Bienvenidos a Santiago de Chile

Last week I went with Hub on a business trip to Santiago, where he was going to check out the Homeless World Cup. I never really looked into travelling to Chile but when the opportunity came up, I was excited. Santiago is beautiful and extremely flat. It lies between the snow capped Andes and the plush green Chilean coastal range so really picturesque. They also got fantastic wines. Welcome to Santiago de Chile!

The Homeless World Cup games took place in the historical downtown area, across from the Palacio de La Moneda where the President of the Chile sits. The charity is dedicated to transforming the lives of homeless people through football and the coach for Team USA was also a coach for Team USA in the Street Child World Cup. 

Took a quick snap of some of the Team USA players after a game. I was surprised to learn that the majority of the players were young, between the ages of 18 and 25.

While Hub was working I wondered around a bit. Santiago is a modern big city, but they've preserved colonial Spanish architecture especially in the downtown area.

One day I found me a lama...

and a celebration of pre-Colombian folk dance.

One evening we checked out the panoramic views at Giratorio restaurant in barrio Providencia. It was amazing to see the city sprawling out into the Andes on the east and the coastal range on the west. 

On our last day we booked a wine tour and tasting at Concha y Toro in nearby Maipo Valley. I was so excited because it was my first time to a vineyard plus our tasting included top premium wines from the company. 

After the first round of tastings, we got to walk the grounds and visit the grapes.

Hub thanking the Malbec Gods.

The wine tour was fantastic and we ended up walking away with this beautiful pinot noir.

That night we went to Italian-Chilean restaurant Liguria, a popular locals spot. I didn't really get to try any Chilean food because it's very meat heavy so I stuck with Italian.

I caved on this trip and enjoyed every bit of this baked provolone.

Thanks Santiago for the good times. Until next time.

Tango City

This was a great trip and it always amazes me how time flies after a good holiday. Feels like just yesterday I was shovelling empanadas in my gob and guzzling Malbec. Although the purpose of this trip was to collect our super duper viper visas, it was a week of relaxing, indulging and gazing. I love the city of Buenos Aires and let me show you why.

I love the people in Buenos Aires, they've got lots of character. They're quirky, arty, grungy and very friendly.

And they also have no qualms about riding a horse and pony in the streets.

One afternoon Hub signed us up for wine tasting with Anuva Wines, a company that supports small wine producers that create beautiful wines in limited quantities. This was a big highlight for me and in true Lisa fashion, I took notes. I learned that fine quality sparkling wine has fine beading bubbles that flow straight up, the best Torrontes wines are from Salta,  and Argentina is the only country with original French Malbec vines. My favorite wines were the Hom Sparkling Wine, the San Gimignano Malbec Roble and the Laborum Single Vineyard Torrontes and you can order them here.

Our wine tasting also involved a little food pairing, which was a nice touch to the whole experience. We had light cheese and sorbet with our whites and dense cheeses, an empanada and chocolates with the reds.

 

Another foodie highlight was exploring the city's top restaurants especially parillas or steakhouses. Although I happily refrained and enjoyed some amazing vegetarian pasta dishes, Hub was on a meat mission.

Like Don Julio in Palermo Soho, which was classic. 

I was on a mission to find the best vegetarian empanada. This one from La Hormiga was lovely and stuffed with eggplant and baked in a coal pizza oven. Delicious.

One of my favorite restaurants on this trip was Aramburu, which serves a 14 dish tasting menu based on molecular gastronomy. 

Hub in laughter.

Happy Hub

Our final day was spent in Boca, my favorite neighborhood in Buenos Aires. I loved the colorful quarters of El Caminito, but the surrounding streets were equally striking. The area is very poor, but beautifully broken.

Afterwards we headed to El Obrero, which was in the middle of nowhere in Boca. I adored this place. It was a real Buenos Aires gem and the atmosphere was buzzing, the baguettes were big and soft and the pasta freshly made.

Thank you Buenos Aires for the good times. Until next time, besos.