Santiago in the morning

We started today with a tour of Santiago which was good to get our bearings. Santiago is very flat and was settled for that reason, oh and Spain's thirst for gold ( in which they were thwarted by Mother Nature). However there are dramatic and sudden hills one of which we climbed to get an expansive view of the city and it's skyscrapers. However the Andes were nowhere in sight because, surrounded by mountains, there isn't a lot of outlets for the smog. We visited the presidential palace where mum's charm offensive was in full swing as you can see. Here she is with the tour guide and the policeman who was very happy to help out.

What holiday is not complete without a visit to the cathedral ( where the local street dogs happily wander in and out, or generally lounge around as they do outside). They are largely in good shape and we'll fed by the locals. 

Outside the cathedral there was a prophet like man gaining the attention of the crowds- basically blessing chile AND Peru as today in The Hague a very important decision was to be handed down over a land/ocean dispute that has caused tension and even war between the countries for 140 years.  32 km of Coast is at stake. In fact its decision, just handed down has effectively changed the oceanic borders. 

The Biblioteca National was too much to pass by and we saw a gorgeous exhibition using old card catalogue entries. I admit that the librarian in me was a bit pursed lipped as old card catalogues have their vital uses still. However, without going into a reference lecture, I know the good librarians of Santiago would protect such sources if they needed to. It was hard to ignore the charms of the art work and I got a sense that the artists loved the medium. 

The Biblioteca Americana within the building was set up in the 19th century and is one of the most important libraries in South America. 

After a gorgeous late lunch we wandered back to the hotel room and once more admired the charming view