SANTIAGO DE CHILE 06.02.2023

Another day with extreme heat! It is not usual in Santiago to have temperatures above 30°C consistently in February. But we still wanted to go out, so Los Dominicos was recommended to us as a destination. It is like a small artist village where tourists can stroll around and spend money on souvenirs. Located at the end of a metro line, you can walk towards a church (still used by monks/nuns?), which stands in a green oasis! Unfortunately, this part is not accessible to the public, but the adjacent village complex is. It was gifted years ago to an Irishman with the condition that it provides education and opportunities to preserve artistic heritage. Today, you can find many small fine workshops and jewelry stores where the owners make and sell their products live. The whole complex feels like a shady and cooling oasis, with refreshment stands and restaurants as well. We were lucky to take a peaceful walk, but as we were leaving, we saw two big tour buses arriving, with passengers handed over to a tour guide! We already suspected that Franzi deliberately sent us to such a "safe" visit spot, so that her parents wouldn't wander naively through Santiago.

To prove that we survived this trip on the metro, we went to her office. She had already told her boss and colleagues about us long before, and we were also curious about where she actually works. And then this! Wow! We could still enter the lobby of the building complex, but we would have never made it past the reception desk with a team of three people in matching uniforms without our daughter! With her elegant and appropriate office outfit, she seemed as if she had never done anything else in this lobby. Among the changing information displayed on the monitors, indicating which companies reside in the building, she confidently spoke with the lady behind the counter to get us visitor cards. But we only received them after presenting our identification. After that, we went up to the offices of her company and had our introduction and tour. We can only hope that all the expectations of this project are met and wish them success!

After experiencing our daughter's new world for the first time, our pride should also be expressed with a successful meal. And the restaurant that Franzi took us to was perfect for the day. Inside the restaurant, it was significantly cooler than outside, and we found a table under a very high ceiling with a gallery running beneath it, almost like in a Western saloon. There was also a waiter wearing a French cap with funny eyes. The Pisco Sour was quickly ordered, and new to us was the Tinto Sour (red wine with gin and ??? we still have to find out!), which Karin couldn't resist. And since the food was good again, we wanted to remember the name of the restaurant, as there is supposed to be a second one belonging to the chain!

On our way home on foot, we passed by a record store that also sold women's underwear. With Franzi's help, I expressed my search wishes to the two very eccentric-looking salesmen, who created an atmosphere in their store that immediately made us want to explore it. They made great efforts to assist me. In the end, I left the store with an LP from a band that is referred to as the Pink Floyd of Chile and has been the only band to perform on Mount Matchupitchu. I'm curious to hear how that sounds in Berlin? At Franzi's place, there was no record player, but the evening view of Santiago was wonderful!