Hello from Tierra del Fuego!

Day 6: Other London Things

Updated: April 16, 2022

Our day started with the excitement of virtual rapid Covid tests! After dramatically watching our 15-minute countdown clocks, we all tested negative (woo!) and are clear to fly back to the United States tomorrow.

Heading out”¦ off to see THE BEATLES!! 😀

Pfffffft! Three-step spacing is for suckers who haven’t passed their antigen tests

The first stop on today’s agenda was the iconic Abbey Road crosswalk made famous by the Beatles album of the same name. I’m sure you can imagine all the people taking pictures “€ it’s easy if you try. We even saw a barefoot man lie down in the street for his photo shoot. His mom (the photographer) was freaking out.

The world-famous attraction on Abbey Road “€ Abbey Road Baptist Church!

Ok fine, here’s the crosswalk

Once we crossed, we whispered words of wisdom “let it be,” and continued onward to King’s Cross. For some reason the Jubilee line stopped at Baker Street, but we were able to transfer to the Circle line and made it the rest of the way “€ in case you were concerned. Point is”¦ we’re pretty much Tube experts now.

In addition to serving as a major railway hub for Muggle cities, King’s Cross is also where Platform 9 3/4 is located to catch the train to Hogwarts. Predictably located between platforms 9 and 10, we donned our house scarfs and headed through the wall”¦ and ended up in the gift shop.

King’s Cross Station

No Covid tests to get to Hogwarts!

Next up was the Mail Rail at the Postal Museum. The Mail Rail is an underground train built in 1927 used to quickly transport mail to different sorting stations in London. Previously mail was transported by horse and buggy, so the Mail Rail significantly increased the efficiency of delivering mail throughout London. But most importantly, we saw this on the Amazing Race, and said, that looks fun!

MAIL RAIL!

Map of connected sorting stations across London

The Mail Rail was still in use for sorting and transporting mail all the way until 2003 when they determined the costs were too high, and the railway was no longer the most efficient method. It has been kept in working order since, just in case, and in the meantime, they turned it into a museum and ride.

These carts were designed for mailbags, not people.

This roller coaster was Jo’s speed (max 7.5 mph)

Where are the mail bins with our next clue?!?!

After Jo sent three letters to the wrong destination, Matt won the mail sorting contest

Dinner was approaching so we decided to return to our new favorite authentic British Pub, Horse and Guardsman. It was a bit busier today thanks to the upcoming Easter weekend, business happy hour, and online dating meetups, but we snagged a table. This time, we tried a chicken pie and the standard fish n’ chips, as well as two more local beers.

The aforementioned horses and guardsmen

British comfort food, mmmm

After dinner, we headed to the Wyndham Theater to see Life of Pi. We all really enjoyed the production. Additionally, we finally participated in the London tradition of intermission ice cream cups.

View from our seats

Obligatory theater ceiling shot

Intermission!

Piccadilly Circus was definitely a circus, but we made it back to Ellen’s flat (thanks again Ellen!!) to clean up, pack up, and eat all the snacks we have left. Tomorrow, we take the snazzy Heathrow Express and fly back to Chicago (assuming we don’t get Delta’ed).

Day 5: Bath & Stonehenge

by Joanna

Updated: April 13, 2022

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Today’s transportation was extra-tubular! After waking up early (5:30 am, ugh), and enjoying a hearty breakfast, we took the usual Bakerloo line to Paddington Station where we transferred to a Great Western Railway train heading to Bath – a UNESCO World Heritage City about a 90-minute train ride west of London.

Paddington Station

Bath Spa Station

Upon arrival in Bath, we easily found Dan, our private guide for the day. The first stop was Alexandra Park, a lookout south of the city where we oriented ourselves with the historical landmarks. Plus, a few entertaining ones “€ such as Salisbury Hill (of Peter Gabriel fame).

Climbing up across from Salisbury Hill

Legend has it that Bath was founded by Prince Bladud, a leper who had been exiled. He found a job as a pig herder and was leading them around the warm, muddy area, when the pigs started rolling around in the mud. Later, the Prince noticed the blemishes on the pigs had gone away, and decided he would try to cure his leprosy by covering himself with the mud (made from the mineral rich hot springs). Miraculously, his wounds healed! Realizing the powers of the hot springs, the city of Bath was formed, which now honors the King and his pigs.

