As far as today, all I can say is what a day! I will try to give you a recap of today's activities, but it has been a long day and we just came in from having wine on the balcony and having a lot of laughs. A lot of fun! Ah, and there was a big party at the Golf Club across the street. Lots of fancy people going in. In comparison, the residence of the American Ambassador, also across the street, was quiet as a mouse. Today we still had time to sqeeze in a little more sightseeing, paired with an opportunity to do some damage shopping. We took the Metro (subway) to Pueblito de los Dominicos. Taking the Metro was quite a fun adventure. It was the first time for Patricia also, and ... read more

What a fun day! I must say, today's route to Valle del Maipo left no doubt that I was in Latin America. On the skirts of Santiago, the foliage, architecture, and view in general left no doubt. We drove through an area that reminded of my own home town in Cuba. It was quite warm also. Our first stop was Vina Aquitania. What a delight! It is named after the Bordeaux region of France because three of the four partners are French wine producers. It is what is called a boutique vineyard due to its small size and the exquisite quality of their wines. Just driving in I knew we were in for a wonderful experience. The driveway leading to the small but perfectly manicured grounds with a beautiful patio of flowers and benches and trees ... read more

Today I went through a mountain! I also went under a river, and this tunnel is several miles long under the city. The other one took us under one of the mountains to get from Santiago to Valparaiso. I understand not having to climb through the mountains has shortened the trip considerably. It was very impressive. I LOVED Valparaiso. It is an impossible city created up and down the hills that surround the bay. Colorful, a little shabby in areas, and with incredible views, the houses are built on streets so steep that some feel almost vertical, and a lot of them so narrow that two cars don't fit at the same time. If you get to the beginning of one street and another car is coming the other way already, you stop and wait until ... read more

This afternoon we got back to Santiago from the South, Sector 10, the Lake District. We flew into the capital, Puerto Montt, and then continued to Puerto Varas which made me smile just driving into it because it reminded me of an Alpine village. On the shores of Lake Llanguihue, this area was settled by Germans and Austrians, and their influence is everywhere. We were picked up by Patricia's cousin, Isabel, and taken to the charming bed and breakfast owned by her in-laws, who are straight descendents of the colonizing Germans so the place was very much inspired by German architecture. I have to mention that I ate more during our trip than I thought I could ever eat. Our German inspired breakfasts consisted and different kinds of home made breads, tea, coffee, juice or all ... read more