After a hectic morning of delivering cards, writing more cards, posting them and dropping JB off at the kennels, our cab turned up to take us to Heathrow. The driver who lived in Mansfield said in all the 5 years he had worked as a taxi driver, he had never been to Whaley.
The journey down was uneventful and we arrived at Heathrow with four hours before our flight. Check in and security was miraculously quick, soon at the other side we had a late lunch at Huxleys. (Butternut squash roulade with a goat's cheese and spinach filling.)
The flight to Madrid was quick but a bit cattle class, and no refreshments. The organisation at Madrid was stellar as we had a tight connection. Our seats were at the very back. Somehow our request for a veggie meal had been lost (again!) but there was a pasta dish we could eat. The flight was very turbulent and it was hard to sleep. The in-house selection of 50 films was dire as were the TV shows. Still we both dozed a bit and pretty soon we were flying over the Andes and descending in to Santiago.
A quick taxi into town dropped us off at the Hotel Solace in Providencia. Despite being assured an early check-in when we booked we were told that no rooms would be ready until 3 pm. So we headed out in the surrounding area to buy breakfast. We had no hats or sunscreen as they were packed away in our cases, so we sat in the shade. The temperature was around 30 Celcius and the sun was severe and directly overhead.
Tired from the flight and not in the mood for sightseeing, we sat at a pavement café with a beer, watching the buses and taxis go by. Some of the buses seemed to be daubed with slogans denouncing a corrupt minister.
Then we retired to our hotel and sat in the air conditioned lobby until our room came free. It was a big, modern room with views of the city and Cerro San Cristobal. It was great to change clothes and shower.
We decided to have a nap and try and recover from the flight when a lass knocked on our door to turn down our beds - the ones we were sleeping in - and give us chocolates. Around 8 o'clock we headed 3 blocks west to Orrego Luco to the El Heurto restaurant. We first came here on our honeymoon in February 2002 and have visited ever since. It's a veggie restaurant. When we first visited it was very empty but now it's the place to go for Chilean Ladies who lunch and extraneros like ourselves. Kevin had aubergine gratin and Joan ate the Neuva Mexicana. It's not Michelin starred but it's fresh and wholesome. A guy set up a speaker outside the restaurant busking and playing the traditional flute. Young kids came round the table with light up Christmas toys, hustling for a purchase.After a few hectic days, we were still in buzzing mode. Hopefully the lovely Carmenere will help bring us down.