Valparaiso, ChileJan 29, 2010
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Plaza de Armas and Cathedral
Changing of the guard at the Presidents Palace
Changing of the guard at the Presidents Palace
| Today we docked at Valparaiso and visited Santiago. Valparaiso was the largest and busiest port of Chile until the Panama Canal opened. Chile’s national Parliament still meets in the city. We took a tour of Santiago - about a two-hour drive from Valparaiso. About one-third of the people in Chile live in Santiago. The city is inland and surrounded by mountains. On a clear day, you can see the Andes in the distance. The problem is that Santiago holds smog, so it looks much like LA on a bad day. The city is a combination of modern and historic. We happened to be at the Presidential Palace at the changing of the guard that only happens every other day at 10 AM. Military bands were playing, soldiers were marching, and mounted military with their spectacular horses paraded around too. It was quite the spectacle. We visited San Cristobal Hill for a wonderful view of Santiago and got some great pictures. Then, we spent some time in a shopping area designed to resemble a small village with several handicraft shops and people practicing their craft skills. There were also lots of birds for sale – and puppies in cages too ☹ I wanted to bring them all home with us. We had lunch at the wonderful Like Water for Chocolate restaurant (named after the famous book) before returning to the ship. Actually, Don had lunch. Their specialty was seafood. Everyone in our group was ordering Chilean sea bass, and Don had that too. It was served flaming – very dramatic. Everyone seemed to love the food. I waited until we got back to the ship to eat. No fishies for me! |
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