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Published: February 22nd 2007
Presidential Palace
Glynn adds to the security at the entrance to the Presidential Palace. After having been blessed with a couple of days full of sunshine, yesterday it was time for the rain to have its moment and we were essentially confined to the hostel for most of the day.
Today, however, the rainclouds were just a distant memory with the promise of a real scorcher on the cards from the minute we set foot outside. We had no set route planned so simply let our feet do the walking. Our fist encounter was at the presidential palace (at least I think that's what it was...), an imposingly grand building flanked by guards at every corner and entrance. We had no idea whether you could go inside or not so we followed the crowds and found ourselves in the central courtyard after a quick security check. There wasn't a great deal to see here other than a modern sculpture and a posh but uninspiring fountain so we kept walking until we emerged onto the great plaza on the other side of the building.
On one side of the plaza was a swanky walkway leading below ground to a big concourse full of stainless steel fixtures and miles of freshly polished glass. From what
Uniform Fetish
Time at long last to add another one to my colection of uniform fetish photos. This chap's a bit dashing, don;t you think? we could work out, there was some kind of photographic art exhibition in the basement (see photo) and a artesan-cum-museum area with examples of utensils, clothing and pottery from across Chile and across the ages although we couldn't tell how much of it was actually authentic and how much was an arty take on old traditions. still, it made for a pleasant distraction.
Next we headed to the Plaza de Armas, which is pretty much at the heart of Santiago society. Aside from the slighty tacky art stands, the plaza is alive with the buzz of local people relaxing on a park bench in the shade, young lovers locked in passionate embraces as the older folk simply sit and watch the world go by. Architecturally speaking, the plaza is bordered by an eclectic mix of styles on all sides including a neo-classical cathedral and a baroque-inspired building that wouldn't have looked out of place in the middle of Vienna. Slap bang between the two was the ultimate symbol of modernity - a tall office building covered top to toe in mirrored glass. An odd mix indeed.
We popped our heads inside the cathedral and had a look around.
Uniform Fetish - the sequel
Jude just can't get enough of those guards. Check out the handguns on their belts too - ooohhh. It was the most ornately decorated church we've yet seen here with grand altars lining the perimeter walls, interspersed with the obligatory wooden confessionals of any good Catholic church. The cathedral's ceiling was beautifully painted and over all, it was well worth the visit. It was amazing to see just how busy the church was with actual worshippers rather than tourists, a sure sign that religion is by no means dead - at least not in this part of the world at any rate.
Our day was rounded off nicely with a walk around the central market although we didn't get there until quite late and many of the stalls were closing down for the day. It looked as if everything there was a permanent fixture (including the many stray dogs and cats) so we'll be sure to come back again another day and explore it all properly.
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