Santiago de Chile

Santiago is the capital of Chile. It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of 520 m. The city has a downtown core of 19th century neoclassical architecture and winding side-streets, dotted by art deco, neo-gothic, and other styles. There are several stand-alone hills and mountains of the Andes chain can be seen from most points in the city. The Chilean executive and judicial powers are located in Santiago. We went through the city watching La Moneda Palace (the seat of the president) as well as Plaza de Armas (main square with Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago).

Later we went up the Cerro San Cristóbal. On its summit is a 22 meter statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The hill offers a beautiful view of Santiago as well as the Andes.

Down again we roamed the streets of the neighborhood Concha y Toro with its medieval-like street plan. Afterwards the Pueblito Los Dominicos was our destination. That's a crafts market and popular tourist shopping destination in a heritage zone of Santiago. For the evening's schedule we visited two hip bars in the neighborhood of Cerro Santa Lucía: the wine bar and the pisco bar! ;-)