First things first, thanks to my wonderful parents who sent a new camera to me I can now share some snapshots of this beautiful place. But I’ve got to be honest, it’s a lot of pressure and quite the task to try to capture the majesty of the snow capped Andes or the sunset on the beach but I’m sure as heck gonna try.
So my camera arrived just in time for our group excursion to Santiago. We spent two nights there and did a lot! We left Viña bright and early Monday morning and got started pretty much as soon as we got to Santiago. A graduate student from our university showed us around the Plaza de Armas, which was surrounded by gorgeous old buildings in stark contrast to the giant skyscrapers of glass rising from the neighboring streets. On the plaza was the National Cathedral, quite stoic in the middle of the bustling city and inside was so peaceful. The shrines and altars were magnificent. You could tell it was built by the Europeans as they developed Santiago but there are distinct elements of Latin American culture like in Mary’s chapel where they hold hourly mass. I love the churches here.
 |
| Inside the National Cathedral with the beautiful organ tower. |
 |
| My favorite chapel in the Cathedral, the chapel of Illumination. |
Monday evening I met up with my friends Carolyn and Beth from high school who are both spending the semester studying in Santiago. Actually, as it turns out, there are 6 Raiders in various parts of Chile this semester, yeah, we’re pretty awesome. Anyway, Carolyn and Beth showed a few friends from my program and I around different parts of Santiago and we ended up in the adorable neighborhood called Bellavista for dinner. It was so cool to me to be sitting at a sidewalk café in Chile catching up with friends from home. As we were paying our bill we spotted Michael Cera as he passed by! Two girls from my program ran into him earlier in August in Viña. I guess he’s studying Spanish in Santiago right now and he just so happened to walk past our café! We tried, quite unsuccessfully, to stalk him until we were totally busted and ran away. But I swear it was him! After the Michael Cera incident we tried 4 different ice cream shops and they were all closed at 9, totally unheard of in Chile. So we ended up going to a crepe stand where we met a girl who went to Moundsview high school in MN! Is that destiny or what!?
 |
| Raider reunion in Santiago! |
The highlight of Tuesday for me was the Museo Colonial. It’s a museum filled with religious colonial art from Ecuador, Peru and Chile brought here by Europeans to evangelize to the indigenous people. The museum is housed in an old Franciscan convent attached to the first Catholic church of Santiago. Again, magnificent. So serene. While the tour got a little long (pushing 2 ½ hours), I learned a lot. I stopped in the church on our way out, trying my best not to disturb mass. The frescos in the dome of the church were awesome. Tuesday just so happened to be the 7th anniversary of Natalie’s diagnosis of leukemia so I lit a candle for her and walked out with an overwhelming feeling of peace and gratitude. I’m living in Chile. Wow.
 |
| View from San Cristobal hill; a palm tree and the snow-capped Andes. Welcome to Chile! |
Wednesday, on our way home to Viña we stopped at a traditional Chilean restaurant and then at a gorgeous vineyard in the Casa Blanca region called Casas del Bosque. It was a chilly overcast day in the Casa Blanca valley but the vineyard was lovely and I’m not much of a wine person but the Sauvignon Blanc we tasted was delicious!
 |
| Mi amiga Bre and I at the wine tasting. Fancy pants. |
So we got back to Viña, had one morning of classes and then Fiestas Patrias began! Fiestas Patrias is the Independence Celebration here. Take our 4th of July plus St. Patrick’s Day times New Years and throw in a couple birthday parties and you’ve got a fraction of Fiestas Patrias. Here are the necessities: an asado which is basically a marathon of eating. Start off with sugared peanuts and some vino de chirimoya (chunky but delicious) then an empanada warm off the parailla soon followed by churipan (upgrade of a brat). By now you’re probably drinking Fanchop (beer and orange Fanta) or some kind of pisco, my new favorite is Mango Sour. Alright, time to move inside for the meal: ribs, steak, chicken, lettuce, corn, tomatoes, potatoes and of course lots and lots of pan. Fiestas Patrias will also include reggaeton, cueca (Chile’s national dance) and also a trip to the Ramdas, similar to a town fair. The one in Viña had rows and rows of restaurants all serving the same things: empanadas, anticuchos (kabobs), chicha (super sweet alcohol with grenadine) and terremotos (the “earthquake” drink, deadly).
I also had the pleasure of joining my friend Bre and her host family in the small beach town of Maitencillo about an hour north of Viña for a night during Patrias. It was so picturesque and relaxing and the shopping was great..my wallet was way lighter when I got home last night. I ate enough to last me a month, literally, learned a new card game and quite a few new Spanish words from my slightly intoxicated hosts. It was a joy.
 |
| The view from the cabin in Maitencillo, I could get used to this. |
Well needless to say it’s been a busy week! I hope all is well with you and yours!
Cariñas,
Mackenzie
No comments:
Post a Comment