Santiago, the first time around

Santiago is a large, fairly cosmopolitan city. It reminds me a lot of large European cities -- mostly clean, rough spots here and there, a nice downtown (with pedestrian zone and the obligatory Plaza de Armas),
 
tony neighborhoods (Providencia), and a clean, apparently-well-working subway.

I spent yesterday mostly walking around the city some, but also fussing about travel arrangements, since I had to book a night bus (part of the way) to my next destination. Tonight's target is Temuco, in the lakes area south of here. But it is only the transit hub en route to Pucón, a smaller town near unto the lakes and mountains.

But I digress.

I also went into one of the local history museums, and discovered how much Spanish I now seem to be capable of reading. It's amazing what limited English contact will do, even if I sometimes make the TV work against that. The museum had a reasonably nice presentation of Chilean history, from the earliest native settlements until about the turn of the 20th century. (The 20th century galleries were undergoing revision, err, renovation.)

Near the center of Santiago is a small mount that has been turned into a very pretty city park, full of follies and 19th-century charm.
   
  

Happy trails!