After the lookout, we drove into the city where Dan led us around town. We walked a portion of the River Avon, featuring a strategically-placed weir, which is used to manage the area’s temperamental water levels. You may recognize this particular weir because it appears in the 2012 movie version of Les Mis, where Inspector Javert (played by Russell Crowe) jumps to his death. Probably because he couldn’t stand himself singing.

From weir, it is either Valjean or Javert

Dan also told us that the nearby Pultney Bridge is unique because it is one of only four bridges in the world that feature shops on both sides. The others are in Florence, Venice, and Erfurt, Germany. Clearly, this is an homage to the the four Illinois Tollway Travel Oases.

Hey! It’s the maze from the Tube!

We continued to walk the city, and eventually Dan learned about Jenn’s appreciation of Bridgerton. Well, jackpot!!! Dan’s binder was filled with stills from the hit Netflix series that featured nearly every unique-looking building in Bath. The whole city is a set tour! For bonus points, we identified where CGI was used in the photos (or, in some cases, forgotten”¦ such as stray yellow street lines and blue plaques).

Yup”¦ this building was in Bridgerton too

Of course, we also talked about the baths. There are three sources for the baths, all in the same general area. They are the only “hot” springs in the UK. In the 1800s, still believing the water had restorative properties, Dr. William Oliver prescribed that his patients drink the hot springs water to help cure their ailments. The water tasted so bad, no one wanted to drink it. He made a pastry, now called the Bath Bun, to bribe his patients into drinking the water. They did this so often, that they started to gain weight, so Dr. Oliver made a diet cracker instead. You can still buy the Oliver Crackers today. We stopped in a local cheese shop to try with the crackers Dan provided.

The Bath Abbey and Pump Room “€ where you can pray the hot springs water cures you

When you’ve eaten too many Bath Buns

After our tour of Bath, Dan drove us to the George Inn, a 700-year old pub (not a typo) for lunch. We had more local beer, fish and chips, and a traditional English plate with sausage, cheeses, apple chutney, and many pickled things.

Really, really, really old bar and inn.

After filling up, we continued on to Stonehenge. We wanted to see Stonehenge because we are here, it is famous, and who doesn’t love a good mystery?! We checked out the informative visitor center that explained that various iterations of Stonehenge over the past 5,000 years. Paraphrasing archeologists, first there was a circle of small stones, then somebody moved those stones, then they brought in bigger stones, and then some fell down. The original purpose of Stonehenge is still unknown, but popular theories include: burial site, ceremonial site, religious site, calendar site, camp site, festival site, and/or alien landing site (the English Heritage Society does not recognize all of these theories).

Let’s goooo!!!

Armed with some background knowledge, we took the shuttle bus from the visitor centre to the rocks themselves. Stonehenge is surrounded by farmland with plenty of sheep and, surprisingly, a public road only ~300 meters to the south. Visitors are no longer allowed in the circle, but we were able to get close enough to appreciate the scale and the details. The inner stones are bluestone, while the outer, larger stones are sarsen stones. The tallest standing stone is about 30 feet high. Ok, all this geology talk is gneiss enough for me, but you are probably ready to rock on with the pictures.

Are there rocks ahead”¦

“¦If there are, we all be dead

No more rhymes now, I mean it!

Anybody want a peanut?

Dramatic skies

After walking a full lap around Stonehenge, we took the shuttle back to the visitor centre and contemplated a few of the items in the gift shop. We drove back to Bath, said goodbye to Dan, and took the train back to London with the Wednesday afternoon commuters. We put the Tesco Clubcard to use for dinner supplies and retired to the flat.

5,000 years NO

Day 4: Cathedral & Castle

by Joanna

Updated: April 16, 2022

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We’ve been in the city of London for four days, right? Well, sort of. It turns out we’ve been in “Greater London,” while the “City of London” is a particular two square-mile area in the financial district. Furthermore, it is referred to as the “square mile” thanks to the Romans, but let’s not worry about that discrepancy.

The CITY of London

With that in mind, today’s journey brought us to the City of London (for the first time this trip) and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Designed by architect Christopher Wren, construction started in 1675 and took only 30 years to build, which is darn impressive.

