Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Photos of Santiago II (January 29 - February 1, 2008)

Wine for the tasting at Concho y Toro Vineyard, Chile's largest wine producer. The vineyard was founded by Don Melchor Santiago de Concha y Toro and his wife, Dona Emiliana Subercaseaux, in 1883, with grapes brought from the Bordeaux region of France.
Grapes on the vine at Concho y Toro Vineyard, only 45 minutes outside of Santiago. One of the vineyard's well known labels is "Casillero del Diablo" (Devil's Cellar), so named because of a legend propagated by Don Melchor to discourage his workers from stealing his best wines.
Piscina Tupahue, a popular swimming pool situated on San Cristobal Hill in Parque Metropolitano. The park and the pool boast sweeping views of Santiago and the surrounding mountains...when the smog isn't too heavy.
Parque Metropolitano is also home to the national zoo, with an interesting assortment of native and non-native animals. The mara (above) is a relative of the guinea pig, and can be found in Patagonian Argentina. I was excited to see a guinea pig in the wild earlier in my trip; conversely, it was funny to see a common seagull on display at the Santiago Zoo.
Bougainvillea and blue skies in Parque Metropolitano. The park is Santiago's largest open space, with a botanical garden and many jogging/biking trails in addition to the swimming pools and zoo pictured above. A 1.2-mile long teleferico (gondola) carries people across the park for views of downtown.

No comments: