City Landmarks...

Okay...so here it's the X-mas spirit...

This is Central Station... Train Station. Right outside it's the subway connecting you with the rest of Santiago... and on the inside we also get a Bus Terminal.. pretty big place. Here's where, after the longest subway ride ever, I take the bus home...*sigh*

...and right in front... Santa blew up. Biggest xmas tree ever... Note the green sign *Sorry for the inconvenience*...I think that was put up for me. Xmas is inconvenient, lol.

Together, Station and Tree... see how big it is?? It's actually overwhelming.

Beach trip... two months later

Here we are, once again. Pics that I didn't took the first time, and another kind of weather...

Yep, that's the bus that will take me to destination: Again Reñaca and Viña.

On our way we go.. this is the building of the Academy of Detectives.. a frustrated dream of mine... becoming a Criminologist HERE!!

Buh-bye Santiago...Hello hills and landscape. I thought this clouds look funny..Stairway to Heaven maybe??

Wine in the making. I sat on the other side this time, and this vineyard got my attention.. I bet is Carmenere...

First stop...stupid toll boths...bump in the road, really.

Viña Indomita... yes, it is a castle.. and also a vineyard. Cool huh?

Nope..it's not Hawaii... no idead this thingies where on the side of the road, but yeah.. they are palm trees...

Finally! Among the hills...the Ocean...

Mission accomplished: Church!

Look at that water... makes you wanna dip in it, huh? Well, the weather allowed it!


BIG FREAKING GUN!! This is located at the entrance of the *Cannons Beach* in Reñaca. Right across from the Beach, we have the Artillery Academy...Navy, yet again. This is not the only one...

...told ya.
Heavy artillery.. Kinda cool actually. You can climb them and fool around, and even pretend you're from hunting for whales, lol... watch out Fat ladies in black and white swimsuits!!! HAHAHA!

The shore.. how close can I get??

...DAMN CLOSE!!! Yep, that iz me feet in the wataahh--

and yep..that's MOI in the water..sorry bout the hair-do.. t'was windy...

My lonely trail...

written in the Sand, LOL!!

after almost getting a cold, I hit paydirt...Landmark alert!!! This is the Flower Clock, famous thingy in Viña. The time is right, it was almost 6:35 in the afternoon when I took the pic.

A closer look...

Across the street...Swanky Hotel. The Sheraton Miramar... I liked the Architecture..

A monument to Guiseppe Garibaldi.. according to this, he landed at some point here in Viña, and with him, a bunch of Italians... I think they also brought PASTA!!! Yummy!..It was worth taking a pic :)

One last look at the Ocean...

..and good bye to the Beach...by sort of Sunset.
Well, that's the tour..hope you enjoyed it :)

Creepiest post ever...

This is...Mom's place. :P Can't actually see her name, but she's there...somewhere...


aaand...Dad's place... separated, yeah, but together, wherever, lol.

The Beach Trip, Part Three...

and Epilogue, lol.

on the road back to Viña... dark skies, but just a threat.. no rain...

It's buh-bye to the Ocean for a while.. time to see some landmarks...

My odd attraction to Architecture. This is the Building of Santander Bank... the whole building is the Bank... the Viña del Mar Affiliate. Which comes to show ya, they do get lotta money, hehe...

Yet, another Building.. liked it cause it was mostly glass... and clean one :)

One of the Main Viña Streets... nice shot of a ..Drugstore?!

Viña del Mar's main Plaza... in the middle of everything... Doesn't look so good, but we see a Fountain, and some gazebo in which music plays on Sundays.. to bad I went there on a Saturday...*sigh*

Okay, landmark#1: O'Higgins Hotel. This is the one all the Major stars come to in time for Viña's Music Festival in our Summer.. in February. We have one every year, for a week.. boring as hell, but ppl seem to like it. This year we'll have Earth Wind & Fire, and I wanna go... cause I thought they were dead, and they're not.. so I have to see it!

