Chilean Adventures: the big city

Good morning Santiago de Chile! 

Between 9am and 1pm Santiago de Chile, capital of the longest country in the world, is very quiet. Shops and cafes do not open until later, but they prepare for a very long evening. Because the sun stays for long too. It is summer in the Southern hemisphere. Just four hours of time difference divide Vienna and Santiago de Chile but times runs differently. Rapidity is not wanted so baldy like it is over here. And still everything works out very well. After one or two days of adapting to it, I am actually happy about waiting on food. It is some kind of quality too. Time, which I spend with friends to talk, to look around more effectively, time to lean back and start to dream.

My first breakfast on this trip is ordered at La Cafeteria, which I found on The Culture Trip. Spanish was not on my list to learn but I still order food in Spanish: and I receive coffee (Cafe Cortado) and scrambled eggs (dos huevos). I am heroine of the day! At least I feel like it...

Eggs and coffee. I can communicate in Spanish, I will not starve! © diekremserin on the go

I have got 1,5 days in the capital city of Chile before I meet up with my travel buddies from the US. We will head down to Patagonia first and continue our trip with the Atacama desert in the North of Chile, where we are going to hike. My time is limited but I try to take in as much as I can. I would recommend the Free Walking Tour which I spent with Andres of Spicy Chile. He was such a sweetheart! We started at 10am (you can choose from different topics!) and walked the city for three hours together. Zick-zacking downtown Santiago, walking to different markets and the little hill called St. Lucia.

We start at the graffiti at Bellas Artes metro and walk all the way to Cerro St. Lucia while we talk about Chilean politics. I was fascinated of Andres knowledge of plants from all over the world, which were planted on the hill like in a botanical garden. Even Charles Darwin has been here for a while...

And then, the markets: La Vega

Andres is very strict with his customers. We are not allowed to taste anything while we stroll through the markets filled with fresh fruit and vegetables. I guess it is one thing I missed. Because it was lunch time, all of us were hungry. But we only watch people serve food ... There are a lot of Chilean things which I cannot name (but Gudrun from reisebloggerin.at can!) because there are these orange fruit called huesillos which turn out to be dried peaches. It is very impressive how many pickled vegetables there are and how they are preserved.

Food markets are the best markets © diekremserin on the go

Corn on the cob © diekremserin on the go

Vegetables and fruit are usually not imported due to a broad variety of latitudes. Big plus! We walk across Mercado des Flores where it is over filled with beautiful flowers and smells like roses. For life and for death. 

Thanks a lot Andres for your time, the tour and your knowledge about your hometown!

Exploring all by myself...

After Andres left to his second Free Walking Tour and I try to connect do WiFi at Plaza des Armas and make plans for the next few hours via google maps, it is clear that I will head to one of the beautiful museums around here. Because, between 9am and 1pm museums are opened. At least. Free entrance, too! I am super happy about that fact and recognise only when I walk into Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes that there is a second museum in the same building too: MAC (Museo Arte Contemporaneo). Between chilean satire-Kitsch and Le Corbusier's projects for South America, I am very happy and relaxed in European architecture.

When a sailing boat... © diekremserin on the go

Santiago differs: between skyscrapers smaller newer buildings have been built or skyscrapers have been built next to very old colonial buildings. In this seven billion city a lot of decentralised centres have evolved. For instance I checked out the Italian quarter which is very close to the historical center. It has its very own vibe. You should not miss Lusitano at Av. Condell! Oh, about the Kuchen (=cake in German) - a lot of German speaking immigrants brought this German word to Chile and people use it now regularly.

PARE! © diekremserin on the go

Good Night, Santiago! 

Good Night, Santiago, although the sun sets at about 10pm © diekremserin on the go

Sun down is magical! It does not matter if you are on a balcony or at San Cristobal, the second hill around Santiago, which I have not hiked but went on a cable car with. From there, sun down is very pretty because you can see the Andes and other mountains around the capital city, even with smog around. Thank you Santiago for this wonderful time! And good night.

Staying at Gnomo Hostel
Eating at La Mensajeria
Drinking at Kross Bar