Weekend adventures

This week we had quite the Yale contingent in Santiago, with my professor Héctor and two postdocs, Mike and Miranda, visiting for an observing run and to work together with my professor Diego at University of Chile.  During the week we tried to be very productive, especially in planning our next proposals for the ALMA telescope, but we also took the opportunity to share some tasty Chilean meals and explore some around Santiago.  For me, more than anything, it has been nice just to see some familiar New Haven faces.  

Weekend #1: Mike and Miranda want to visit Valparaíso, with me as "guide".  

The only caveat was that I don't know Valparaíso very well myself, except for several days back in 2008 and one quick trip this year to visit a friend who lives near the port.  But, in search of an afternoon adventure distinct from Santiago, Mike and Miranda and I headed to the coastal city of Valparaíso.  The bus ride was about 90 minutes, during which we traveled through the heart of Chilean wine country.  Valparaíso is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has a unique lay-out and vibe, situated among a chain of hills overlooking the port to the Pacific.  

An interesting flower, giant boat and view of the port caught my attention in Valparaíso.

I figured that Valparaíso being a Chilean port city, we should indulge in some deliciously fresh seafood, so our first stop was a warehouse-type fruit/vegetable/fish-market called Mercado del Cardonal, with seafood restaurants on the second floor where over-eager hostesses tried to convince us that their fare was absolutely the best.  We decided on the place that looked the brightest and most popular, and enjoyed our very local meal (I had fried fish called merluza, Miranda had clams, and Mike had a seafood soup). 

We went searching for murals that are part of the "Museo a Cielo Abierto" (The Open Sky Museum).

When I had looked up "what to do in Valparaíso" in preparation for our outting, I discovered that the main attraction is to wander through the hills and search for beautiful views (aside from maybe the nightlife, which didn't really interest us).  So, we spent the afternoon wandering, and certainly found some beautiful views.  Each hill seems to have an ascensor (funicular, or rickety-old-elevator-type-transportation) which makes the climb much easier, if in fact the ascensor is still running, which the first wasn't.  So, we climbed one hill (Cerro Bellavista, literally "Beautiful View Hill"), and rode up another, and then decided to head to the wharf where we got a closer look at the characteristic fishing boats.  

The fishing boats seem to have a lot of character.

Weekend #2: Chilean countryside and the grand casona

The translation for casona is something like "manor house", which I think is a fair description of my accommodations this weekend.  For some time now, I had heard about the family country home of my Chilean professor Diego, where his extended family likes to spend their holidays and weekends.  This weekend, with my Yale professor Héctor in town, Diego's family invited us, along with another astronomer, to visit Mallarauco, the small town in the quiet countryside about one hour outside of Santiago.

Ver mapa más grande

The house is hidden among so much greenery, there is no one good angle for a photo, but it is truly impressive.

I couldn't see how the ranch house would fit all of us (Diego, his wife Andrea, 5-year-old son Simón, grown daughter Camila, her husband Jorge, Héctor, astronomer Ramiro, his wife Rosy, and their baby Maia), but when I arrived I realized it was no problem.  The house has a grand history, and a grand size, and even more impressive were the thick adobe walls.  From what I understand, the house was a "resting point" for cattle drives, on the way to the mansion down the hill.  But, even so, the 19th century house was impressive itself.  I counted 4 bedrooms, three living areas, dining room, kitchen, and two-room library.  The house had been passed down from Diego's grandparents, who arrived to Chile from England in the 1930s (I think), and it has been adorned over the years with an impressive mix of international artwork and decorations.

A grand living room, with a grand (and cozy) fire place.

Most of our visit we gathered around the wood stove or fireplace, ate delicious food, and chatted amongst our rather diverse and international group.  We also followed energetic Simón on a nature-walk through the expansive property, among trails of gigantic cacti and along a rushing creek, and later we gathered some of the abundant fall harvest of tomatoes, squash, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, onions, chard, avocado and mancaqui (a fruit I only know in Chile).  It was a brief trip, but I returned to Santiago refreshed, with lungs free of smog, and smelling instead of wet grass and of the cozy wood-stove inside the impressive casona.  

The mancaqui harvest!

For all of the weekends' adventures, check out more photos here!