While in Santiago, Bill, Terrie and Dave spent the morning exploring downtown before heading over to the coast for an agricultural tour. Below is the front of the principal cathedral Plaza de Armas that marked the center of the original settlement several hundred years ago.
Terrie was particularly impressed by one of the pipe organs inside. It dates back to the mid-1700s and still works.
Terrie has a keen eye for taking picures of things that are normal here, but that are different than what you see in the states. Below are some of the mounted police that are common in public areas downtown.
Terrie was particularly impressed by this yarn shop. Knitting is very common in Chile and the yarns are very colorful and diverse. Some of the funnest yarns are made out of llama and alpaca wool.
No trip downtown is complete without a walk up Cerrito Santa Lucia. It small rocky hill a few blocks from downtown that has been turned into a sort of botanical garden and fort.
The hill has lots and lots of trails that wrap around the hill as well as stairs that go straight to the top. We were short on time so we decided to work our way upward.
At the top we found a great view in all directions of the city. Behind Bill and Terrie is the newer business sector of Santiago with the base of the Andes mountains barely visible in the background.
Historically the hill was used as a lookout station and fort. Some of the old defensive structures, such as this old cannon, are still on display.
On the way back down there was a good view looking downtoards the older part of town. Despite being a city of tall buildings and narrow streets, trees are still planted anywhere they can grow, particularly in the narrow sidewalks.
Overall it was a fun morning of exploring the city from below and from above. Before leaving Terrie got her picture taken in front of Neptunes Fountain that is located near the entrance of the Cerrito.
No comments:
Post a Comment