More Santiago!

We have loved starting our days with this view of Cerro Santa Lucia:

Sunday was no exception, and after enjoying the view, we gave ourselves a day of rest. A nice meandering walk to the park was the most exertion we could muster, and spending the afternoon reading in the shade felt just about perfect. Across the way a clown performed for a huge group of kids, and dozens of ice cream sellers crossed back and forth across the lawns marketing their helados. We read, maybe even napped. And when we’d had enough we came back, made dinner and watched the sunset over Santiago. Not bad.

Monday we changed gears and headed to the Providencia and Las Condes nieghborhoods, east of downtown. Attempting to track down the offices for Navimag, the ferry company that runs boats through the Southern Chilean coast, we struck out – the address we were looking for must have been a corporate office hidden in a high-rise. Next up, we made our way to a wedding boutique to see what dress options might be available… I was both relieved and disappointed to find it closed. Strike two. Consoling ourselves, we stopping at a promising looking cafe for lunch. Branching out to try a salad with Mote (boiled wheat?) with papaya, palmito, and queso fresco… the result wasn’t quite what I had imagined, but something new, I suppose :) After lunch we checked out one final bridal store. While this one was open, the options… left something to be desired. The focus was certainly on satin and ruffles and rhinestones. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But… the combination of all three together may not be tops on my wishlist. I wonder if the Latin American formal-wear aesthetic may make this search somewhat challenging…

Next we headed over to Cerro San Cristobal to check out the statue of the Virgin Mary that looks out over the city from on top of the hill. On a cooler day we might have opted to hike up the hill but, feeling a bit lazy, we opted to take the funicular up to the peak. And at the top, we were quite pleased. We hiked the final switchbacks up to a massive statue towering over beautiful gardens. Rewarding ourselves with an ice cream, Santiago’s sprawl stretched out basically as far as the eye can see, and from this height we could pick our out apartment, the various sights we’d taken in, the routes we’d taken… all in all a pretty tidy way to wrap up our stay in Santiago.