Wandering around Santiago

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It was another marvelous day for weather here today. I have been very lucky so far in that way. I decided to walk around town a bit and see what I might have missed. My first stop was unexpected. Over night the main street, commonly referred to as The Alameda, was blocked off to vehicular and pedestrian traffic and it became part of a big bicycle race. There was a large scoreboard set up in front of the Moneda Palace and the teams appeared to me to represent South American countries (I saw Brazil, Venezuela, Surinam, and Chile among others). Policemen were stationed every 10-20 yards to keep pedestrians behind the barricades. There were chase cars and motorcycles (with an ambulance bringing up the rear) following the cyclists. It was a big deal and all they were missing was spectators. The race - or series of races? - started at 9:00 AM and is still going on as I write this at 4:30 PM. Throughout the day I have heard intermittent cheers as the cyclists pass by, but most pedestrians seem to pay the riders scant attention. See photo. I walked around downtown and stopped at a couple of museums that I had missed before. Santiago's museums are free on Sundays. I even went back to the Pre-Columbian Art Museum because it's quality is clearly head and shoulders above the other museums in town. I got a better photo of the cathedral today because I was there when the morning light was shining on it. The main square - Plaza Armas - is blocked off for renovation and I am sorry that I will not get to see it this visit. See photo. I stopped for a café con leche (coffee with milk) at one of the few coffee shops that were open this morning. See photo. I returned to the hotel and packed myself a picnic lunch, then hiked up Santa Lucia hill. You may recall that I took a guided tour of the hill yesterday and I thought it would make a nice place for an al fresco lunch. It did. I sat near the one of the fountains and ate my lunch and people-watched. Then I walked around the hill for a bit, looking down on the bike race from time to time. It is now nearing my usual time to sit in the bar and have a drink. Here is one last photo: this is my usual table and the beer on the table is an amber ale made in Punta Arenas. It tastes fine to me, but I like McMenamins ales better. Tomorrow is a travel day and it will likely be a couple of days before I blog again. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures after that!

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