Almost like home

Arriving in Santiago feels almost like landing in one of the great European cities. Somehow normal, no market criers on every corner, stylish little shops and Art Nouveau neighborhoods. The city is densely built, yet it leaves room for greenery. Santiago lures with charming nightlife districts like Bellavista or Paris-Londres.

Since the city is regularly hit by earthquakes, there are few buildings that are really old. So they just couldn't build like the Incas. A pleasant exception is the Franciscan church, which, like all the churches in the city, is open for free visits and devotion.

In addition, there is a lot of contemporary architecture, the most famous representative of which is Alejandro Aravena, who also curated the Venice Biennale 2 years ago. He has built some of the university buildings of the Catholic University, where he also teaches. He has a wonderfully clear design language and the buildings have a fine materiality.

For a long time, we were able to do something normal like going to the cinema (!), a real highlight. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Very good! Highly recommended even for non-Harry Potter fans, go see it.