Pablo Neruda's La Chascona & Other Lovely Finds in Bellavista

January 8, 2011 (part II)

Arriving into the neighborhood of Bellavista, we soon encountered a large outdoor craft market selling various Chilean-made art & craft-type items. We browsed the shops before gravitating toward one of the more unique stands selling knitted items: sweaters, vest, neck warms; each designed with a very particular Chilean Style in hip, interesting colors. This definitely wasn't your cooking-cutter souvenir stand; we happily picked up a few items for ourselves and few more to give as gifts.

We didn't get to wonder around the craft market too long (probably a good thing for budget purposes ;), asit was nearing the time of our schedule tour at  La Chascona, Pablo Neruda's house in Santiago), which we easily found tucked away on a side street of Bellavista. We browsed the gift shop and cooled off with some iced tea in the on-site cafe The weather was was much warmer today, necessitating a bit of cooling down after our longish trek from Providencia to Bellavista.

Now, I must admit that this is where my real-time journaling from our trip to Chile ends. Upon returning to "real life" back in the States and the demands of full-time job, I quickly lost motivation to write down a play-by-play report of what occurred during our remaining hours in Chile. But I will try to reflect on the experience a bit here.

La Chascona

And perhaps it will help that this wasn't my first visit to La Chascona. No, I also visited Neruda's Bellavista home way back in 2003; back in the days before I was using a digital camera;  before Facebook had been invented; before many of the modern conveniences that we enjoy in 2011. I have pictures of this visit somewhere....tucked away in an old photo album I'm sure; certainly not available in electronic format. My visit to La Chascona occurred early in my 2003 study abroad experience, at a time when my knowledge of Chile was much more limited than in is today and my appreciation for the eccentric poet non-existent (Pablo who?). So I was thankful to have a second opportunity to visit La Chascona with the added benefit of having studied Chilean culture and Neruda's poetry in greater depth.

As Eóin's Epic Travel Blog describes, "La Chascona was actually built and named after Neruda’s third wife, Matilde Urrutia, although at the time it was built he was still married to his second wife and Matilde was a secret…Anyway, his house is just as bizarre and quirky as the man himself. It’s decked out, like all his houses, to look and feel like a ship. Curved ceilings, ship furniture, water running past the window, narrow rooms and lots of rum. You should read a little bit about his life, a life he seemed to spend constantly lying and covering things up. I suppose the title of his last book pretty much sums up his days; ‘I Confess that I have Lived’."

I particulary enjoyed Irene Gimeno Espasa's take on the life of Neruda in her post, I CONFESS THAT I HAVE LIVED: THE LIFE OF PABLO NERUDA, SOUTH AMERICA’S FINEST POET: "Chilean poet Pablo Neruda had one of those existences that do justice to life. He got a taste of happiness and love, of justice and heroism, as well as bitterness, sadness and exile."

After the tour of La Chascona, we decided to go for quick happy hour drink before it was time to head back to the hotel and prepare for my flight back to North America, cold weather and short days of little sunshine. As we enjoyed our tasty beers among the tree-lined streets of Bellavisita, Santiago summer seemed to be in full swing; groups of friends filled the cafes and street-side tables for several blocks in either direction. A warm breeze blew through the air. I could have stayed another week. Or two. 

Enjoying a beer in Bellavista

But it was time to head to the airport, which was jam-packed full of other international tourist, most of whom were destined for the same fate as myself. A fate that included a 8 + hour plane ride, followed by a not-so-pleasant experience of clearing customs at 5am, followed by many hours in the Miami airport. All ending with the realization that it is wintertime where I live. And it gets dark at 5pm. And there are no leaves on the trees. And its cold. 

Which is why it is so important to be thankful for those blazing hot days we had this past summer. 

And that is the end of my Chilean Adventure of January 2011. Now on to other blogging topics...

Modern Conveniences in Santiago, Chile

January 8, 2011

Last day in Chile - *sigh*.

Before checking out of our hotel in Valparaiso, we were able to get in touch with the Neruda Foundation in Santiago to make an appointment to see La Chascona. Unlike the La Sebastiana in Valparaiso, you can't just walk up to Neruda's house in Santiago. We were happy to secure a tour on such short notice and very much looking forward to the opportunity to have another peak into Nerudas personality through his uniequely decorated home.

We called a taxi to take us to the bus terminal (a much quieter locale than its counterpart in Santiago), and within 15 minutes of our arrival at the terminal we were on a bus headed to Santiago. I never cease to be amazed at the professionalism and quality of service offer by the major bus companies in Chile. All of the coaches I've ridden in have been very comfortable and comparable to any charter bus in the U.S. TurBus has gotten the business down to a science, and all the employees seem to be perfectly orchestrated so that departures and arrivals are exactly on cue.

