So after the usual delay, Sky airlines whisked us comfortably from Puerto Natales to Santiago, Chiles's capital, (population 6 million), where we spent the next five days...resting and regrouping, walking around, seeing a few sights. Our small hotel overlooked the Cerro Santa Lucia park, right at the intersection of the Belles Artes, Lastarria, and Bellavista barrios. The Plaza de Armas was a ten minute walk away. Great location.
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| View from our 5th floor room |
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| Cerro Santa Lucia Park |
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| Fountain at the entrance to the park |
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| Neptune hitting on a nymph, or maybe vice versa |
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A block away, oldest fire engine in South America, manufactured
in 1864 in Portland, OR; restored recently and fully operational |
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Kiddie bike rental in the massive Forestal Park, which runs by
the Rio Mapocho for seeming miles |
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| Jade plant landscaping the the park |
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Lapis lazuli is the favored gem here, and in shops in Bellavista
and elsewhere we saw quite a bit |
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| In an outdoor crafts market in Bellavista |
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| Ditto |
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Rio Mapocho; concrete basin, sort of like in
California |
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| Love-locked bridge |
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| Big buildings all over |
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| Sometimes interesting |
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Monuments and sculpture everywhere, mostly commemorating
political figures, military achievements |
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Thus; wait, no, that's Robert E. Lee and Traveler, during their
banishment to South America |
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| A gift from Napoleon |
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| Mackenna and O'Higgins...where are we? |
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The most famous statue is of course Our Lady on Cerro San
Cristobal |
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| Our Lady of the Airwaves |
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On Avenida Providencia; to the left is the Torre del Santiago,
tallest building in South America, of which more later |
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The not far distant Andes presiding over all; also subject of a
later post |
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