Santiago, Chile – March 8, 2011
One afternoon and evening is definitely not enough to see the city of Santiago but that was the only time available enroute between Vina del Mar and Buenos Aires. The 10:45 bus from Vina arrived in Santiago at Centro Estacion about 11:30. We boarded the metro with Lynn and Ron heading for the Canadian Embassy to hopefully get their stolen passports replaced. Santa Lucia was our stop and we went to the first hotel which was indeed just a couple minutes from the station but they had no room available so we moved on to the second choice which was a couple blocks away and were more lucky there. This was the first time I’d worn my back pack as a back pack and it worked quite well. I definitely knew I had some extra weight on my back but it wasn’t too bad and I am still moving, which is a good sign.
Santiago was founded by the Spanish in 1541 so there is a strong Spanish or European influence in the building architecture. The current population of the city is over 6 million but it doesn’t feel like that big a city. The metro system is very fast and well organized from a traveller’s point of view except that there are a scarcity of escalators and elevators at the stations I saw. Normally stairs would be fine but with heavy bags I’d prefer not to climb stairs. The bus system is also amazing and there are lots of buses on the street. The airport buses leave every ten minutes and I think the others leave even more frequently. While the metro is faster, it is underground so your view of the city is limited. Above ground you get to enjoy at least a quick view of the architecture and the parks and the streets. The older buildings are impressive but so are the new sky scrapers that can be seen throughout the city so that the old and new are side by side.
The hotel was in the Ecuadorian district on Quito Street so pretty easy to remember. It was sandwiched between the Catholic University and the public University of Chile. Both looked quite large and there were lots of young people around the streets. The one area just below the Metropolitan Park was quite nice with wide sidewalks and all kinds of outdoor facilities. These were packed with students at lunch time. Instead of sitting down and enjoying a leisurely lunch the local food from a street corner kiosk just had to be tasted. A completo is a hot dog or sausage on a bun and smothered in tomatoes, avocado, chili sauce and almost anything else you can imagine including beans. By the time they are finished “dressing” the dog, the bun is piled about an inch over the top and it’s almost wide open. The hot dog itself just seems to disappear in the mix. My version was rather plain when compared to those that the locals were eating but it was tasty. Canada Dry ginger ale was even the drink of choice.
A friend from the Peru trip said the best spot in Santiago was up the mountain on a funicular so that was our first destination. The walk there was very interesting. Part of it was along one of the main streets and part was through the university area. Metropolitan Park is a hill in the middle of the city. There are actually many hills that suddenly appear in the city and from an aerial view they look like green domes all over the city. I don’t know whether they are volcanic or just foothills to the mountains that surround the city. The hill that Metropolitan Park is on is definitely the largest one that I saw in both height and length. The zoo is on this mountain and there are miles of hiking and biking trails as well. The funicular will take you up to the zoo or even further up to the final lookout. It was hazy but the views from the top were still nice. There were no mountains to be seen in the background but the city was at least visible.
At the top of the hill is a large sloped area with benches on each terraced area. This could be used for concerts or church services. I’m guessing that the latter is more probable as the beautiful large white statue of the virgin of somewhere (perhaps San Cristobal since it or the area is called Cerra San Cristobal) is at the top. There is also a small church that is absolutely beautiful. It is made out of a light stone and on the inside there are lovely stone carvings of biblical scenes on the wall instead of paintings or fancy altars. It is a very understated church and yet that’s what makes it so lovely. The statue at the top is lit at night and the virgin looks out over the city of Santiago and protects the city and its inhabitants. There are also several other statues around in various parts at the top and some sections that were not accessible.
There are many parks between Metropolitan Park and the old town, which was the next destination. There were also many monuments and statues. The Meseo de Bellas Artes was a beautiful old building but there wasn’t time to go inside. The stock exchange was a beautiful old triangular shaped building. Other buildings had incredible archways and pillars and carvings at the top. Some of the streets were pedestrian streets, which of course makes them nice to walk down, and they provided lots of stores for shopping. However, the really narrow streets almost prevent you from enjoying the architecture above. This area was incredibly busy around 5 p.m. which I assume must be their rush hour.
The Plaza de Armas is the main square. It is quite large but doesn’t look as large as others I’ve seen because it is broken up with flower gardens and trees and statues and gazebos. At one time this was the commercial, religious, cultural and political centre of the city but things are more spread out now. The main church, Metropolitan Cathedral, is of course on the square. It took over 150 years to build and was completed in 1899. It is an impressive church from the outside and the first thing that hits you when you walk inside is the length. I don’t know how long it is but you could barely see the altar at the other end. The pews were all up the centre aisle. The side aisles appeared to be for foot traffic only and confessionals as there were no pews. All of the aisles were narrow compared to other churches. There were domes over every altar, including those down the side aisles of the church so that was also a bit unusual. There were paintings and decorations over all of the walls and ceilings. It was nice but perhaps a bit too busy for my liking. At the front to the left there was another chapel that was the size of a normal church and it was also very nice. Some guide book said there were many architects involved in the project so there was a real eclectic mix of styles. That may explain some of the differences from other churches.
