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Talca & Santiago, Chile28 Jan 2007
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Pilch takes a rest
A grand entrance to the thermal baths
A mural dedicated to the poet Pablo Neruda
| In Talca we opted to stay out of town in a German owned and run hostel. The place was a bit more expensive than the basic hostels in Chile, but it was worth it. It had extensive grounds with a much needed swimming pool and even its own farm. It was all run with 'German efficiency' whilst at the same time making you feel very relaxed and welcome. Talca is the wine region of Chile so we took the opportunity to sample a few of the local vinos. Most impressive was the Carmeniere which we hadn't heard of before but it tastes like a fuller bodied Merlot. The grapes were killed off by disease in Europe but it was recently discovered that they were still thriving in Chile - much to the delight of wine enthusiasts! From Talca we had booked ourselves into a thermal spa for a couple of nights, thinking that we would be able to relax in a beautiful location. It actually turned out to be a bit of an odd place. It was how we would imagine a Victorian Alpine health spa and rather than the rustic outdoor pools we had imagined we found cold marble bath tubs! To top it off, despite being full board, it was expensive. We were served at least 5 courses of food at every meal so consequently spent most our time feeling uncomfortably stuffed! Oh well, you can't win them all. After a few days R&R we headed back to Chile's capital, Santiago. We have found that the older parts of the capital cities usually have a lot more character and authentic culture than the more modern city areas (and no McDonald's !!), so we decided to stay in the old part of town known as 'Barrio de Bella Vista'. This part of town had narrow cobbled streets with old terrace buildings painted in bright blues, greens, yellows and terracotta. So when the sun shined (as it did all day long, and boy it was hot!) the streets looked fresh and very picturesque. We visited the museum of pre-Colombian art in the city centre. Here they had really extensive collections of textiles, painting and pottery from most South American countries. Some of them would be considered pretty rude by modern standards! We had been to visit wineries in Australia and New Zealand but we thought it only fair to fit in a visit the famous Concha y Toro vineyard in Chile. The winery is one of the largest in Chile and situated on a gorgeous plot of land just outside Santiago. The guided tour was excellent and explained the history of the vineyard. The highlight of the trip was sampling the premium 'Don Melchior' Cabernet Sauvignon and a visit down into the cellars where legend has it the devil resides (the most famous brand Casillero del Diablo' means 'the cellar of the devil') . By day, the place was pretty quiet with the pavement cafe's dotted around. It was by night that the place came alive. Buildings that by day looked devoid of life, opened up as the sun set to reveal lots of cosy rustic bars and restaurants. The bars gradually picked up pace over the evening and really kicked off with live acoustic music around 11pm. Until the early hours of the morning (4am 'ish), the narrow streets of Bella Vista would vibrate with the sound of laughter and live music, with everyone kicking back with a bottle of ice cold Corona beer or a glass of Vino tinto amongst friends. Perfecto! One night we decided to visit a very smooth looking Jazz bar. The interior was certainly condusive and the red wone went down a treat. The jazz 'diva' was a bit scary looking though. |
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