On the trail of Pablo Neruda in Isla Negra

The day starts off great with steaming coffee prepared on the gas stove in my cozy 'board hut'. Bread and jamon on the side - let's go. At the most beautiful house of Pablo Neruda, where he also wrote a lot, I enjoy the views of the blue sea and the spray of the waves. The house is less exposed than expected, but it is located on some rocks about 10 meters above the sea.

The audio guide is well done and brings anecdotes and music that fit the time. The fact that Neruda was a crazy collector makes him so likable to me, and yes, I like his poetry. His political activity during the Allende era ended here at this special place in Isla Negra. On September 11, 1973, the military coup took place in Santiago and Neruda was very ill, so he passed away a few days later in the hospital on September 23. His grave is also here, together with his third wife Matilde Urrutia. He was moved here, according to his own wish, in 1992.

It makes you somewhat nostalgic, and I still had some red wine with me, sitting contemplatively on a rock below his house. I watched the waves, the passing ships, and the formation flight of pelicans and seagulls. Everything is within walking distance here, and I had time and appetite, so I prepared spaghetti with a vegetable and tuna sauce. The chilled white wine goes perfectly with it. The TV was playing South American rhythms, a Chilean music channel brings in the atmosphere. Salsa - that's what sauce is called in South America, which, as I learned last night at a restaurant, doesn't necessarily have to be spicy. Yesterday it wasn't fish, but Lomo (steak) with mushroom sauce, accompanied by a full-bodied red wine and a glass of liqueur. What more could you want?