We had a leisurely morning involving some trip chores: washing & buying a sim card (so that we had data for navigational purposes ahead of collecting our rental car the next day).
We then set off to explore Castillo Hidalgo a fort on a hill just behind our accommodation which started life as part of the city's defenses in 1816, but later was turned into a museum and is now an event centre. A highlight is the cannon that is fired at 12pm every day, whilst we had been warned about this daily event it was still a huge shock for Nick, who demonstrated lightning reactions, when the canon was fired just in front of us! It was more of a shock for the tourist walking behind us who wasn't expecting it at all.
The fort & views of the city
This was followed by a new adventure - riding the metro! Having read a detailed blog from another traveler buying tickets and navigating the metro was easy and we arrived at Parque Quinta Normal which hosts a number of the city's museums. On the recommendation of our guide from the previous day we visited the Memory Museum (Museo de la Memoria). The museum has been carefully curated to walk you through the Pinochet regime in Chile from the coup in 1973, to how it impacted the every day lives of Chileans until the transition to democracy in 1990 and the work undertaken in subsequent years to record those who disappeared. There is a haunting display of mainly black and white photos on a wall three stories high showing more than 3,000 people who were killed or disappeared. This is a recent period of Chilean history that is still raw to many people. At times the exhibitions were gut wrenching, but it also showed the strength and impact individuals can have on the history of their country. A walk round the park helped us to reflect on the contents of the museum and lessons we can learn.
The Memory Museum
A few of you have commented that food and drink make frequent appearances in our blog entries! These are topics important to both of us, but it is also a great way to get to know a country. Today's references are to my first pisco sour (refreshing and tasty) and then Buffalo Waffles, a tiny shop that offered waffles wrapped around fillings and eaten like a wrap. There was a queue outside this shop every time we walked by and finally it was our turn to join the queue! We took our waffles stuffed with cheese, lettuce, tomato, turkey, BBQ sauce and potato chips to our local park where we were entertained by singers performing carols in a combination of English and Spanish. I will forewarn you that there will be plenty more food and drink references to follow!
Our waffles packed with flavour & colour
- Jess
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