1. El Palacio de la Moneda, the old presidential palace of Chile. On Sept. 11, 1973, a U.S.-backed military coup overthrew Chile´s democratically-elected president, Salvador Allende. Allende, a doctor, barricaded himself in the palace and fought to the last.
2. The Central Post Office; it was the home of the governor prior to independence, hence its rather ornate-for-a-post-office appearance.
3. Old and new - Santiago´s cathedral and a shiny new office tower make for a look at Chile´s past and present on the Plaza de Armas.
4. A strikingly red church a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas.
5. Cerro Santa Lucia, a hill on the south edge of downtown that was turned into a park around the turn of the last century.
6. On the other side of the river from downtown is another hill, Cerro Cristobal. It´s quite tall, and to get up it, people generally take a series of cable cars, or else ride the funicular - as you can see, the funicular goes up a VERY steep slope.
7. The view is worth it, though - downtown Santiago, smog and all, as seen from Cerro Cristobal.
8. Parque Uruguay!
9-10. A Tale of Two Sculptures - the first is an enormous, early 20th century piece in the riverside park dedicated to the memory of Chile´s heroes of the war for independence. The second is of another life lost in the struggle for Chilean independence, albeit in a different way - the aforementioned Salvador Allende; it´s located opposite the Palacio de la Moneda.
11. Back to wine country - in the 16th century, Mendoza´s first winepresses were not stone, but rather were full-sized leather cowhides...people would press the grapes by jumping up and down on this, and the juice would come out through what had been the tail.
12. One of the vineyards at Bodega La Rural.
13. Wine casks at Viña El Cerno.
14. An Argentine country house outside of San Rafael, Mendoza province.
15. Home sweet home...the view of Montevideo on the way into the city is striking; this picture does not do it justice.
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