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| At the "Oasis" teleferico station |
I am in Santiago de Chile. For the second time in six months. Why? Because it's a great city with lots of things to do and I only had two full days/three nights here back in November.
It's a cool crisp fall day in Santiago. I was expecting, based on its latitude, Atlanta type weather. It's more like Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., in November. This definitely is a city of four seasons.
And there is water in the Mapocho River even those spring melting season past long ago.
Anyway, I only scheduled a couple of days in Santiago during my Chile trip last November because everyone on the internet -- including Chilenos -- said it was boring and dangerous. One or the other is bad enough. But both? I scheduled the minimum amount of time to give the city is a quick look-see and found out that is neither. There is a lot to do. There are great restaurants and wines. The people are very friendly. Prices are cheap. Other than the fact that, being so far south, it's a long flight from the USA, I don't understand why everyone does not want to do here. Oh, did I mention that it is lightly touristed on top of all the other pluses.
This is Santiago's Bellavista, just north of the Mapacho River. This is a major world capital and just a little north of the central core things are peaceful and quiet. It is really hard to believe Santiago is lightly touristed when I reach my first destination of my first day in Santiago: the funicular.
I did ride this the first time in Santiago because if a city has a funicular, that is usually my top tourist priority. If there are any cities I've visited and I've not ridden its funicular, it is either because I did not know it was there (Quebec City) or I heard it was a waste (Zagreb, Croatia, perhaps the shortest functioning funicular in the world).
The Santiago funicular is so nice I've now ridden it twice.
Why a second ride up the mountain side on the fun-icular railway? (A) Do you need a reason? (B) It was the best way to get to the aerial tram traversing Parque Metropolitana de Santiago from high atop Cerro San Cristobal.
It's not a long trip up the mountainside. And, oh by the way, did you know that next year, 2025, is the centennial anniversary of the Cerro San Cristobal funicular railway. Perhaps I should re-arrange my vacation schedule for next year.
At the top of the right, the first sight to see is the Santuario Cerro San Cristobal and the tall statue of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción, the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, which is visible in Santiago when it's not too foggy/smoggy.
Today was a clear day, relatively.
It is a climb from the upper funicular station.
After paying my respects, it was time to move on, to the Teleferico.
The "Teleferico" is the aerial tram that traverses a big section of Parque Metropolitana. It is an alternative route down the side of Cerro San Cristobal. The slope is more gentle given that it is a whole lot longer.
I do understand the old aerial tram car being outside the uppert station of the tram line. I'm not sure the reason for
the Big Chair. It can't be perspective, since the chair is really big. Edith Ann sized at least, if Edith Ann were in a giant, over-sized Adirondack chair.
Time to get on board.
Rush hour on the tram line:
The tram is mostly traversing the open park land of a huge green space just on the north side of Central Santiago and its business district.
Soon the tram car reaches the "Oasis" tram station.
Activity, but it's not like it's lousy with tourists. The area around the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepción was lousy with school kids. And, despite the signs around the Santuario San Cristobal saying "Silencio," the school kids were loud. As school kids are wont to do, being school kids. Maybe they did not understand the directive "Silencio." I heard schools don't teach foreign languages much anymore. (That was a weak joke. Very weak.)
The view at the base of the aerial tram route, which still was a but elevated, was very nice. The Gran Torre Costanera against the backdrop of the snow-covered Andres Mountains. But that is for later.
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