Santiago, Chile's capital, is one of the most beautiful and pleasant cities I've ever visited. The photo shows the cathedral in the Plaza de Armas, the city's main square. Interestingly, the church has been rebuilt five times because of earthquakes! I stayed in a neighborhood called Providencia, which had gorgeous tree-lined streets, hotels, shopping, and some private residences. At times Santiago felt very European to me, yet it had a warmth that was very Latino. The people were just incredibly helpful and friendly. To the left are actors portraying Ines de Suarez and Pedro de Valdivia; they were in a rather cheesy, overly dramatic theatrical presentation of Chile's history that was part of my tour. Valdivia was the Spanish conqueror who founded Santiago in 1541. Suarez, also from Spain, was Valdivia's mistress and also participated in the conquest. The best - albeit unplanned - part of the drama was the stray dog who entered the scene and went nuts every time Valdivia pulled out his fake sword. At one point the dog chased Valdivia off the "set." A little rewriting of history: Pedro de Valdivia fails to conquer Santiago when chased by stray pet!
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