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.
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...
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.
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| Homenaje a Rodo |
