Santiago: Week 1

We have spent the last few days in Santiago and are enjoying our time here. The capital city is much different than Peru and cities in northern Chile. There are huge skyscrapers, distinct neighborhoods, tons of colorful street art and outdoor cafes everywhere. The only problem is that there seem to be fewer people who speak English.








The first couple days we spent bumming around, exploring the city. We found the usual things: a main square, a cathedral, and an area full of museums. We also wandered onto a pedestrian street FULL of stands selling massive hot dogs and head-sized sandwiches. We spent one afternoon at the Museo Artes Visuales. The exhibits were really cool, but there wasn't a lot of space to put them in. We also picked up a pair of tickets to the Chile v. Paraguay World Cup Qualifier this Monday evening. A guy explained that the stadium was recently renovated. The usual (at least in South America) security measure of a huge fence topped with barbed wire between the fans and field was taken out and replaced with a massive pit. Now a lot more seats have an unobstructed view and the stadium is "more safe." We were kind of hoping to get the old experience. Oh, well.










The past couple days we ventured out into different parts of the Maipo Valley for tours of vineyards. Yesterday we went to Vina Undurraga. It was a bit hard to get to, but it was good to be outside of the city. Our tour guide was a university student that was about our age. We were the only ones on the English tour, so it was nice to talk to him about the way they make wine and things to do or see in Santiago. We walked around a small part of the fields and found out a lot about their pinot noir grapes. He told us that some parts of the vineyard were damaged by the earthquake last year, including a couple of huge vats that broke open. He said there was partially fermented wine everywhere for a couple weeks, but everything was almost back to normal now. After our tour of the fields and wine cellar, we sampled four of their wines. The two reds were alright, but the two whites were way too sweet.









Patagonian lamb roast. Unfortunately it wasn't for us.

Today we went to Vina Aquitania. It is a smaller vineyard that produces 10% of what Vina Undurraga produces (around 15,000 cases per year). Right away we knew that this place was a step up from many others in the area. The grounds were beautiful and everything was well taken care of. Our tour guide was very informational and we learned a lot about the processes of making different types of wine. The tasting at this place was a lot better than the previous day's. We only got to try three different kinds, but they were all really good. We picked up a few parting gifts at their shop, then headed back to the city center.












Tomorrow morning we are heading to Valparaiso for the weekend. We are excited to eat fresh seafood and relax by the ocean for a few days.

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Location:Gral Jofre,Santiago,Chile