I was ready to get out of Santiago by Thursday, when I flew to Buenos Aires. For my final day in Santiago (Wednesday), the weather climbed back up to 33 degrees (Celsius). It was brutally hot and uncomfortable, much like the first two weeks of my stay in Santiago. I had finished up my work in the library and archives on Tuesday, so I spent Wednesday seeing a few spots in Santiago that I had yet to visit.
First I went to the Quinta Normal, which is where the 1875 Exposition was held. It was a really nice park, with lots of places to sit and watch people mill about, which is what I did for a while. I tried to go to the Natural History Museum, but it was closed, so I headed back to the city center and went to the National History Museum instead. It was a nice little museum tucked into the Plaza de Armas, the main square in Santiago.
Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera with me in the morning, so I don't have any pictures of the Quinta Normal or the National History Museum. Sorry!
I ran back to my hostel to grab my camera, and went to catch a 4pm walking tour of the city. Yes, it was a bit funny to go on a walking tour on the day before I left the city. I had signed up to do it last Saturday, but had to reschedule when I switched from my apartment to the hostel. As it turns out, I was the only person on the tour on Wednesday afternoon, so I basically got a private guided tour of the city. My guide, Pablo, was super informative and really friendly, so I had a nice time walking around with him. I took the tour as a good opportunity to take some photos of downtown Santiago. I hadn't really taken many photos downtown.
Here are some highlights:
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| One of Santiago's many old churches. I believe this is the Dominican church. |
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| The former city hall of Santiago. |
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| I believe this is Pedro de Valdivia, the man credited with founding Santiago |
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| The National History Museum, where I had been earlier in the day |
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| The central post office |
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| The Cathedral of Santiago. Also a nice shot of Plaza de Armas |
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| The Chilean Stock Exchange |
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| The Presidential Palace -- although it doesn't house presidents anymore.... |
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| The quiet cobblestone streets of the Paris-London Barrio |
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| This is the entrance to the National Library, where I spent much of my time in Santiago. The entrance to the National Archives is around the corner to the right. They are practically the same building. |
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| The Museo de Bellas Artes, which I visited during my first weekend in Santiago |
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| Parque Forestal, which I walked through many times |
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