Santiago

DAY 84 (1 OF 2) – CENTRO CULTURAL PALACIO LA MONEDA, SANTIAGO, CHILE

Plaza de la Ciudadania is situated right in front of Palacio de la Moneda, the neoclassical building housing the Chilean presidential office. Under the plaza there lies Centro Cultural Palacio la Moneda, a new underground cultural complex consisted of theatres, exhibition spaces and shops.
Before we left Santiago for Valparaiso, we spent the morning visiting the cultural complex. The ramps in the atrium that connected all floors were pretty interesting. Natural light lit up the entire atrium through the glass roof cladding that belongs to the floor finish of the plaza above.
At 2pm, we arrived at one of the main bus terminals in the city for transportation to Valparaiso. In two hours we would finally arrive in Valparaiso, the very last stop of our journey!

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Read other posts on Santiago and Valparaiso in 2013 South America:

Day 83.1 – Mercado Central, Santiago
Day 83.2 – Museums & Cultural Centre, Santiago
Day 84.1 – Centro Cultural Palacio la Moneda, Santiago
Day 84.2 – Arrival, Cerro Artilleria, Valparaiso
Day 85.1 – Ascensores, Valparaiso
Day 85.2 – Paella Lunch, Valparaiso
Day 85.3 – Cerros Alegre and Concepcion, Valparaiso
Day 86.1 – Hill of Colours, Valparaiso
Day 86.2 – Trolleybuses, Valparaiso
Day 86.3 – Casa Museo la Sebastiana, Valparaiso
Day 86.4 – Seafood, Valparaiso
Day 87 – New Year’s Fireworks, Valparaiso

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South America 2013 – Our Destinations
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Iguazu Falls (Argentina/Brazil), Pantanal (Brazil), Brasilia (Brazil), Belo Horizonte & Inhotim (Brazil), Ouro Preto (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Paraty (Brazil), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Samaipata & Santa Cruz (Bolivia), Sucre (Bolivia), Potosi (Bolivia), Southwest Circuit (Bolivia), Tilcara, Purmamarca, Salta (Argentina), Cafayate (Argentina), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), Antofagasta & Paranal Observatory (Chile), Chiloe (Chile), Puerto Varas (Chile), Torres del Paine (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), El Chalten (Argentina), El Calafate (Argentina), Isla Magdalena (Argentina), Santiago (Chile), Valparaiso (Chile), Afterthought

January 1, 2014 | Categories: Chile, Day 81 to 90, Santiago | Tags: Architecture, art, Centro Cultural Palacio la Moneda, Chile, culture, destination, journal, photo, Plaza de la Ciudadania, Santiago, South America, things-to-do, Travel | Leave a comment

DAY 83 (2 OF 2) – MUSEUMS & CULTURAL CENTRE, SANTIAGO, CHILE

Other than the central market, we spent the entire day hopping around the city centre to visit various cultural institutions. Our first destination was Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). Built as one of the Bicentennial projects in 2010, the museum is dedicated to “raise awareness of the human rights violations committed by the State of Chile between 1973 to 1990, to dignify the victims and their families, and to raise discussion and awareness on the importance of respect and tolerance, so that these events would never happen again.” The visit to this museum provided us general knowledge on Chile’s modern history from the coup in 1973 to the fall of Pinochet in 1990. We liked the interactive memorial wall at the central atrium where we could use an interactive device to select one of the hundreds of photographs of political victims on the wall to know more about each individual.
Next we went to the Bellas Artes area to see the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. At Contemporaneo, we were delighted to see a show of Georges Rousse’s work. There was an interesting installation of his “spatial painting” of a white star at the central hall. Adjacent to Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, we visited Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes to have a quick view of Chilean art in the last 200 years.
Before dinner, we dropped by Centro Gabriela Mistral (GAM), a newly built cultural centre in Barrio Lastarria. We wandered around the complex to check out its outdoor plazas, exhibition spaces, bookstore, café, restaurant, wine shop, etc.
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (4 photos below)
Georges Rousse’s installation in Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (2 photos below)
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (1 photo below)
Centro Gabriela Mistral (5 photos below)

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Read other posts on Santiago and Valparaiso in 2013 South America:

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January 1, 2014 | Categories: Chile, Day 81 to 90, Santiago | Tags: Architecture, Centro Gabriela Mistral, Chile, destination, gallery, Georges Rousse, journal, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, museum, photo, Santiago, South America, things-to-do, Travel | Leave a comment

DAY 83 (1 OF 2) – MERCADO CENTRAL, SANTIAGO, CHILE

The Mercado Central in the Chilean capital is a world-famous fish market. It was Sunday early afternoon when we visited the bustling market. The time was a little late for buying seafood from fishmongers. Most visitors were actually coming for a seafood lunch. Avoiding the more touristy restaurants in the middle of the market, we sat down at one of the few tables in a small stall at the edge of the market for lunch. We ordered erizo (sea urchin), a seafood soup, and a special seafood stew. Price was fair, and quality was decent. Some came specifically for king crabs, which were displayed at almost all restaurants in the market.