Santiago

Saturday 15th December

After breakfast we headed over to the cable car which ascends Cerro San Christobal. Lots of locals go up there for picnics at weekends and there were loads of family groups heading up with cool boxes and folding chairs. The ascent in the cable car was quite breath taking. Neither of us took any photos as we were hanging on for dear life. The views of the city were amazing…take our word for it.

At the top there is the Sanctuario del Virgen, an open air church topped by a statue of Our Lady.

There were also some lazy Chilean dogs, lying in the shade.

We descended down on an open funicular railways car. The funicular opened in 1925, is 485 m long at an incline of 45/48 degrees. We travelled in good company as His Holiness Pope John Paul II visited Cerro San Christobal in 2000.

Then we walked alongside Rio Mapocho on the Parque Foresta, where there are lots of sculptures, including this impressive bronze fountain (not in water). It was given by the German Colony to celebrate the Centenary of Chilean independence. The condor at the rear symbolises the Chilean people about to take flight.

The German Colony or Colonia Dignidad had a rather unpleasant history. See the link below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4340591.stm

We then went down to the Mercado Central, which is an indoor market full it seems of every type of dead fish. (Photos to follow as they are on film not digital)

We then went to the Plazas de Armes and walked down the Paseo Ahumada, which is Chile’s equivalent to Las Ramblas in Barcelona. There were human statues of a miner and somebody in chains. They must have been sweltering in their costumes and greasepaint.

Caught the Metro (underground) back. It costs $760 which is about 90p for us both. Ken Livingstone, eat your heart out!!

In the evening, we went for a walk around Providencia before heading back to El Heurto restaurant, which as you can see from the picture was heaving. (Chileans, like Spaniards, eat after 10 pm.)

Today we have managed to do just about everything in Spanish, which we are proud about.