Weeks 25 and 26 in Chile

A crazy two weeks! My mom and her friend visited the first week and then my sisters and dad joined us for the second week. It was so great to see everyone after over 6 months apart. Hope you enjoy!

Monday, November 18, 2013

-Took Mom and Mrs. B to class; met up with them for lunch in Providencia at El Arbol (vegetarian restaurant); went to CIEE for class but the teacher didn't show up, so I filled out evaluations, went home and then went back out to meet up with Mom and Mrs. B for dinner at Patio Bellavista

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

-Went to San Joaquin to turn in my final paper; done with 2/4 of my classes! So crazy!
-Met up with Mom and Mrs. B to head to lunch after their classes at Emporio La Rosa, where they got to try the best ice cream in all of Santiago. After that we headed back to the hotel to relax, and then I went out to a cafe to meet up with my friends to study for our final that we have tomorrow. Can't believe how the semester is winding down so quickly.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

-Took my last final in art and then met up with my mom and Mrs. B to head to lunch in Providencia. We had some delicious Thai food. After that, I went to my final class of the semester, so it is safe to say that I only have 3 semesters left of college and less than a month left in Chile! Ahh! After class and hanging with friends for a little, I met up with my Mom and Mrs. B to head out to dinner in Lastarria again. This time we decided to try Sur Patagonico for a delicious dinner and wine selection.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

-I didn't have class today since I am done so I spent the majority of the morning sleeping in. After my Mom and Mrs. B finished class, we all met up for lunch and decided to head to Mercado Central to get some fish. Along the way, we walked through a lot of El Centro and showed them Plaza de Armas and a few beautiful churches in the city. The lunch was great per usual, but since it was so hot out we decided to get ice cream on our way home. After a long day and resting a little back in the hotel, I was set free to go meet up with some friends for the night. We grabbed sushi for dinner and then headed to Bellavista to go get mojitos at our favorite place.

Friday, November 22, 2013

-Since school's out for summer, I've been sleeping in and enjoying spending time with my family. Today we spent the day setting up for the rest of my family's arrival in Santiago by doing laundry and doing some grocery shopping. That night we went out to an amazing secret restaurant called Dugnad, which is run out of an Argentinian couples' home in Santiago. They serve 8 different plates with 8 different wine/juice/beer/sangria pairings. The dinner was amazing and so was the company of my Mom, Nora (my Chilean mom), Mrs. B, and a food critic friend of the chef named Raul. What a lovely night out!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

-My Dad and sisters arrived this morning and I could not be happier! Once they arrived and everyone had settled in, we headed to lunch in Lastarria to Casa Lastarria where my dad made zero attempts at speaking Spanish and instead ordered "a cheeseburger and another beer" in English... Good work Dad. After lunch we walked around the neighborhood, explored Bellas Artes a little bit and then climbed Cerro Santa Lucia before heading back to the hotel to relax. That evening we had a lovely dinner at Astrid y Gaston where everyone loved their Peruvian food, especially the ceviche.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

-On Sunday, we went on our first tour with Santiago Adventures. Our guide, Marcelo, met us in the hotel and took on us on a lovely tour of Santiago. First we went to El pueblito de Los Dominicos artisans market, and then to one of the highest points in the city to catch an amazing view. After that we headed into the center of the city and walked around - visiting el Museo de Bellas Artes, Mercado Central, Plaza de Armas, la Iglesia Metropolitana, and La Moneda. After that we headed back to the hotel to relax until we headed out to dinner at Tierra Noble, a lovely steak restaurant in the Sanhattan area of Santiago.

Monday, November 25, 2013

-Today I took my family around to some different parts of Santiago. We went down to San Joaquin to see the La Catolica campus there and where I spent most of my time studying. After that we headed over towards Costanera Center to have our Chilean shopping experience in the 6 story mall with literally everything imaginable inside. We also had lunch at the mall and then headed some to relax until our phenomenal dinner at Borago. It was an 8 course tasting menu with wine pairings, using food and wine endemic to Chile. Some of the most amazing and creative foods/dishes I have ever tried. My best dining experience ever!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013
-Valpo/Vina/Casablanca trip with my friend Cristobal as the tour guide. Check my Facebook for lots of beautiful pictures, but here are a few just in case
-Zanzibar with Greg and Jessica for dinner

Wednesday, November 27, 2013
-Hiking in El Morado, but the park was on strike so we had to go elsewhere to hike; Banos Morales afterward
-Bocanariz for dinner

Here are some photos from our hiking trip.

Thursday, November 28, 2013
-Craft Fair in Parque Bustamante and Emporio La Rosa for lunch
-Vina Aquitania
-Bar California for Thanksgiving Dinner and to watch the Steelers Game

Friday, November 29, 2013
-Human Rights Museum, Parque Quinta Normal, Basilica de Lourdes
-Lunch at Galindo for typical Chilean food
-Resting and packing and then we met up with Ricardo, my dad's work friend, and his family for dinner at Puerto Fuy and then I took Haley out in Bellavista with some of my friends to celebrate our last weekend all together in Santiago

Saturday, November 30, 2013
-My family's last day in Santiago; went shopping for gifts at Feria Santa Lucia and then we took the funicular up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal and had empanadas for lunch; finished packing up and took them to the airport
-Went to my Chilean friends house for a good bye gathering for me and another gringa from my program

Sunday, December 1, 2013
-Spent the day at home, resting for the hectic two weeks, updating the blog, uploading pictures, and working on my final paper

Hope you enjoy! Sorry for all the lists... Ask my parents and sisters for my details on their trip. It'll be interesting to hear their perspective on Chile as opposed to mine.

Two weeks left and one of which will be spent hiking in Patagonia! Can't wait!

Besos,
Lesley