Santiago - memories of Toronto!

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I have to say, there were moments in Santiago where I felt like I was back in Toronto, and not in a bad way! It was comforting in a way. Compared to all the places I have seen so far, the city is very well-organized, the streets are pretty clean, there are road signs, people stop at stop signs. I actually caused traffic problems a whole bunch of times: I was so used to never having the right of way as a pedestrian in Argentina that I kept waiting for the cars to cross in front of me, while they were waiting for me to cross!

I spent 2 nights in Santiago at the palatial Casa Roja hostel in Barrio Brasil (apparently the hipster-student neighbourhood.) There was actually a POOL at this hostel! Highly recommended.

So I decided to spend a full day doing a self-guided walking tour of the city. I walked to the centre of town and wandered around the pedestrian walkways (no cars) bustling with business-people and tourists, and had a delicious Cafe con Leche. The first place I visited was the Biblioteca Nacional: a beautiful old building with a sleek, newly re-designed interior with plenty of rooms for studying, internet, and looking through old archives. I was tempted to chill out there for half the day, but I had lots of ground to cover!

Being the nature person that I am, I headed for the hills: first to the Cerro Santa Lucia, a small mountain downtain with picturesque, winding stairways and gardens leading up to a viewpoint at the top. I then crossed the river and walked over to the city's major park, Parque Metropolitano, and rode the funicular all the way to the top. There is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary at the very top, overlooking the city.

Heading back towards the centre, I checked out the Central Market, a huge market of fruit, vegetable, and meat vendors of all kinds. This was definitely NOT a touristy place, and I felt a little ill-at-ease as I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb, so I didn't linger. I checked out the Station Mapocho, Santiago's former train station, which recently has been used as a huge cultural centre... but apparently at the moment is closed.

Next I headed to the Mercado de Flores, another huge market, this one a bit more touristy. I was dying for some seafood, not having had any in Argentina. I sat down for a delicious plate of fried fish and chips at a hole-in-the wall diner along the periphery of the market.

The most impressive part of downtown Santiago for me was the Cathedral at Plaza de Armas. I think the inside of the church was the most beautiful one I've seen so far.

After 7 hours of walking I was ready for a break so I headed to a cinema and took in a cheesy American movie (and DIDN'T even read the Spanish subtitles - bad me!) Sometimes you just need to veg out.

Next stop: Brazil!

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Photos

The old train station
Now a cultural centre and theatre... but not in use while I was there!