Santiago!  Following on Alex’s junior year at the University of Seville, he graduated a year later and headed to Chile to teach English.  And of course, when it came to Christmas, no sense in traveling back to the US when his mother & grandmother could use the excuse to travel to South America (deja vu Christmas in Seville two years before).  So off we went. Santiago is nestled inland at the base of the Andes.  A modern city, clean and well organized. We rented a house a short walk from the river, shopping areas, restaurants, and taxis.  Public parks and modern art.We were in Santiago during their independence celebration and went to a fair with entertainment, food and an equestrian event.
People waiting for the equestrian event to start.  In the background were booths serving food.  Traditional Chilean dress . . . . We took a tour outside the city to a small village in the countryside that specialized in pottery.  There were a lot of tourists, but that didn’t change the nature of the town.  The village was certainly unpretentious.  Buildings and housing of rough hune siding, and, of course evidence of everything else modern.
Everywhere stacked wood for fuel for the pottery kilns.  Main street scene with local tourists. Beyond the main street pictured above, typical side streets. Typical pottery produced in the village Weather during our stay, was generally clear but still a bit cold as the Southern Hemisphere entered its spring. The main street was lined with shops selling primarily pottery produced in the village. Back in the city with a view from a hill top park.