Got an early start to the day with a flight to Santiago Chile. Santiago is a more modern looking city. Here they experience many earth quakes and so there are few buildings surviving from the earliest days. Our hotel is located in the Lastarria area of the city adjacent to a large park. The park has many monuments, though they look a bit “sad”. An interesting one was the bust of Abraham Lincoln, donated to the city in 1985 by the then American ambassador.
Being Sunday there were many families and various entertainments going on throughout the park.
What is Abe doing in Santiago? 
Puppet Show 
Magic Show for kids 
March 11 Santiago
Our tour of the city begins at the center, the Plaza del Arma. Here is the Presidential Palace (the offices of the President, not his residence. In Chile there is no formal Presidential residence). We stopped to watch the ceremony of the changing of the guard.
The Cathedral 
Don Pedro de Valdiva, founder of Santiago 
A statue paying homage to indigenous people. 
Presidential Palace 
Changing of the guard 
Someone has to clean up after the horses.
A view of the city from a high point. Here you see the tallest building in South America. Also an amphitheater where they do concerts.
From the city center, we drove out to the country side for lunch and then some wine tasting. The Lunch was at Las Majadas de Pirque which was the country estate of a rich Chilean, but is now converted to a conference center. For those who have asked: the lunch, served family style, consisted of salad, roasted vegetables, risotto, fish and pork. For dessert there was a peach mousse. Way tooooo much food. Needed a siesta after that, but there is no siesta in Chile.
The wine tasting was at the Hara de Pirque winery. A beautiful estate that is now owned by the Antinori family of Italy. The winery is in the shape of a horse shoe, homage to the other venture of the original owner, breeding and racing thorough bred horses. The tasting room is under the water fountain in the middle of the horse shoe.
The wines were good, especially the Albis, we tasted last.
The Vineyard 
The Winery is in the shape of a horseshoe. Note the fountain. 
Standing, before the wine tasting. 
The barrel room. 
The tasting room 
The ceiling of the tasting room is formed, in part, by the fountain above. 
The wines we tasted.
Then the drive back to our hotel. Drinks at the rooftop bar and snacks (no dinner).
March 12 Valparaiso
Valparaiso is a colorful port city. It is built on the side of the mountain, with many areas that overlook the port. Here you find the national assembly, even though the President is in Santiago. The idea is to decentralize the government. We started our tour at one of the three houses of poet and stateman, Pablo Naruda. The home high up on the hill side, is a 5-story eclectic wonder. Filled with many of the things the poet collected throughout his life time. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside the house.
Naruda’s house, La Sabastiana 
The view from the Naruda House.
Many of the houses and businesses in the historic district are painted with colorful murals. Some are merely expressions of whimsy, while others contain a message, historic or political.
A funicular to help climb the hills. 
After lunch we moved a bit down the coast to the city of Vina Del Mar. A newer city built along the beach. Many retires settle here. Essentially Chile’s Miami.
In the city there is an archaeological museum where we got a brief glimpse of what was to come in the next few days when we reach Rapa Nui, aka Easter Island.
That is all for now.