not the most famous one. Renato then told me that his father, along with another man, discovered this valley and were some of the first to plant there! We then ate lunch and had a tasting at the vinyard of his fathers friend. Is was a four course meal! First we had a fruty wine with bread, then a chardone with rabbit, then a pinot noir with octopus, then a cebernet with tuna, then a merlot with steak. Then, a desert savignon blonc wit ice cream and fruit. SO GOOD- SO FULL.

We spent the next two nights in the nicest hotel I have ever set foot in. Did a lot of sunbathing, more eating, shopping (where I got you all very scandelous gifts) and relaxing. The first night in Vina Heaher and Rento had dinner with is mother and her parents, so I spend the night with Chrissy. We were determinded to find a 'real' completo and boy did we find one! We found the perfect place! It was small, cheap, and they didn't speak any english so we got to make fools out of oursleves as we tried to speak sanish. Ordering wasn't hard though- dos completos, dos papas fritas, and dos cervesas!
You should have seen a real completo- a hot dog bun (the hot dog is in there too somewhere, but its hard to find) with sourcrougt, tomoatoes, quocamole, and mayo. Again, I wish I had a picture- but I don't. It was perfect!

The next night we went to yet again, another beautiful restaurant. There I got to try ceveche (raw salmon) and loco (avalone). Both were amazing. Funny how when you are on vacation you become some else entirely. Colby does not like tomatoes- hates them-but here she likes them. I hate seafood- but here...
At this dinner another present was given. Another family member that recently passed was a woman who loved to travel. When ever she went to a new country she would by a charm. Amy now has that charm bracelet and wanted to give Heahter, her mom, and each sister one of those charms that best fits them. Boy did she do a good job! She gave heahter the charm from venice which is a gondola! For those of you reading this that don't know Renato proposed to heahter on a gondoal in venice on valentines day!

Santo Domingo

The next we headed in to Santiago real qucik to pick up Colby (Tory stayed with her dad) and then headed off to Santo Domingo where Renatos family beach house is to meet back up with the group. Santiago gets too hot in the summer and - much like in Europe- most people take a big porton of the summer off and live at the beach. It is very common to have a beach house. So that night we all stayed at this house and has a barbecue. For some reason it was very cold that night, so instead of getting sun at the beach we mostly hung out inside.

Talca

Now we are in Talca, where Renato and Heahter live. This is also where Renatos father lives and where he grew up. The families vinyard is here and we took a tour of it last night. They have 2000 acres of vinyard, where they grow the grapes, make the wine, and store it, and where they live. They call their store house the 'witne catherdral' because it is a bran new beautiful building that really looks like a church. It was where Heahter and Renato were originally going to have their wedding, but alas, it would not hold 500 people.
After taking the tour, we went over to the house where we had a wine tasting and barbecue, or asado. We got to taste their sauvignon blanc, then their high reserve sauvignon blanc (500 dollars a bottle), their chardone then the merlot and finally the famous carminere! The carminere is chilies specialty. Originally thought a merlot, it turns out no where else in the world can grow this grape and it makes a very fine wne. A long breath of this wine brings all kinds of bold flavors starting with a nut and ending with vanilla.
After lots of food and yummy dulce de lece cake there were heart felt thanks and presents exchanged. Stewart gave Heahter and Renato an antique cow brand that he found that is the letters H and R. You think a damon is forver, maybe even a tatoo- try a brand!
Heahter had to do a lot of translating so the two families could talk to eachother. The wedding is going to be very interesting! 30 non spanish speaking american and 400 chileans! The brides side not be able to talk to the grooms side! A true symble of the difficulties of communiaction in marriage!
Now I must get ready for thanksgiving/ reserhersal dinnner!!!

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