On our first full day in Santiago, we take a private tour of the city including most of the major historic spots. Then we hike up San Cristóbal hill to the Metropolitan Park.
1 Our guide Tanya picks us up for a half-day tour of Santiago. We see lots of examples of the vibrant street art for which Santiago is known.
2 The building owners pay artists to use their building as a canvas. You'll notice there's also some less artistic graffiti, the result of political upheaval over the last several months.
3 Even the churches are not immune to the anti-government messages.
4 More interesting street art.
5 Then we drive up Cerro Santa Lucía, which has served as both an important religious and military location over the centuries, including Fort Hildago in the 1800s.
6 The view of downtown Santiago from Santa Lucía hill.
7 Memorial for a famous Chilean historian and politician.
8 Another memorial on the hill.
9 Another view of downtown Santiago. The surrounding mountains and lack of wind cause heavy pollution almost year round.
10 Palacio de la Moneda, government headquarters, and office of the President. The courtyard is surrounded by barricades as a result of the recent protests.
11 Monument to Salvador Allende, Socialist leader of Chile until 1973 when he was ousted by a coup led by Pinochet and backed by the CIA.
12 Headquarters of the Metropolitan Region of Chile (equivalent to a state in the United States).
13 The old National Congress building.
14 The Supreme Court building.
15 Next we spent some time in the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino (Pre-Columbian Art Musuem), which has a ton of interesting artifacts.
16 And then we came across some Chinchineros. They dance while playing a drum on their back together with cymbals controlled by a foot pedal. It's a fascinating performance.
17 Video of the Chinchineros.
18 The Metropolitan Cathedral along La Plaza de Armas.
19 A nice fountain in the middle of Plaza de Armas.
20 The Post Office building alongside the plaza.
21 Another cool old building on the Plaza de Armas.
22 STGO is the local abbreviation for Santiago.
23 Next we walked through Mercado Central, which has an amazing fish market. The selection of fish is impressive, but I'm not sure I'd want these on my plate! With that, we headed back to the hotel.
24 After a brief break, we decide to check out San Cristóbal hill. It's home to the Santiago Metropolitan Park, which has some trails leading to the top.
25 Dad at the entrance to Parque Metropolitano de Santiago.
26 Tapahue pool, a huge community pool in the park.
27 A look at the gondola taking people up the hill in two stages to the summit almost 1,000' above downtown Santiago.
28 After hiking to the top of the hill, here's the view of downtown Santiago, with the Costanera building dominating the skyline. We have some ice cream (the ice cream has been amazing throughout Argentina and Chile), and then take the gondola down.
29 Dad checking out the view from the gondola on the way down. Santiago is a huge, sprawling, dense city.
30 Later in the evening, we have dinner on Avenida Providencia. Stray dogs are everywhere throughout the cities in both Argentina and Chile. This guy knew exactly how to beg without being aggressive enough to get himself kicked out. Then it was time to head back to the hotel for the night.