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.