St. Paul’s Cathedral west entrance

Under the dome

The Cathedral dome has three layers – an outer dome, a hidden brick dome for structural support, and the inner dome. The fun part is visitors are allowed to walk up the 528 steps to the Dome Galleries, and take in a 360-degree view of London. Wren was also an astronomer, so the Golden Gallery (the highest) is 365 feet above the ground, representing 365 days in a year. Wren was also the first person to be buried in the crypt and is honored with an inscription on the floor of the Cathedral.

Let’s goooo!!!!

View from the Stone Gallery (376 steps up)

Onward to the Golden Gallery

Thames River from Golden Gallery (all 528 steps up!)

Tight fit in places, but made we made it down

Once we made the descent back down to the cathedral floor, we joined a tour that highlighted a few key features and historical notes about the Cathedral.

Some fun facts: 1) St. Paul’s is not a Catholic Church – it’s Anglican. 2) During the Blitz, residents volunteered to help protect the church from bombings. They would hide in the upper stairs, in the dark, and if an incendiary device landed on the wood roof, they run out, grab it, and dispose of it by any means necessary. 3) In the nave, there is a 40-foot high memorial of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington. It was started by artist Alfred Stevens, who promptly ran out of money, then ran out of interest, then died. Others finally completed it over 60 years – twice as long as it took to build the Cathedral itself.

Anglican in the front, Victorian in the back.

Tour guide Mary has diagrams!

Looking up directly under the dome

After a quick walk through the crypts, we exited through the gift shop and re-emerged into the “City of London.” We grabbed a quick snack (because you’re not yourself when you’re hungry”¦ thanks, Snickers!) and proceeded through financial district to our next destination “€ The Tower of London (another World Heritage Site). The walk to the Tower of London came with a perfect vantage point of the Tower Bridge.

Financial building”¦ financial building”¦ financial building”¦ ancient church!

This is NOT the London Bridge

The Tower of London is fortress, palace, and prison all-in-one. We started with a guided tour by a Yeomen Warder named Spike. A Yeoman Warder’s full title is “Yeomen Warder of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign’s Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinar.” Yeoman Warders are known as Beefeaters, a nickname likely gained because of their higher status (and meal options) within the castle.

Still today, Yeomen Warders are also former warrant officers in the British Armed Forces with at least 22 years of service and the Long Service and Good Conduct medal. Spike regaled us with tales of fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles.

Doesn’t sound so bad.

As with any powerful empire, the English have a peculiar way of downplaying the long history of violence in the Tower of London. For example, ONLY seven people were beheaded on the tower grounds itself. The other 124 people were beheaded on Tower Hill, just a block north of the grounds. Totally different! Furthermore, in the BLOODY Tower, at the start of an exhibit dedicated to the torture devices used, there is a sign that reminds visitors, “torture was very rare in England” (compared to what, rainy days???).

Next up, we went to see the Crown Jewels. The line was long, which provided an opportunity for a coffee and snack from the New Armouries Cafe. We soon made it inside to see the Crown Jewels “€ which they insist are the real deal 🤔. The best part was the moving walkway to keep the crowd moving at a constant speed.

Obligatory Beefeater photo

Not sure the rat on your foot is your biggest heath and safety concern at the moment

Thankfully, we escaped the Tower of London without a scratch and without purchasing any overpriced items in the gift shop. We took the tube back to Maida Vale and went to dinner at the Asian Fusion restaurant (The Banana Leaf) next door. Afterwards, we stopped by our favorite gas station/grocery store/pharmacy to stock up on supplies. This time we came armed with an official Tesco ClubCard we found on the sidewalk! Bonus!

Tube stop thai

Won’t find this in the US App Store

That’s all for today. Time to relax and sleep for an early wake-up tomorrow.

Day 3: Save the Clock Tower

by Joanna

Updated: January 3, 2023

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Thanks to the time-space continuum, this current trip blog is about the FUTURE (because London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago, duh). But buckle up! Today’s blog entry is also about BACK TO THE FUTURE — the new award-winning musical we saw in West End tonight. These photo captions are about to get heavy!!!

If our planning is correct, when this blog hits 88 miles per hour, you’re going to see some serious shit.

With some key sights in mind, we charted the course for the day. Taking the tube to Waterloo, we strolled along the Queen’s Walk, where the London Eye is located, and enjoyed a nice view over the River Thames.

Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads

To deal with London Eye crowds, it’s best to make like a tree and get out of there

We continued walking along the Westminster Bridge and got a close up view of Big Ben. Big Ben is technically the nickname for the big bell of the clock, but has become the common name of the clock tower itself. It was technically renamed to Elizabeth Tower in 2012 in honor of The Queen’s diamond jubilee (60 years on the throne), but continues to be referred to as its nickname. Big Ben is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, continuing our tradition of seeing at least one each trip. Although Big Ben has been under restoration since 2017, we were able to see it without scaffolding. I highly recommend the Big Ben twitter.

Don’t forget to take a flyer … Save the clock tower!

Damn! … Where is that kid? … Damn! … Damn Damn!

A short walk from Big Ben was Westminster Abbey (and no, none of us were Westminster crabby), which is another World Heritage Site, and another nickname. The full name is Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, but that doesn’t quite flow off the tongue. It has been the coronation church since 1066. However, the construction of church we see today was started by Henry III in 1245. This church is unique in that it is inclusive and belongs to the monarchy of the country rather than a bishop or diocese. Also, pretty much everything about it in The Da Vinci Code is wrong.

If you’re going to build an Abbey, why not do it with some style!

Your name is Calvin Klein, right???

From Westminster, we made our way to Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth was not there, as indicated by the Union flag on top of the palace instead of the Royal Standard. The statue in front of the Palace is the main monument of The Queen Victoria Memorial, which also includes the Dominion Gates and the Memorial Gardens, all protected landmarks. We didn’t see the changing of the guard, but we did see the changing of a gate lock.

Buckingham Palace! Ya know that new sound, security system you’ve been looking for?!?

Careful with that screwdriver! Unless you know somebody else who can play guitar

We walked along The Mall and through St. James Park, which was originally swamp land that was drained to make the park in 1603. It is home to many birds, and houses Duck Island Cottage, which has become the headquarters for the London Parks and Garden Trust. Continuing our journey north, we walked past 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s house. Unfortunately, it was blocked off and inaccessible, but who really cares? More importantly, we found a great pub a few doors up the street.

The Horse and Guardsman advertised craft beers and labeled itself a traditional British pub. It did not disappoint and was the perfect place for dinner. We ordered Rivertown Beers (a brewery 45 minutes outside of London) and fish n’ chips.

Tab? I can’t give you a tab unless you order something!

Meeting at the Fish n’ Chips Under the Sea Dance

After refueling, we walked just up the street to Trafalgar Square. While the majority of the square features fountains, memorials, and statues from the 1800’s, one corner rotates contemporary art. Just west of a granite and bronze statue of King George IV installed in 1843 lies a giant ice cream scoop with a cherry on top, a drone on one side, and a fly on the other.

Guess Napoleon wasn’t ready for it, but those British kids are gonna love Trafalgar Square

Just as I thought! This proves my theory. We’re being erased — from existence!

We weren’t slackers and eventually made it to the main event of the day – the Back to the Future musical! It was a lot of fun, and we all enjoyed the adaptation from the film. The show also had a great lobby with shops and props in theme with the production. Fun Fact: London theaters sell frozen malt cups in the aisles during intermission. We may have to try one next time.

You can find the Adelphi Theater if you put your mind to it

No, no, no… this bar is electric, but the drinks need something with a little more kick

Great Scott! It’s showtime!

Day 2: High Tea & Murder

by Joanna

Updated: April 11, 2022

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After a full night of sleep in London, and with no hurry to rush out the door today, we enjoyed a relaxing Sunday morning before heading downtown to Piccadilly Circus.

Instant Coffee Barista

Our first stop was high tea at The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason. Because this February marked the 70th year Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne, the restaurant celebrated by adjusting their high tea menu with clever details to honor the queen such as purple cakes (her favorite color), corgis (pictures only, not for eating), and whiskey-infused pastries (yum).

Piano Man

No, you can’t take the Queen’s menus with you

Just a spot of tea

When you’ve had enough at high tea

After lunch, Jenn realized her shoes were sabotaging her, so she ventured back to the flat to fix her footwear. Meanwhile, we headed north on Regent Street. Built in 1819, Regent Street was designed to be the main shopping street in London. It’s basically London’s version of 5th Ave.

200 years of shopping!

All Soul’s Church. Very pointy.