Our hour and a half journey from Valparaiso took us through the wine region of the Casablanca Valley (very pretty country indeed), and around 1pm we were pulling back into the bus terminal in Santiago. A taxi ride later through the leafy streets of downtown over to Provedencia, we arrived at our "petit" hotel. The Meridiano Sur is located along a quiet street, just off the main drag in an "old money" neighborhood of Santiago. The staff of this intimate hotel were quick to greet us: a woman, who appeared to be the owners/manager, and a gentleman in his late 50's who appears to be a newly minted employee. The gentleman showed us around the hotel; a converted home completely re-done in a crisp, modern Chilean style (white walls, wood floors, lots of glass, Chilean artwork, IKEA-style furniture). There was a cozy reading/living area with travel information and a flat screen TV, along with a small but functional computer station.Instead of getting two rooms, we opted for the penthouse suite on the top (3rd) floor, which had four beds and a nice seating area.

Meridiano Sur

After getting settled into the hotel and freshening up a bit, we headed out in search of LUNCH. Hot on the Frommers trail, I selected a place on the main street (Avenida Provedencia), just minutes from our hotel, but also on the way to Bellavista, where we were headed next. Bar Liguria received a *** Frommers rating, along with a "moments" designation in the "inexpensive dining category, so we figured it was worth a visit. The food was good, the atmosphere fun and lively, and it certainly was very memorable. You could tell the place got it's fair share of tourist (our waiter insisted upon trying out his [somewhat lacking] English skills on  us), but there was also a good number of locals dining alongside the gawking sightseers which helped to retain some of it's hole-in-the-wall charm. Upon sitting down, the waiter immediately asked us if we'd like to try an appetizer of  machas a la parmesana  (razor clams on the halfshell smothered and baked with a layer of parmesan cheese on top). Dad, ever optimistic of the palatability of seafood in Chile, promptly agreed to an order, speculating in fact that we might need a double order? No, I think a single will do...

Bar Liguria

After finishing up a tasty lunch of octopus salad with avocado, tomatoes, greens, and a light balsamic vinaigrette, we emerged from the restaurant and into the warm summertime air to continue our walk towards Bellavista. We had a little over an hour to kill before our tour was schedule dot begin at Pablos Neruda's house, La Charascona, so we were able to take our time and check out some of the sights along the way.

Fortunately, the route from Bar Liguria to Bellavista was lined with leafy trees and interspersed with grassy promenades. Walking through Parque Balmaceda, we passed by a few couples necking on park benches before stopping to appreciate the beautiful fountain (Fuente Bicentenario) and rather interesting sculpture ("Homenaje a Rodo"). Apparently both the fountain and statute are recent additions to the park; built in 2005 to commemorate Chile's Bicentennial, which was celebrated on on September 18, 2010.

Our lazy stroll through the park was interrupted by the sight of an ambulance with flashing lights and a quickly growing crowd of spectators peering in on the recent victim of a traffic accident. The scene was decidedly different than anything you might encounter back in the states, where police would have ensured that onlookers were kept at a reasonable distance from the scene of the incident.

Fuente Bicentenario

Homenaje a Rodo

Car wreck near  Parque Balmaceda

Car wreck near  Parque Balmaceda

Pablo Neruda's House: A visit to La Sebastiana

January 6, 2011 (part III)

A Chilean poet, diplomat and socialist, Pablo Neruda is certainly one of the most colorful personalities the country has produced in the last century. I was first exposed to his writing in a Latin American Poetry class that I took during my first trip to Chile in 2003. I was especially intrigued by his collection of love sonnets, Cien Sonetos de Amor. Each sonnet  is short and playful, yet somehow produces a depth of meaning that is difficult to accomplish in standard prose. It was the first time that I found myself enjoying poetry, and I have been fascinated by Neruda ever since.

I believe one of the best windows into someone's personality is to view the inside of their home, and Neruda does not disappoint in this regard. A foundation has been established in his name, and his three homes are now available for viewing by the general public. As one would expect from a poet, each home has a name: La Chascona (in Santiago), La Sebastiana (in Valparaíso), and Isla Negra (in Isla Negra). During my 2004 visit, I was fortunate to visit all three. On this trip, we made it to both La Chascoa and La Sebastiana.

La Sebastiana sits high atop one of the hills of Valparaíso. Our guidebook had provided instructions for catching a colectivo (see my previous post about this transportation option), so we decided to give it a go. We identified the appropriate collectivo without much trouble (being a well-tread tourist landmark, there were plenty of other folks doing the same thing), and were quickly transported up the winding streets in what can only be described as the most insane taxi ride I've ever been on. I have never gotten up a hill quicker. The taxi driver had to have been going close to 50 mph through narrow alley ways, giving a honk here and there when he thought it was necessary. 

We arrived safely at the gate to La Sebastiana where we purchased our entry tickets and began the self-guided tour. Via our audio guide, we learned that the house was built in the late 1940s by an architect named Sebastian (hence the name), who died before the unique house was fully completed. It sat unoccupied until Neruda purchased it in the early 1960's. The house has four floors with uniquely shaped rooms with lots of windows and knick-knacks that Neruda had carefully collected. One collection that I found particularly interesting was his colored glassware; Neruda believed it improved the taste of a drink. I have found myself searching for red and green wine glasses ever since - you know, just to check out the hypothesis ;).  Photos weren't permitted inside the house, so unfortunately I only have a few shots of the outside. 

La Sebastiana

View from the main floor of La Sebastiana