Santiago spending (part II)
In general, as expected, Santiago was on the cheaper side. The apartment was slightly cheaper than my first. I spent more money on eating out and drinking this time. Even though I had a kitchen, I did not cook that much. Cultural activities seem low, but a lot of museums are free or cost less […] Read More
You can never do the same thing twice
You can never do the same thing twice. If anything, this is a lesson that I have learned, here in Santiago on the second visit. Not that it’s been bad. On the contrary. It’s been great fun to be back, it’s been familiar, and easy. It has not been the same, rather a smooth continuation of […] Read More
La Vega
Market time! I took a stroll through Santiago’s famous fish market, the Mercado Central, with its fish stands and fish restaurants. The restaurants are a bit touristy, and you can’t walk through without a camarero trying to get you to sit down, but it’s a fun place to visit. After the stint at the Estación Mapocho, I […] Read More
Estación Mapocho
Time to revisit another place that was a favorite of mine last time around, Estación Mapocho, an old train station, now decommissioned, that once linked Santiago to Northern Chile. Built between 1905 and 1912, the station was constructed in time for the centennial celebrations in Chile, which also saw the construction of the Museo de […] Read More
Ultimos días
I am melancholic. I just feel like I am saying good-bye all the time now. Earlier throughout this trip, every good-bye to a friend or a city also implied a new beginning in the next place, new friends to be made, new places to be explored. But with just over two weeks left, there is […] Read More
Ticket panic
I got up at 5.45 in the morning, in time for the pre-sale of Madonna tickets in a couple of European cities. Ticket panic! As usual, the first day of a pre-sale went horribly wrong. Links that were supposed to work at a certain time were not activated yet, and fans were in panic… until […] Read More
Santa Lucia
Lazy day. I spent it in Parque Forestal, in a café and then on the Santa Lucia hill, reading under a palm tree. Santa Lucia is a small hill in the heart of Santiago, a steep climb with a nice view, and a couple of fountains. It is the heart of the city of Santiago. […] Read More
Descent into Brussels
I needed some time to recover from the Thursday night drinking binge. I slept in on Friday, till early afternoon, and then just hung around the house, cleaning a few things, bringing the laundry to the washing service…. then having a tea on a terrace. It was a beautiful, warm day, but I really needed […] Read More
Borracho
In my life, I’ve only been drunk to the point of being sick twice. Once in college, in Bruges, where I decided Vodka mixed with Gin would be a good idea, and once a few years later where I could’t stomach a mixture of wine, beer and weed. Yesterday was #3. Not too bad, considering I’m […] Read More
Cerro San Cristóbal
I always pushed it back to ‘tomorrow’, and in the end, I didn’t see it at all: Cerro San Cristóbal, the hill that dominates the city of Santiago. On a good day, you can see much of Santiago lying to its feet, and the Andes Mountain range in the back of the city. On a […] Read More