London’s architecture styles: Classic, Modern, and Pigeon

How old are these traffic cameras?

After Regents street, we entered The Regent’s Park (what is this, THE Ohio State?) and strolled through the grounds “€ including the “very exclusive” inner circle (no dogs allowed, rude). We also found a gazebo and a struggling park deckchairs business in case you were looking to pay to sit when there are free benches all around. It was a bit early in the season, so few flowers were in bloom, but we still enjoyed the greenery and the peaceful park in the busy city.

We found our way out of the park and met back up with Jenn at 221B Baker Street, the fabled home of detective Sherlock Holmes. He was fictional, but the museum and gift shop are real “€ as is the blue plaque (they give fictional characters blue plaques too??). The line to get into the Sherlock Holmes museum was too long for us to wait, so the logical deduction was to snap some pictures and walk back to the West End.

The curious incident of not gonna wait in that line

Cryptic street art campaign that caught our attention

Keeping with the detective theme, our evening plan was a production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at St. Martin’s theater. According to their website, the Mousetrap is the world’s longest running play, which seems about right given the fact that we saw the 28,621st showing. Despite our best efforts to correctly crack the case, we were all surprised by the ending (even Jo!). Alas, we’ve been sworn to secrecy, so no spoilers. Fun fact: The Mousetrap has been running for the same amount of time Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne – 70 years.

Who dunnit?

No clues from above

After the play, we walked back towards the tube through the bustling Piccadilly Circus area, which had a similar feel as Times Square. We returned to Ellen’s flat for the final mystery of the evening – how to boil water for pasta on the HOB. Good news, we successfully cracked the case.

The end.

What a circus!

Plot twist! Killer still on the loose

Day 1: Airports & Globe Theater

by Joanna

Updated: March 28, 2023

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When it’s snowing in Chicago on April 8th, you know its time for one thing” — freezing cold Cubs baseball! Just kidding. It means its time to go to London for spring break. We took the Blue Line to O’Hare where we met up with Jo’s friend, Jenn, who is joining us for this trip!

Snowing in Chicago”¦let’s get outta here

Terminal 5 Art

Learning from our Norway trip, we have experience dealing with “partner” airlines. This time, our flight to London is an American Airlines flight operated by British Airways. We checked in early and managed to get three seats next to each other, even with our lowly peasant no-backsies, no-assigned seats, no-nothing tickets. Security was pretty quick and since we left for the airport right after work for a 9:15 pm flight, we had plenty of time to sit down for a kick-off dinner (Hub 51).

Next stop, London

After boarding a very hot plane (perhaps due to de-icing at O’Hare, but also due to the fact that this aircraftt didn’t have air vents above each seat???) and enduring an overnight flight, we landed late Saturday morning at Heathrow right on time. We quickly figured out the tube system and made our way to Ellen’s flat (thanks, Ellen!). Fun fact: We’re staying just down the street from where Sir Alec Guinness was born.

On the way to Ellen’s flat

Hey, Adam! We found the best blue plaque

After settling in, we all determined that naps were the best next step. Eventually Jenn and Jo ventured out and walked around the neighborhood to the closest market. We picked up a few breakfast, snacks, and drink essentials then successfully navigated back to the flat (yay shortcuts!).

Our evening plan was tickets to The Merchant of Venice at the Sam Wanamaker theater “€ an indoor, candlelit-only addition to the Shakespeare Globe Theater. We were lucky to get tickets to a show in this theater, because today was the finale of their winter season.

To the Globe!

Lovely sunset crossing the Thames

At the show, Jenn and Jo sat in the first row on the back corner of the stage, right up in the action, and Matt sat in the 3rd row on the opposite side. The production put a modern twist on the classic Shakespeare story. To wit, this show opened with an a cappella version of “I’ve Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyes Peas, and turned the gold-silver-lead test for Portia’s suitors into a glamorous version of Deal or No Deal.

But can you say the name of this play in the lobby?

Courtside seats for Jenn and Jo

Matt’s view from stage right

Intermission!

This shot inspired by Emily

Butchers and bakers need not apply at this Playhouse

After the show, we headed back to Ellen’s flat and picked up some frozen pizzas along the way for an easy, late dinner. Just because we’re in a big city with some of the world’s best restaurants, doesn’t mean Matt and Jo’s utilitarian travel food strategy is going to change. Sorry, Jenn! We enjoyed our pizza and ciders to end the night.