The old Palace is now the city hall and it was built in the 18th century. The National Historic Museum is located in the original Palace of the Royal Audience. This was also the seat of government until 1846. The central post office building was built in 1882 and used to be the residence of the presidents and governors. All of these are around the main square. Several street entertainers were in the park – a Michael Jackson look-a-like dancing to Thriller, some musicians, a comedian, a politician (I think). There was even a chess competition going on in the pagoda with about twenty matches underway. The participants were all male but were from all ages from teenagers to old timers. Overall it was a very relaxing square and not the usual bare square for the troops and people to gather for ceremonies.
Since 1846 the seat of government has been in La Moneda Palace, or perhaps it’s the residence of the president. There seems to be some confusion on that in the guidebooks. Perhaps it’s just translation differences. Regardless, La Moneda Palace is a beautiful large building on Constitution Plaza. It is a large white stone or brick building of several storeys. There are guards out front and even on top where there appears to be a balcony. People were coming and going through the main archway but we didn’t think the guards would let us pass. The plaza is more open than the Plaza des Armes and has a semi-circle of national flags in front so it looks very official.
The river that runs through the city, the Rio Mapocho, was pretty disappointing. It may just be the time of year but there wasn’t much water running through the channel and it was very dirty brown water at that. The channel was quite wide and deep and it had more garbage and debris in it than water so not a very appealing sight. Perhaps that’s why there were no riverside restaurants or cafes in the area.
The hotel was close to San Lucia, another hill in the area, and there was a beautiful set of curved stairs and old buildings and fountains leading to a fort at the top of the hill. In 1540 this was where the Spanish camped and later built a fort. It all became a public park in 1872. It looked great but by the time we passed it on the way back to the hotel it was 8 p.m. and it was closed. I guess that’s one for next time, along with a lot of other sights yet to be seen in the city.
And this means I’m almost totally caught up on blogs. Flew back to Buenos Aires on the 9th and just had time there in the evening to have dinner and repack for the next adventure. Arrived in El Calafate yesterday and it is definitely chillier down here!!! The Patagonia tour starts tomorrow so we’ll see how I do in keeping up with that one. I’m already behind for yesterday’s touring around.
One afternoon and evening is definitely not enough to see the city of Santiago but that was the only time available enroute between Vina del Mar and Buenos Aires. The 10:45 bus from Vina arrived in Santiago at Centro Estacion about 11:30. We boarded the metro with Lynn and Ron heading for the Canadian Embassy to hopefully get their stolen passports replaced. Santa Lucia was our stop and we went to the first hotel which was indeed just a couple minutes from the station but they had no room available so we moved on to the second choice which was a couple blocks away and were more lucky there. This was the first time I’d worn my back pack as a back pack and it worked quite well. I definitely knew I had some extra weight on my back but it wasn’t too bad and I am still moving, which is a good sign.
Santiago was founded by the Spanish in 1541 so there is a strong Spanish or European influence in the building architecture. The current population of the city is over 6 million but it doesn’t feel like that big a city. The metro system is very fast and well organized from a traveller’s point of view except that there are a scarcity of escalators and elevators at the stations I saw. Normally stairs would be fine but with heavy bags I’d prefer not to climb stairs. The bus system is also amazing and there are lots of buses on the street. The airport buses leave every ten minutes and I think the others leave even more frequently. While the metro is faster, it is underground so your view of the city is limited. Above ground you get to enjoy at least a quick view of the architecture and the parks and the streets. The older buildings are impressive but so are the new sky scrapers that can be seen throughout the city so that the old and new are side by side.
The hotel was in the Ecuadorian district on Quito Street so pretty easy to remember. It was sandwiched between the Catholic University and the public University of Chile. Both looked quite large and there were lots of young people around the streets. The one area just below the Metropolitan Park was quite nice with wide sidewalks and all kinds of outdoor facilities. These were packed with students at lunch time. Instead of sitting down and enjoying a leisurely lunch the local food from a street corner kiosk just had to be tasted. A completo is a hot dog or sausage on a bun and smothered in tomatoes, avocado, chili sauce and almost anything else you can imagine including beans. By the time they are finished “dressing” the dog, the bun is piled about an inch over the top and it’s almost wide open. The hot dog itself just seems to disappear in the mix. My version was rather plain when compared to those that the locals were eating but it was tasty. Canada Dry ginger ale was even the drink of choice.
