Santa Lucía chapel
In March of this year Ursula and I once again headed south of the equator, but this time not by ship. The cruise would come a few days later and take us back to the U.S.
But first, beginning today and over the next eight weeks I’m going to take you on an exciting tour of one of my favorite South American cities — Santiago, capital city of Chile — before we head north to Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and even make a stop at The Hotel California on the Baja Peninsula — that place where you can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!
The view from Santa Lucía Hill
Ursula rented us an apartment near the older section of Santiago for our three-night stay here. The location she chose was excellent, with ready walking access to much that Santiago has to offer. For instance, less than twenty minutes walk from our apartment is the picturesque Santa Lucía Hill, replete with breathtaking views, a quaint stone chapel, and two forts.
Near the southern entrance to Santa Lucía Hill
Getting to the top requires a bit of a climb, but it’s far from strenuous if you take it easy on the steeper segments. Santa Lucía Hill crests at 226 feet/69 meters above the surrounding area. That works out to 2,064 feet/629 meters above sea level.
The trek up Santa Lucía Hill
Along the initial route from the southern entrance you’ll find neoclassical structures with colonnades, fountains, and statuary. In other words, a great place to begin your picture tour of Santiago.
Santa Lucía Hill
You’ll also come across colorful gardens:
Santa Lucía Hill garden
And even a little wildlife. Very little:
Cute little fellow. Cousin to Mickey, perhaps?
We’ll continue our trek to the top on Wednesday. Until then, here’s what to expect on the way to the top:
Santa Lucía Hill
Santa Lucía Hill
And back down:
Santa Lucía Hill
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