Southwark Bridge

Are the 269 other versions of this maze harder?

Tomorrow’s plans include fancy high tea and a production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. After of course, sleeping in a bit and having coffee on the balcony.

London Spring Breakers

by Joanna

Updated: March 23, 2023

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Hey! Remember travel? The blog has been masked up for the past two and a half years, but now that this whole pandemic thing is DEFINITELY OVER, let’s goooo!!!!!! First stop on the world tour? London, baby!

Matt, Jo, and Jenn (Jo’s teacher friend) decided a London spring break trip is the perfect get-away. Theater, museums, really old churches, palaces, and Roman baths await.

Stay Tuned…

Meep Meep

Day 15: Santiago

by Joanna

Updated: July 23, 2019

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Our last day in Chile was nice and relaxing. We slept in and went to breakfast. Today we employed all the secret buffet hacks we learned yesterday, such as where to find the espresso machine (mmm, mochacinos) and how to order salmon eggs Benedict. We also successfully acquired a late checkout, so we leisurely packed up our luggage, watched Stage 8 of the Tour de France, and prepared for an afternoon stroll in Santiago.

Caffeine hunting

Meet me at 9AM on the roof, bring your laptop

We dropped our bags off at reception and embarked on our first quest of the day – to find an authentic empanada. With some internet sleuthing, we found the perfect place to go. Located a couple of blocks southwest of the hotel, off the main street, is a market where locals buy vegetables, fish, and other supplies. Within said market is an empanadas counter.

Iglesia de la Divina Providencia

Found the market

With a constant line, a cash-only register, and no English spoken, we knew Tanita’s Empanadas was the jackpot. We ordered a pino emanada, a traditional Chilean flavor made of ground meat, onions, black olives, and a hard boiled egg. It was delicious and definitely corrected our “empanaditas” error of yesterday.

The real deal

Always reminds me of that Coke ad

After the delicious empanada, we walked a few blocks further west in search of a game store we saw on google maps. Along the way, we passed through a cool mall packed with tiny used book shops (the shops are tiny, not the books). We also saw an incredible number of shops and booths selling vinyl records and cassettes, so if you are trying to fight that new trend of digital music, Santiago has you covered!

We eventually found the game store and the sales guy did an amazing job explaining to us a few different Chilean-designed games (after modestly claiming he knew only a little English). However, without finding a game we really liked – or wanted to translate from Spanish – we moved on to our next mission: finding La BurguesÃƒÂa (the burger place Roberto recommended).

Book fair!

El SeÃƒÂ±or del los Anillos… Viajes por la Tierra Media!

Window-less bank wall looks like something from an alien invasion

With siesta time approaching, we quickly hoofed our way back northeast towards La BurguesÃƒÂa before they closed at 4PM for the afternoon (to open again later for dinner at 7PM). Larger and more crowded than we expected, a host greeted us and added us to the wait list, explaining that if we made it in, we might need to order quickly so the kitchen could accommodate us. We happily agreed and ended up getting a table in about 10 minutes.

We placed our order and enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. Like us, all the beers were imported, including Goose Island’s 312. Then they started playing Chelsea Dagger on the radio, so we strongly considered just heading down Madison to the Blackhawks game after we finished eating. Speaking of the beers, we did like the amusing 500ml beer glasses that appear comically large, but aren’t much different than a pint.

La BurguesÃƒÂ¬a is very popular

Roberto was right

“This my friend is 500ml”

With a little more time to wander Santiago, we stopped at a street market and almost successfully avoided buying anything. The chocolate-infused tea was too good to pass up. A good way to kill some time, spend some pesos, and come home with a treat.

Chile actually runs on Dunkin’

Santiago does a great job of keeping their streets clean, and in doing so, it really cuts down on our ability to find dropped and discarded coins. Instead, we found other items, such as a series of painted white ants on the ground (which was clearly a marketing ploy). With time on our hands and curiosity peaked, we followed these little insects into a mall and a candy store. Not tempted by the sweets, we continued to explore the mall and window shop the unique stores.

By now, most places were closed, so we made it back to the hotel to retrieve our bags and relax before going to the airport. The front desk called a cab for us and we were back at trusty SCL in no time. It was a good thing we heeded LATAM’s three hour suggestion this time. It took about an hour to get our boarding passes and check our bags, plus another half hour to get through customs and security. While some aspects of flying in Chile are slow, such as people re-packing their entire bedroom closet at the baggage counter, other parts are super efficient, such as the nifty automatic tray collection gizmo at the security line.

Time to go

Does YOUR suitcase have a suitcase?

At the gate, we ate the extra burger we ordered to go from La BurguesÃƒÂa and discovered it included grilled shrimp and a creamy cheese topping – which was a welcome Chilean preparation surprise (and just as tasty as the bacon and avocado burger we ate earlier)! With our hunger satisfied, we soon passed through the final check points and boarded the plane.

Santiago weather is glorious, can we bring it home?

Back to the USA

All that’s left is our eight-hour flight to Miami, a two-hour layover, and another three- hour flight back to Chicago. Thanks Chile for an awesome two weeks! We’re already planning how to get back someday (heck, we’ll even save our extra pesos).

Day 14: Santiago

by Joanna

Updated: July 15, 2019

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Other than the Santiago airport Holiday Inn (and it’s not really fair), we have done quite well with views from our hotel rooms on this trip. Today we awoke to a nice and sunny view looking northwest from our top-floor corner suite at Solace “€ including a visual of our target destination for the day, San Cristobal Hill. But first, we had important things to do, such as catch up on more sleep.

San Cristobal Hill shortly after sunrise

When we finally woke for real, we went downstairs to grab the buffet breakfast (no pancake press, but the fresh mini-donuts were amazing), then back upstairs to check the views from the rooftop bar (empty). Finally, we returned to our room to watch the end of Stage 7 of Tour de France and prepare and our plan of attack for the day.

Setting off by foot toward San Cristobal Hill, we first passed through a public sculpture garden a few blocks from the hotel with a nice collection of large installations and a handful of locals enjoying the park (and dogs, of course).

Other than the smog rays off Sky Costanera, it’s great weather!

There is a long gondola ride to the top of the hill, but we were happy to walk and enjoy the crisp sunny weather along the way. The path allows all modes of transportation – including pedestrians, cars and bikes. By walking, we were able to see a wide variety of activities, including a few guys with a death wish barreling down the hill at crazy speeds on skateboards and three-wheelers. There was also a playground with Inca-inspired climbing pyramids, giant xylophones, and a couple of jugglers who looked like they were ready for prime time.

These guys have their act down

View of Santiago metro area

Meeting the wildlife along the way

After about 45 minutes, we made it to the top and found the statue of the Virgin Mary, inside the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception. We walked around the grounds for a while and enjoyed the views of Santiago with the Andes mountains in the background. We ate a sandwich (thanks, Explora!) and a handful of peanut M&Ms for lunch, before also trying a local Chilean drink, the mote con huesillo. Made of peach nectar, whole dried and rehydrated peaches, and cooked husked wheat, the drink looks quite interesting. But, as one might expect since nearly everybody else was drinking one, it is delicious and refreshing.

In the Sanctuary atop San Cristobal Hill

We made it to Mary!

Really, really good

As we left, we chuckled at the length of the line to get on the funicular to go down the hill. Happy to continue the walk rather than stand and wait, we successfully found the trail that passed the Santiago zoo and deposited us into the Bellavista neighborhood.

Down the north side of San Cristobal Hill

3D map which includes (most of) our day’s route

Imagine an artsy Wrigleyville, and you’ll have a rough approximation of the Bellavista barrio “€ home to Pablo Neruda’s house as well as many cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs, and street art. If you want to party until 4AM, this is the place for you. Since we don’t, we walked around the streets and admired the murals.

Bellavista mural

Another Bellavista mural

A mural on a rare linux gym/carwash establishment

Pablo NerudaÃ¢â‚¬Ëœs house is a particular point of interest because it has been transformed into a museum and probably is very cool if you appreciate his poetry. However, with only an hour before it closed, we satisfied ourselves with viewing the portions of the house we could see from the streets. Turned out that was a great choice because we happened to pass by the Modern School for Music and Dance next door, where we saw a group of people practicing a dance in the street. They were so dedicated they didn’t even stop as cars passed through.

