Vina del Mar

On Saturday, dh took us to the coastal city of Vina del Mar. (Vineyard of the Sea) I took over 170 pictures. Really. It wasn't a very pretty day out, mostly overcast, and heavily foggy on the drive down there. We drove through several tunnels and saw lots of vineyards along the way. It was 80 miles from our home to where we parked. So it wasn't a bad trip, and the kids took a nap. It could have been worse. But they actually behaved quite well in the car. Here's me.

There was a park area with trees and a playground that we stopped in just after lunch. The kids had a blast. The people there were renting out go-carts and bikes for kids to ride on. They even had horses too.

I even took 2 pictures of some style conscious Chileans for you to see. Here, this young lady is showing off her love for the color yellow.

These two were obviously fighting over which one of them owned the wackiest pair of pants. (She wins.)

Can someone tell me what's going on with all of these wires? Is this safe?

This is Castillo Wulffe. (Wulffe Castle) It is a very popular museum and national monument. It was built in 1880 by Gustavo Adolfo Wulffe Mowle. It has a variety a seafaring items. Unfortunately it was closed during our visit there. So we didn't get a chance to explore.

Now this is where the trip got a little hairy. And by that, I mean a touch less than pleasant. We followed this sign. We felt that it was pretty straight forward.

Unfortunately, it took us straight up the side of the mountain. We were in the very heart of the little homes you see in the pictures. And the mountain has a very unforgiving way of snaking this way, and that. The roads were in poor repair, and the ride was more than a little bumpy. We lost sight of where exactly any main roads might have been, and instead we were right on a narrow path winding upwards. It made me feel sick. And I wondered when we had gotten lost. But the sign was CLEAR, and said Santiago, was in fact this way. Right? Right? And then it happened. We veered a little to the left and somehow started going back down. So I knew that this was wrong. In an attempt to turn the car around, my second born child began to vomit.

Now, having recently had a child who vomited in the car, I was all too prepared. I had a small bucket under the seat. The only problem? While we were driving, I had a hard time getting turned around in my seat to assist. And my small child was not as cooperative with the bucket as I had hoped. She managed some in the bucket, and some on her. So we pulled over. On the side of the narrow shack lined street. And we were immediately accosted by one mangy and seriously emaciated canine. He stuck his nose everywhere he could think of, in search of food. I know we smelled good to him. And I bet he could smell the snacks just within our car. He begged. He pleaded, and I felt bad. But moreso for my daughter. So I pressed on in my duties. We cleaned her up and headed back to the point where we steered wrong.

And this is a picture of a sign as you drive into Santiago. It sits on the outside of some of the worst neighborhoods here. These homes are the true definitions of shack. It's hard to believe, but people actually do live this way. It's sad.

Translated, it means "This is the Chile that we don't want you to see." I don't blame them. But I'm not sure I'd want to construct a sign to publicize it either.

OK. That's about it for our trip. We left around 1 pm, and were back with the kids bathed and in bed by 9 pm. So, for our first long drive with the kids (an hour and a half), it was a success. Vina del Mar is a lovely city on the beach. We had a good time.