Day 2 in Santiago

We awoke a little later than normal and were surprised by both our ability to sleep in so late and the fact that we were still offered breakfast (technically brunch) by the host.  With the late start we had only a few hours to explore the city before catching the bus to the wedding.  After a consultation of the map, Martin opted for a city tour so we hopped on the metro and made our way to Universidad de Chili for a walk along the promenade Estado and on to the Cathedral of Santiago. 

We arrived in the main square only to find the exterior of the church, known for its European style, under some serious renovations.  Thankfully the interior was in full working order - both figuratively and literally -  we arrived during mass.  So I sat in the back to avoid disturbing the congregation while Martin wandered around. Sitting on the pew, listening to the sermon, I had a fleeting, ever so brief, moment of longing to be part of the Catholic faith…I have sat in countless churches all over the world (Notre Dame, St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, the Vatican, etc) and while I can appreciate the architecture just as I have admired the Pantheon, Winter Palace and Eifel Tower, that was where my admiration ends.  To be a catholic and experience the beauty and spiritually of these sacred places would probably be something else.  Unfortunately that is where my deep thoughts ended as Martin arrived by my side and said he was ready to go, turning my attention to the possibilities of an ice cream or cold beer. 

My moment of weakness

 

A horse and Christmas tree in the main square

We wandered around the plaza just a little bit longer then began walking in the direction of home stopping along the way for a hike through Cerro Santa Lucia, another beautiful and quiet city park.



The top of the hill

The palace at the bottom

We enjoyed a late snack at our neighborhood café and ran home to change for the wedding; even with all of our planning, we were still rushed for time.

With little knowledge of the location of the wedding, we took a taxi to the specified park to take a private bus to the event location.  Martin quickly made an impression on all around by having to chase down the taxi after dropping us off…he had managed to leave the wedding gift inside. 



The bus was much needed and appreciated as the wedding venue turned out to be an hour outside of Santiago on a beautiful, large estate.  Heading out of town, the buildings began to get smaller and were slowly replaced by vineyards and cacti.  And after driving down an extremely narrow dirt road we arrived.

Before the wedding!

The main house was situated on a hill with a beautiful veranda where the couple was married, a sloping lawn where we enjoyed post ceremony cocktails and hors de vours and a grove of trees where we enjoyed dinner and danced the night away under the stars.  And while the party may have been a little too much for fun for the infrastructure (the power of the lights and sound system blew out the electricity of the property twice!) the drinks kept flowing and the glow of the roasting lamb (our midnight snack) kept people enjoying the evening. 

The views from the edge of the property.

We finally left the party around 2:30 that morning and were tucked back in bed by four am after a bit of driving escapade and misdirection from the bus driver.