Artwork out side La Chascona

The intersections in Santiago have a couple of different walk signals. One model shows a green man walking, then walking faster and faster until he turns red, indicating you need to stop walking. The other type is not animated. The green walking man blinks faster until he turns red. In either case, red really means stop. There is no grace period where you can still run across the street with time before the light changes. When the walk signal turns red, the opposite light turns green.

Alarmed hydrant if you try to cross on red

Army of bike delivery guys prepare for Friday night

Ready to join the Grand Circus of Invierno

After walking around and not getting hit by cars, we were hungry for a snack and found a bar with a great beer and “empanaditas” deal. The beer was delicious. The empanaditas were more like microwaved cheese ravioli. But they satisfied our hunger. As a result, we have a goal for tomorrow: find real empanadas (apparently, empanaDITas are NOT empanaDAs). Hanger averted, we took a pleasant stroll back to the hotel for the night. The night skies were clear and the city views from the rooftop were great.

Santiago skyline at night

Nighttime view (with San Cristobal Hill) from our hotel

Tomorrow, one last bit of Chile before flying back home. As well as our empanada quest and finding the burger place Roberto told us about.

Day 13: Rapa Nui/Santiago

by Joanna

Updated: July 12, 2019

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Today we woke up and jumped in the Explora van by 7AM (while it was still dark out) in order to watch the sunrise over Ahu Tongariki – a very recognizable row of 15 maui on the east end of Easter Island (or, if that doesn’t ring a bell, the ones in the picture at the top of this blog).

Putting the early AM cappucino machine to work

Ahu ticket booth opens early

We found a good place to set up the camping chairs (hooray for another excellent opportunity to use Ã¢â‚¬Ëœem) and patiently awaited the sunrise. Eventually, the sun rose (as expected!), but it began to “dawn” on us that the clouds were not planning on cooperating (thank you, please tip your waiters, we’ll be here all week).

Lights! Camera! Action! Sunrise???

Waiting for today’s sunrise is ruff

Likely because Ahu Tongariki is very close to the quarry, the moai at this location are larger than others on the island. Along with the picturesque rocky coastline right behind them, they look pretty darn majestic. Although direct sunlight didn’t make an appearance this morning, we enjoyed a peaceful hour of taking in the view while chilling in the tropical island breeze and hanging out with a couple of dogs.

Please do not tell the moai to “talk to the hand”

Look left

Look right

The quarry is nearby (left side of hill)

Upon our return to Explora, we ate breakfast, drank more coffee, and returned to our room to pack our bags. We had plenty of time to peruse the gift shop, order a steady supply of pineapple sours from the bar (bringing the total number of sour varieties tasted on this trip to five – along with calafate, passion fruit, pisco, and amaretto), and enjoy the view from the hotel before heading to the airport. As a surprise, we were gifted traditional Rapa Nui shell necklaces when we departed – which are said to have the mystical power to “call you back” to the island someday (won’t argue with that).

Breakfast with a view

Once more into the van

At the airport, we scanned our bags for contraband (successfully proving we did not have any sand, rocks, fruits, moai, etc), checked them, and received our boarding pass indicating gate one (of one). When the immigration/security line opened, we passed through and waited in the most awesome terminal ever. Sitting outside in sunny, 60-degree tropical weather while waiting to board your plane makes the whole flying thing much more pleasant.

Hanging out at Gate 1

Even boarding lines are more tolerable outdoors

The flight went smoothly, and when we landed, we successfully fended off the barbarians at the baggage carousel, who apparently don’t mind getting up in your personal space while waiting for their luggage. Plus, there was a very large school/church group of teens on our flight, which made the baggage area feel like a mosh pit at a KPop concert (unless that’s mixing two things that do not cross, in which case we plead old).

Back to the mainland

Charge! Purple shoes established exact position about 5 minutes ago, lady.

To get to our hotel in Santiago, we attempted to order up an Uber until the app payment method failed (some sort of dollars vs pesos credit card issue, maybe) and beyond that, a police officer lady told us they are illegal at the airport (or at least that’s what it sounded like she said). Anyways, we took an official taxi instead. We arrived in no time, checked in and decompressed. The room is an awesome, top-floor, corner room with a great view because we decided to live it up and go for the huge $7 upgrade option at the time we booked (which we had forgotten about until we got on the elevator). Yep, we are definitely high rollers now.