My Santiago guide commented that the city is often described as a “quiet city.”

“Actually it might be considered boring, “ he chuckled and went on to describe the capital of the long and narrow South American country and the impact of 17 years of military dictatorship

“We were never part of the history of the world. Never participated in big decisions,” he said.

While it might be quiet, we found interesting places to visit in this manageable city.  It is refreshing. No lines. Very few selfie sticks. No one jumping in front of you taking photos with IPads.

To put in perspective, Chile only has about 4 million tourists a year and that’s for the entire country. Compare to Paris with over 80 million, Barcelona 60 million and Venice 20 million. Even Cuba has close to 5 million visitors.

It makes for great sight seeing and I found the people to be especially friendly.

Here are highlights of some of the places we visited.

Museum of Pre-Columbian Art

This museum includes collections of Pre-Columbian artifacts,  interesting hats, textiles and a memorable collection of Mapuche wooden people crafted to accompany the dead beyond the grave.

 Palacio Cousino

Unfortunately I couldn’t take photos so the photos below is from  the web, but if, like me, you enjoy house museums, Palacio Cousino was “the best.” There couldn’t have been more than a dozen people touring the mansion, we had our own guide and best of all this home-once belonging to the wealthiest family in Chile—is frozen in time with furnishings, art work and even the silverware and dishes on display. This is rare.

The half ton chandelier was stunning and we enjoyed seeing the first residential elevator in Santiago.

San Miquel Street Art

I asked the guide about street art so he took us to see the San Miguel neighborhood with more than 50 murals painted on the ends of the buildings. This is a working class barrio where a grass roots effort  bubbled up to embellish the blank walls. Now there are more than 50 murals painted by 20 artists.

Our guide told us that the neighborhood residents are so proud of their murals that they make a real effort to keep the neighborhood clean and safe. Truly an example of the power of art.

 La Chascona (Pablo Neruda’s house)

Considered one of the best poets ever, Pablo Neruda is a national hero in Chile. He owned several small homes in the country. This one, built on a hill in the Buena Vista neighborhood is open to the public and well worth the visit.

It captures the poet’s creative spirit as well as the designs of the time he lived there. He believed in living humbly with  popular design. Again, we weren’t allowed to take photos inside so I’m including a couple off the internet.

Buena Vista Barrio

Buena Vista  is considered the bohemian part of town–chock-o-block full of cafes and clubs. We meandered on a quiet Saturday morning, enjoying the murals on the walls,  around windows and creative gathering spots. My guess is that evenings are non-stop party time.

 The Parque Metropolitan and Cerro San Christoble

This park in the center of the city provides a wonderful spot for residents to enjoy nature, views of their city and a getaway from city life. We didn’t visit the gardens which range from local botanical to Japanese or either of the two public swimming pools, but I loved having a chance to capture the city from up high. Great views.

This park is the fourth largest in the world, even bigger than Central Park in NYC.

The changing of the guard at La Moneda Palace in Santiago

This event was pretty formal as you might expect, but then the band surprised us all with some “jazzy” music in the middle of the stately ceremony. Everyone livened up and started tapping their toes.

Someone in the crowd asked if “cocktails will be served?” Felt appropriate. But then in a snap, the saxophones and trombones toned down and went right back to the serious marching music.

Funny Sight

I spotted this on a street corner not to far from the Neruda house. Wish I knew the story behind who made this and what was it used for. Thoughts?