Santiago Feburur 15

We were at the breakfast buffet around 8 and off to tour Santiago by 9:30. The guide was great and took us to the original square and old neighborhood and then to a newer one. Our neighborhood was more modern. The hotel was “Neruda.” We went to a cathedral dedicated to Mary and then to the government square. We learned things about the history of the Chilean government and how there was a great German influence. That was a surprise to me as was the Italian influence in Buenos Aires. We learned about many of the local “Saints”, including one who started what eventually became a nationwide chain of soup kitchens and shelters. We stopped in a business district where a man and woman sang opera for tips. She had an especially strong voice. We came back and Evelyn and I went to lunch and exchanged Argentinean pecos for Chilean ones. I had over 80,000 when finished. That was about $131 American. We ate at an outdoor cafe, keeping an eye on the pigeons who thought they were invited. I ate a “completo” (a local hotdog with guacamole and mayonnaise. Evelyn kept to lighter fare. We went to the room until 7 and went to dinner with the other 3. We went to a cafeteria recommended in Frommers, but I didn’t care for it. The others liked it fine. We went to bed and watched a movie until midnight.