museums, museums, museums

Now, let´s fill in some blanks.

presidential palace

friday, the 22nd. 

HAPPY RETIREMENT DADDY!!!!!

we visited several museums around santiago.  first we went to the presidential palace and asked about tours.  the guard pointed us in the direction, but there wern´t any tours.  you just walk around 2 courtyards, but one had some neat sculptures.  really pretty boring.  in bolivia they let me sit in the president´s chair.  here they won´t even let you go inside.  then we walked down to see the university of chile, but it was still summer vacation so we couldn´t go in to that.  so we went over to the national library, but there´s really nothing to see there either.  so far this day of sightseeing sucks. 

after a short rest back at the hostel, we went over to the museo de bellas artes.  success!!!  this one is rather cool.  in the great hall area there is an exhibit of norwegian architects.  and it´s in english.  off the great hall there were some exhibits of urban art, graffitti, that kind of thing.  stuff i don´t get.  i figure if i have the ability to do it, then it probably isn´t art, it´s just someone´s personal expression.  there was also a room with strings hanging from the ceiling in orderly rows with scrunched up white paper stapled around each individual string.  it gave the feeling of a paper forest.  again, i don´t get it.  upstairs there was a huge room with over 400 empty cardboard boxes attached to three walls with the openings all facing inward.  it was supposed to signify a city with all of the square spaces that we occupy.  huh?  i just don´t appreciate modern art i guess.  i was spoiled growing up with alan´s paintings.  now that´s art and talent.  there was an exhibit of the chilean photo club from the past 80 years.  that was cool.  photos from the 20´s thru the present.  the ones from the 60´s and 70´s were a little weird, all of a sudden a lot of naked women.  but i really enjoyed it.

rrrrrrr

that evening we watched the men playing chess on the plaza.  some of them can play so fast.  i don´t get how they can think that quickly, how they think so many moves ahead and all the different possibilities. 

Saturday we hit one more museum, museo de la moneda.  the main thing there was an exhibit about spanish history.  some very beautiful sculptures, pottery, and woodwork.  we weren´t allowed to take any pictures, although ismael snuck one.  one interesting thing was a set of playing cards entirely made from silver.  they were so intricate in the design and they even had the box.  after that we went over to the cathedral.  there was a wedding about to take place in a small chapel off the main sanctuary (do you call it a sanctuary in a catholic church? i don´t know what it´s called)  there was also a mass taking place.  it´s always so reverent during a mass.  the church was beautiful.  ismael disappeared for a minute.  he had asked what was behind a curtain and the man said he could go back.  there was an altar made from silver.  amazingly detailed.

street snacks

we tried going to another of pablo neruda´s homes, but it was already closed.  so we stopped off for some dinner.  if anyone goes to santiago, you have to go to empanatodos.  it´s a little restaurant that only serves empanadas (obviously).  and they are muy rico!  i had bacon, tomato and cheese, and corn and cheese.  oh, so good.  and for dessert, apple.  like a little portable pie.  yum!

art 1

art 2

mummy

help me!!!

art 3

cathedral

altar made from silver

old man playing chess

here kitty, kitty, kitty

neruda's house