As many of you know, I am a traveler. Offer me a plane ticket and I will be ready whenever! When I was offered the chance to accompany my grandfather to Chile, I jumped at the chance.
We actually went to Argentina first. We spent two days in Buenos Aires, and let me tell you, I am in love! The city has a very European feel to it (I felt like I was in Madrid) and the tango dancers were amazing. My favorite part of Buenos Aires was getting lost in the streets and people watching.
The first picture is me in front on Plaza San Martin. It was a gorgeous walk getting there. On the way back, I walked through Calle Florida, which is for pedestrians only. Amazing stores, food, all sorts of entertainment. Along the streets, tango dancers start dancing, musicians playing along and people stop to watch and clap.
The second picture is Abuelo and I on a tour bus. We took a tour of the city and went
to all the famous neighborhoods and enjoyed the day.
Of these two pictures, the first is Abuelo and I in front of the Casa Rosada, the "Presidential Palace" (the Argentine are very creative with their names, we also saw a Casa Amarillo and a Casa Blanca!). The reason I love this building is that Eva Peron spoke to the people from its balcony (I'm not saying I like her, I'm saying I like history...)
The second picture is me and my tango dancing friend. During the tour, he and his dance partner had just finished dancing when I came upon them. She was taking a picture with another man and I was laughing at them. He came up to me and asked if I wanted to take a picture with him...It worked out well..and now I want to learn how to tango!
We then boarded a plane and went to Santiago, Chile, to stay with Pori and Pancho...We could not have asked for better hosts! We were very busy during the week because everyone wanted to see Abuelo (my family lived in Chile for 3 years in the 70s, and were apparently very popular). We had dinner plans every night and saw same amazing things!
The first picture was taken outside a balcony at Veronica's house. Downtown Santiago at dusk. Apparently, Santiago has grown tremendously the past thirty years, my grandfather did not recognize the place!
The second picture is the Metropolitan Cathedral...
We also went on a city tour in Santiago, but this was a private tour arranged by Pori. We went all over the city and then some! This first picture is Abuelo and I on the Cerro Santa Lucia, where the city of Santiago was founded. You have to take an elevator to get there, and there is a beautiful fort at the top of the hill.
The second picture is me and Salvador, Pori's grandson. He joined me in a few of our outings, and was a favorite companion of mine. Darling kid, he called me Ana and Abuelo Tete Pepe. In the picture we are at a market...
The next day we went to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. Coastal towns that are very popular and only 2 hours from Santiago. Pancho had some business there, so we went along. The first picture is us with Pori enjoying the view and some drinks.
The second picture is a side view of Vina. It was a really cloudy day, but that did not stop us. We ate some delicious fish and drove all over the city.
I also had a chance to go to the temple in Santiago. It was a very different experience because everything was in Spanish. But I met some wonderful people there, especially a sister missionary from Arizona, and I came out feeling great.
The picture of me eating is at a lunch that Pori had for her family. Everyone came and it was fun to see everyone together. We ate well, some people drank a lot, and in the end, we were happy.
Overall, this was a fantastic trip! I can't wait to go back (skiing next winter in Chile, anyone?). And Abuelo proved to be a good travel companion, something I was a little worried about.
Abuelo: Until Espania!
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