another fun day
November 3, 2007
Palacio Moneda
Today started out with a trip to Viña Cousiño Macul. It is the oldest vineyard in Chile that is still run by the original owners. The tour was informative and fun (they were very generous with the amount of wine they gave, which almost led to a fight). After spending 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get back to the center of Santiago we got off the metro at the Toblaba station, which is in Barrio Suecia. We stopped for a good lunch and then walked along Providencia (the main drag) towards the center of Santiago. The area we walked through had great energy. There were tons of people hanging out with family, eating ice cream or shopping in one of the inviting galerias along the way.
We hopped back onto the Metro (which is a little crowded, but there are tons of trains, so you will never have to wait long) and headed to the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. This is the most famous museum in Santiago, and it definitely deserves that title. The museum is deceptively large and has some of the most well-preserved artifacts I've seen. There was also a temporary exhibit called "Morir para Gobernar, Sexo y Poder en la Sociedad Moche" (Death to get government, sex, and power in the Moche society) which was interesting in it's uniqueness.
On the way back to the Hostal we stopped by the Palacio Moneda and took photos of the crazy statues there.
Palacio Moneda
Palacio Moneda
Palacio Moneda
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombi
…
This restaurant is hidden amongst the many very expensive restaurants in Barrio Suecia. The greatness of the restaurant is that it actually spices the meat in the sandwiches, which is a very rare occurence in Chile. My 1.550 peso, US $3, Italian Sandwich (avocado, tomato, mayo and basic beef slices) was delicious, versus most similar sandwiches in Chile which are boring. In addition to the good, cheap food, the restaurant was also playing some great music from the 80's and 90's. If you're like me and are fed up with boring cheap food, stop here and get good cheap food!
For US $6 (3.000 pesos) you can get into the most famous museum of Santiago. It is full of artifacts in great condition with good explanations in Spanish and English. In addition to the permanent exhibit on the second floor of the museum, there are always temporary exhibits on the first floor. If you're in Santiago try to stop by the museum for a few hours.
For 5.000 pesos (US $10) we had a great guide. Our tour was in Spanish, but English tours are available on certain days. In addition to information about the vineyard we received generous portions of wine to taste and a special glass to keep. If you have a few days in Santiago and want to get out of town this is a good place to go. Be aware that you must make a reservation beforehand. You can contact the vineyard to do this, or go through a hostel or travel company, which shouldn't charge you extra for the service.
