It's Summer in Santiago!

Better late than never! This post was supposed to be my first on this trip but did not update due to lack of internet! So here it is...

Why did I not pack appropriate clothing for the 90 degree weather?? It sure is summer here in Santiago de Chile! (But snowing more on Mallorca yesterday than it has in DC this year??)

I love colonial South American cities so our old city tour yesterday was lovely. Our A&K guide Bernardo was the best.

Our hotel is well located in walking distance of plenty of restaurants and since dining is one of my favorite travel experiences you know I'm happy. Yesterday Michelle and I had lunch at a little local Chinese/Chilean dive - yum! And very happening with Chileans on siesta!

Today we are off to Valparaiso to board the Star Princess. Next stop: Punta Arenas... Then Ushuaia, Cape Horn, Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Rio!!!

Will update as often as we have internet!

Penguins & Punta Arenas

Today we visited Chile's southernmost city, Punta Arenas, which half of the year is home to Magellanic penguins... So cute but smell so bad!! The penguins come to the same spot every summer to burrow and breed and then swim north to Brazil where it is warmer for the winter and they can bask on the beach in their bikinis.

Doing My Homework

This is an email I just sent my Dad after one day in Santiago...

Subject: Doing my homework...

Pisco sour - check
The Chileans claim it too. My friend who is a Peruvian living in Santiago confirms it's Peruvian... Probably bias but I'm going to agree with that since the Peruvians started drinking Pisco sours at 11am and they don't seem to be as big a deal here...

Chilean beer - check
An ale, not bad. I forget the name but it sounded German. I think starts with a K. Will look it up for you later. Lots of German influence in Chile I learned.

Fantachop - check
Typical drink apparently - half beer/half Fanta (orange drink)... Like the half red wine/half Coke in Spain...You'd hate it :)

Chilean wine - obviously check.
Just drove an hour and a half thru wine country. Could spend a lot of time here... Let's come back.

Do as the Romans...

Who said we are too old to act like tourists??

Soy yo!

How soon can I come back?!

Back-2-School

John and I visited our Spanish Alma Mater, St. Louis University of Madrid...

 

And then showed everyone to Escamplero, where I spent the majority of my time when not studying :) ...

Nos vemos, Madrid!

View of Opera from our room

The week has flown by! As always my time in Madrid has been fantastic. Showing my family the city I feel is my second home made it all the more special.

John and I were noting... typically New Yorkers avoid Times Square and in DC we avoid downtown during the tourist-filled Cherry Blossoms, but you always find Madrilenos shopping in Sol, tapeando in Santa Ana, out in La Latina on a Sunday night... always an authentic buzz.

My second time in Madrid as a tourist instead of a Madrilena, Katie and I stayed our first night in the grande dame Hotel Ritz (my favorite!) with the closest Prado view. Now los Jenkins rest our weary feet at the lovely Hotel Opera after our long days of sightseeing and the views are also memorable - Opera to the left and the Palacio to the right. 

Jamon!

Between Sol, Ben's first experience at El Corte Ingles (buying a "euro" appropriate jacket), to the craft market in Plaza de Espana, we are getting lots of Christmas shopping done.  Not a surprise, most the Jenkins' favorite purchases are perishable and don't last very long... spending quite some time in the markets and tapeando in the evenings!

Of course we visited the famed Prado... Velazquez looks at me differently from Las Meninas every time...

... and spent the afternoon listening to street musicians play Christmas carols on repeat on the accordion in Retiro Park...