Nope, it ain't New York!, But we do have carriages in Viña. But we called them Victorias... why? No idea.
This one was my fave.. cause it's white and the horse it's lovely and just...ahhh! I didn't get to ride tho, cause, it ain't New York, but they charge as it were!!! Sorry about the darkness, was the only way to take it but...

Here's a lighter one...

Landmark #2: Viña happens to be one of the three chilean cities that have a Casino. And this is the one... Couldn't get in tho, I wasn't *dressed* properly. Not that I wanted to go in anyways :P
The fun part about this is that, going around it it becomes...
.. a Swanky of the swankiest Hotels! hehe. Pretty building too.. again..architecture...

but, not being allowed to get in didn't stop me... here's a faaaar shot at the Slots.. hid behind a tree, took the pic, and ran the hell outta there, haha

and my fast feet took me here... A great view of the sunset by the beach. It is supposed to be romantic, but meh.. alone it's also pretty darn nice. That castle is not, as you may think, Dracula's Chalet, hehe.. it happens to be a Restaurant... but I was too far away to catch the name of it. This is the most artictic pic I've ever taken, and I'm damn proud of it :)

Here's a closer shot...

..and a far shot... yeah, I'm proud of'em... and makes a nice calendar shot or even a wallpaper, lol.
Sooo... this was my trip, and we said goodbye to the Beach. Might be coming back soon, but this time, it'll be Summer-y.
I leave you with a romantic postcard from my trip, so you can share with your significant other.. or not :)

The Beach trip, part two

Soo..as promised:)

Woohoo! Lookie, lookie...what do we sea?? Lol.

Another shot... not very good, the day was meh..but I made it :)

First stop. Daisies!!! Dunno why, but this bush was located by the side of the Highway, they were too beautiful so they deserved to be captured...

Duty calls. The reason for the trip... Saint Expedito's Shrine..a sanctuary located in a Beach call Reñaca, a few minutes from Viña del Mar, he was the reason (in my mind, I'm catholic, so deal with it) I got the great job I have now, so as a thank you, I promised a Visit, and here I was.

A view of the Church.. funny, it's shaped like a circle...

Main Hall inside the Church. There's Christ, a fountain with Holy water, held by nekked cherubs...and the chair... well, my best guess, it's there so Christ can rest a while, sitting there, while the Tourists are gone, lol. Just sinner humor :P



This is him..Saint Expedito... Yep, he was a Roman Soldier, converted...

..and this is his Prayer...

The inside of the Church, lovely ambience, Holy obviously, very sacred... gives me the creeps... as usual. Nice Alter anyways...

It's buh-bye to the Sanctuary... till next month, if I signed the new *indefinite* contract... well, *he* will take care of that *chuckles*
On with the show...

Across the Highway from the Sanctuary, vast, immense, and fierce... here it is...

as our National anthem says: And that Sea that quietly bathes you... never ceases to amazed me.. even tho our relatioinship hasn't been good over the years...

I wanna ROCK...ROCK!!!! Lol. Rocks.. what more can I say?

More of the same... this place is not apt for Swimming..that's for sure!

The view from across the street...

More green..I felt in photograph paradise... ain't it pretty?

The tiny road that'll lead me to.. somewhere...

Uhm..wazzat?! A house shaped like a castle???...yep, but private property..Better luck next time, baby...

Another great view of the Pacific...

...a little Patrio-freaking-tism....

Oceanic Hotel... I thought it was a pretty place, but didn't get in.. I liked the building tho...

Entrance of the Navy Club... very, very swanky place, in fact, you're not supposed to take pics... but I'm risky... oh, and there the frakking flag again..well, it is Goverment State...

Y'know mee... I'm a magnet for odd things, and I was drawn to this one... Weirdest tree I've seen so far... I know there are more, all I gotta do is... y'know, find them....?

More green from across the Ocean...

And this was part Two of my Trip... Next stop, Viña Del Mar... stay tuned :)