Santiago was a change of pace for us not to mention a change in temperature. It’s very metropolitan and busy, with a metro system that we easily took to for exploring the city.

Our first day we started at Plaza de Armas to check in on maps and tour operators for our upcoming Patagonia adventure (more on that later). One of the interesting observations as we walked around were the green spaces and pedestrian streets that run through Santiago, along with their many bike lanes. Outdoor activity is easily accessible in this big city, as long as you get out early before the heat of the day radiates off of the roads and buildings.

Over the days in Santiago we explored a few parks, San Cristóbal, Santa Lucía, and Parque Forestal. No worries we mixed in a bit of culture and some good food too. San Cristóbal has the best views of Santiago with its tall towers and mountain backdrop. There are several paths, both walking and biking, within the 722 hectares of the park, along with a gondola that will transport you from end of the park to another. We walked up to the top, with a picnic at one of the rest spots, and took in the sights from the steps below the Virgin Mary statue. The ramp that leads up to the statue highlights a small church and 5, or so, crosses each painted in a unique theme or pattern. It was a Sunday when we visited and very obvious that the park is well loved. Santa Lucía is a fraction of the size of Cristóbal however it lends to great paths, stairs, and views of the center of the city. It is a great mix of history with forts, a castle and canons, along with people walking, running, or just hanging out in the gardens. While Santa Lucía is a hill along Providencia Ave, Parque Forestal is a long narrow green space that runs along the Rio Mapocho. We visited the museum of fine arts and then walked through the park with biking/running paths, play structures and various historical statues, before heading to Bellavista for lunch. We found Rosie’s ... awesome Mexican food and mojitos! In the afternoon we headed outside the center of the city to learn about Parque por la Paz (park for peace) better known as Villa Grimaldi. This “park” is a historical site that details a dark part of Chilean history. During Chile’s last dictatorship approximately 4500 political prisoners were tortured at this site with close to 300 being executed. It was a well kept secret from the world...and the audio tour guides you through the property it sends shivers down your spine. Families of the prisoners along with government funding established the memorial and its elements symbolizing the history to ensure that the time period is remembered and never repeated.
We hopped on a bus to head to Valparaíso for a few days...blog in progress!