A friend from the Peru trip said the best spot in Santiago was up the mountain on a funicular so that was our first destination. The walk there was very interesting. Part of it was along one of the main streets and part was through the university area. Metropolitan Park is a hill in the middle of the city. There are actually many hills that suddenly appear in the city and from an aerial view they look like green domes all over the city. I don’t know whether they are volcanic or just foothills to the mountains that surround the city. The hill that Metropolitan Park is on is definitely the largest one that I saw in both height and length. The zoo is on this mountain and there are miles of hiking and biking trails as well. The funicular will take you up to the zoo or even further up to the final lookout. It was hazy but the views from the top were still nice. There were no mountains to be seen in the background but the city was at least visible.
At the top of the hill is a large sloped area with benches on each terraced area. This could be used for concerts or church services. I’m guessing that the latter is more probable as the beautiful large white statue of the virgin of somewhere (perhaps San Cristobal since it or the area is called Cerra San Cristobal) is at the top. There is also a small church that is absolutely beautiful. It is made out of a light stone and on the inside there are lovely stone carvings of biblical scenes on the wall instead of paintings or fancy altars. It is a very understated church and yet that’s what makes it so lovely. The statue at the top is lit at night and the virgin looks out over the city of Santiago and protects the city and its inhabitants. There are also several other statues around in various parts at the top and some sections that were not accessible.
There are many parks between Metropolitan Park and the old town, which was the next destination. There were also many monuments and statues. The Meseo de Bellas Artes was a beautiful old building but there wasn’t time to go inside. The stock exchange was a beautiful old triangular shaped building. Other buildings had incredible archways and pillars and carvings at the top. Some of the streets were pedestrian streets, which of course makes them nice to walk down, and they provided lots of stores for shopping. However, the really narrow streets almost prevent you from enjoying the architecture above. This area was incredibly busy around 5 p.m. which I assume must be their rush hour.
The Plaza de Armas is the main square. It is quite large but doesn’t look as large as others I’ve seen because it is broken up with flower gardens and trees and statues and gazebos. At one time this was the commercial, religious, cultural and political centre of the city but things are more spread out now. The main church, Metropolitan Cathedral, is of course on the square. It took over 150 years to build and was completed in 1899. It is an impressive church from the outside and the first thing that hits you when you walk inside is the length. I don’t know how long it is but you could barely see the altar at the other end. The pews were all up the centre aisle. The side aisles appeared to be for foot traffic only and confessionals as there were no pews. All of the aisles were narrow compared to other churches. There were domes over every altar, including those down the side aisles of the church so that was also a bit unusual. There were paintings and decorations over all of the walls and ceilings. It was nice but perhaps a bit too busy for my liking. At the front to the left there was another chapel that was the size of a normal church and it was also very nice. Some guide book said there were many architects involved in the project so there was a real eclectic mix of styles. That may explain some of the differences from other churches.
The old Palace is now the city hall and it was built in the 18th century. The National Historic Museum is located in the original Palace of the Royal Audience. This was also the seat of government until 1846. The central post office building was built in 1882 and used to be the residence of the presidents and governors. All of these are around the main square. Several street entertainers were in the park – a Michael Jackson look-a-like dancing to Thriller, some musicians, a comedian, a politician (I think). There was even a chess competition going on in the pagoda with about twenty matches underway. The participants were all male but were from all ages from teenagers to old timers. Overall it was a very relaxing square and not the usual bare square for the troops and people to gather for ceremonies.
Since 1846 the seat of government has been in La Moneda Palace, or perhaps it’s the residence of the president. There seems to be some confusion on that in the guidebooks. Perhaps it’s just translation differences. Regardless, La Moneda Palace is a beautiful large building on Constitution Plaza. It is a large white stone or brick building of several storeys. There are guards out front and even on top where there appears to be a balcony. People were coming and going through the main archway but we didn’t think the guards would let us pass. The plaza is more open than the Plaza des Armes and has a semi-circle of national flags in front so it looks very official.
The river that runs through the city, the Rio Mapocho, was pretty disappointing. It may just be the time of year but there wasn’t much water running through the channel and it was very dirty brown water at that. The channel was quite wide and deep and it had more garbage and debris in it than water so not a very appealing sight. Perhaps that’s why there were no riverside restaurants or cafes in the area.
The hotel was close to San Lucia, another hill in the area, and there was a beautiful set of curved stairs and old buildings and fountains leading to a fort at the top of the hill. In 1540 this was where the Spanish camped and later built a fort. It all became a public park in 1872. It looked great but by the time we passed it on the way back to the hotel it was 8 p.m. and it was closed. I guess that’s one for next time, along with a lot of other sights yet to be seen in the city.
And this means I’m almost totally caught up on blogs. Flew back to Buenos Aires on the 9th and just had time there in the evening to have dinner and repack for the next adventure. Arrived in El Calafate yesterday and it is definitely chillier down here!!! The Patagonia tour starts tomorrow so we’ll see how I do in keeping up with that one. I’m already behind for yesterday’s touring around.
posted by Jayne Brooks @ 12:28 PM
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