We have been in Santiago for a few days now. It's been a lot of fun exploring the city. On Sunday, we visited the zoo in the park. It was fun seeing them list animals like "Mallard Duck" as Exotic. But I guess that's how it works when you're in a different continent. We expecially enjoyed the monkeys and other primates, and got to watch some swimming penguins.
After that, we rode the funicular up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal. It's a big hill in the middle of the city, in a giant park. At the top, there is a large statue of Mary overlooking the city. We walked down the hill from there, passing through a few gardens on the way. It was a great day, with a lot of walking. We were very tired at the end of the day.
Monday, we climbed the Cerro Santa Lucia, another hill in the city, this one topped by a fortress. We got some great views of the city from the perch at the top. We joined a bike tour with La Bicycleta Verde after lunch. They took us around the city, seeing different parks and civic buildings by bike. It was an interesting perspective on the history of Santiago and Chile. Our guides, Nacha and Fabian were great!
Today, we went to a small artisan market near the edge of the city. It had a bunch of tiny shops where artists and craftspeople sold their things. There was a lot of copper and lapis lazuli jewelry and art. There were also a lot of weavers selling llama and alpaca crafts. It was a lot of fun.
The food in Santiago has been excelent across the board. We ate at a restaurant called Galindo that is considered one of the best authentic Chilean restaurants in the city. Emily had a great pork sausage with beans and lentils, while I enjoyed a stewed beef dish. We tried a Lomito at the legendary Fuente Alemana, which is a tender, sliced pork sandwich with mayo, sourkraut, and tomato sauce. We've had corn pie, empanadas, mote con huesillas, parillada (a giant pile of grilled meats), Conger Eel, Mariscal seafood stew, tender roast pork with rice, and the list goes on.
We've also enjoyed some great Chilean wines and the local favorite drink, Pisco Sour - a concoction of pisco brandy, egg white, lemon juice, and probably some other things.
Tomorrow, we head to Valparaiso to enjoy a few days on the ocean before heading home.
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