Visit Santiago at Christmastime (or anytime)

Sounds like an ad campaign, right?  I don't have to embellish to tell you about the variety of tourism near Santiago. The punchline is that within a couple hours' drive from Santiago, and in just a one week visit, it's possible to experience the Andes Mountains, Pacific Ocean, wine valleys, and urban center.  

The intro:

Mom was my first USA visitor since I returned to Chile, arriving in time for Christmas in the southern hemisphere summertime.  As an interesting anecdote, she flew overnight on the Summer Solstice, leaving the longest night of the year and arriving for the 2nd longest day of the year I suppose.  

Mom's gift under the tree, and a touch of garland to decorate the curtains.

Having just begun to settle into my apartment, I was eager for her to see my "life" here, so we spent some time getting to know the neighborhood -- within one block we dined a few times at the cafe where the neighbors meet to have business meetings, socialize over coffee, and let their kids play on the playground; we bought flowers from the flower stand out front; fruits and veggies from the local vendor; bread, sweets and groceries from the mom-and-pop bakery; and tasty empanadas down the street.  Later in the week we went to my office, which she noted was much more calm and green than expected, and I tried to point out other highlights of my daily routine along the way.

Urban:

Walking, driving, riding the bus and subway, we also hit some tourist points in Santiago.  Mom's interest in pre-Columbian art found its place at the Chilean Pre-Columbian Art Museum, which seems to have been renovated in an impressive way since we last visited together in 2008.  Another day we visited the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, my favorite museum in Santiago, with its rotating exhibits situated beneath the building that is the seat of the President and other governmental offices.  Getting to and from, we wandered through the bustling streets of downtown, passing the Plaza de Armas and cathedral, exploring random side streets with stores organized by theme (we were looking for fabric shops, and also passed through blocks of vintage clothing stores). Additionally, I consider the shopping malls to be something like pop-culture museums, so we made a couple of excursions to those.

Mountains and Valleys: 

Leaving Santiago is simple now that I have a car, and explored the surrounding region during several days.  Christmas day we spent in the mountains, in the small ski town of Farellones (in the summer, on a holiday, everything was shut down, but the beauty remained).  Mom's luck brought us several incredible condor sightings, both perched and flying.  Another day we drove to the Colchagua Valley, known for Chile's Carmenere wine, but lesser known for it's museum with an impressive collection of odds and ends that represent Chilean culture.  

Mom sighted a condor, posing for quite a while.  Then some friends came flying in.

Coastal: 

Finally, to round out the mountains and the valleys, we drove to the coast one day to see Pablo Neruda's beloved house, known as Isla Negra, now a museum curated by the Pablo Neruda Foundation.  In fact, Isla Negra turns out not to be an island at all, and it's not clear why it would be called "black" (maybe for the rocks?), but it's a stunning coastal scene anyways.  Apart from the interesting representation of a Nobel Laureate's vibrant life via his creative decorations, and learning about some controversy over Neruda's death and gravesite, Mom and I enjoyed a nice lunch perched over the rocky beach and crashing waves, a la the coast of Maine that we both seem fond of.

View of the house at Isla Negra, on the rocky coast.

On the way back to Santiago, we passed through the Casablanca Valley and stopped at the vineyard Veramonte, where we tasted 4 wines -- two from the Casablanca Valley and two from the Colchagua Valley.  Takeaway lesson: when selecting a Chilean wine, choose Carmenere  (and other "spicier reds") from the Colchagua Valley, and Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir ("crisp fresh wines") from the Casablanca Valley.  The conditions are just right.

A brief visit to Viña Montes, Colchagua valley

Playing tourist/tour guide reminds me that people pay money to come here and experience the places that I am fortunate to find in my proverbial backyard, if only I open my eyes and go looking.  It is interesting and refreshing to share impressions of Chile with someone who is seeing some of these landscapes for the first time, smelling and tasting and touching the culture for just a short visit, hearing the Spanish and taking it all in.  For a week, two months (my current stay), or several years (my planned stay), the "Metropolitan Region" of Chile has plenty to explore and discover.   Come visit Santiago!