funicular

    Chile Trip, Part 2: Santiago, Street Art, and More

    As you’ll recall if you’ve been paying attention, I started what appeared to be a series of posts on our trip to Chile. But then stopped. Well, not exactly, because here we are again. It just takes me a long time to sort out all the photographs.

    We spent three days in Santiago (and another one at the end, just before we flew back).

    You can click on any of the photos or galleries below for a bigger view.

    Santiago Street Art

    Santiago Street Art
    Santiago Street Art

    There’s a lot of street art, much of it showing some of the artists, musicians, and writers who have come from Chile or had an impact on it.

    There are plenty of other subjects, though.

    As well as oddities like this gym which is supporting the most popular Linux distribution:

    Santiago Street Art
    Santiago Street Art

    And there is more formal public art, too.

    Up Hill, Down Cable

    Funicular Castle
    Funicular Castle

    Santiago is in the foothills of the Andes, at 500m above sea level, so mountains are all around it:

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    Though it’s hard to tell the mountains from the clouds in that first one.

    But there’s a hill in the city itself, big enough to have both a funicular and a cable car. We went up one and down the other.

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    Apart from the ride, you get great views, of course, but the main attraction is the giant statue at the top: Our Lady of the Radio Masts:

    A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that has been used to support various radio and mobile phone antennas.
    A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that has been used to support various radio and mobile phone antennas.

    Also known as the Ladderback Virgin:

    A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a ladder up her back.
    A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a ladder up her back.

    (OK, those are just my names for her.)

    This is the kind of thing you really go up for, though:

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    Flags and Padlocks

    A bridge covered in padlocks
    A bridge covered in padlocks

    La Moneda is the President’s official residence. Outside it we find the biggest flag I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t windy enough to really get the effect, unfortunately.

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    And then there’s this lovely bridge:

    A bridge in Santiago, Chile
    A bridge in Santiago, Chile

    Which demonstrates that “love locks” get everywhere (and they didn’t originate in Paris, as I have just learned):

    A bridge in Santiago , covered in padlocks
    A bridge in Santiago , covered in padlocks

    More later.