Sandwiched between the Andes and the coastal range, Santiago is Chile’s capital and financial center. I use the term “sandwiched” advisedly: “sandwishes” (not a typo) seem to be the national lunch choice, and they bear little relation to your basic two-slices-of-bread-and-a-filling. Or, I should say, they bear great relation, because they are roughly three times the size of an American sandwich and stuffed to the point that they must be tackled with a knife and fork. And of course, they are slathered with mayonnaise, which seems to be the national condiment of Chile.
But I digress (again). Before the official start of our Gate 1 tour last night, I wandered around the Lastarria district, home to our hotel (the Hotel Cumbres Lastarria, a modern, well-appointed, very comfortable property with a friendly and helpful staff). I found two notable attractions within five minutes’ walk of the hotel: the Museo de Bellas Artes (Fine Arts Museum) and Cerro Santa Lucia.
Being a Monday, when most of Santiago shuts down, the Museum was closed, but it’s a striking building fronting a beautiful park. I walked through that park on the way back to my hotel, but first I checked out the view from the top of Cerro Santa Lucia, which is well worth doing if you don’t mind huffing and puffing up 300 rather uneven steps to get there. (There’s also an elevator, as I found out when I reached the top, but I was glad for the exercise.)
In addition to the view, several gardens and monuments cling to the slopes of the hill and paths (many shaded) dotted with strolling couples and families circle and crisscross the park.
Our tour kicked off with a reception and dinner hosted by our guide for the next two weeks, Sol. I can already tell she’ll be terrific, and my initial impression of our large group (39 in total) is very favorable. I’ll say it again: people who travel widely are almost always open-minded, interesting, and accomplished, making for an experience that’s both enjoyable and enriching.
The first official venture for our group was a Tuesday morning tour giving an overview of the city. Our local guide, David, was quite good. He could be Lin-Manuel Miranda’s brother, he has a voice like Barry White, and he brims with self-deprecating humor and interesting stories and observations.
We stopped first at Bicentennial Park, a lovely oasis containing a lagoon in which black-necked swans glide gracefully, koi swim leisurely, and parakeets squawk from the trees.
Following the park, we took the funicular up Cerro San Cristobal, which is topped by a gleaming statue of Mother Mary (unlike Paul’s mother Mary, who came to him, reaching the statue requires climbing a hundred steps or so. I’ll let it be at that).
Literally uplifting fact: one of the engineers who stress-tested the components before the funicular opened in 1925 became President of Chile in 1958.
Cerro San Cristobal offers panoramic views of greater Santiago. I’d consider it a must for any visit to Santiago. Our round-trip funicular ticket was included in the tour; it normally costs 2,250 Chilean pesos (2.59 US dollars).
After leaving San Cristobal, we headed to the Bella Vista area, which is filled with restaurants, cafes, and street art.
Our final stop was the Presidential Palace (Las Monedas, so called because it used to be the Mint). It’s a blocky, low building fronting a square surrounded by government ministries. I don’t think it’sworth a special visit, although every other day there’s a changing-of-the-guard ceremony that is supposed to be impressive.
After lunch, Shari and I headed to the Fine Arts Museum.
We spent most of our time looking at the work of modern Chilean artists, some of which I enjoyed and much of which, as is true of abstract art in general, I didn’t grasp.
The inside is spacious and dignified, and admission is free, so by all means go if you’re interested in art and have some free time.
Tomorrow we fly to Puerto Montt in Patagonia, en route to Puerto Varas. Stay tuned!
PuffinlessTravel 