Chile Lindo

While everyone back home in the U.S. was celebrating the end of summer and advent of Fall with a three day weekend (Happy Labor Day y'all), here in the Southern Hemisphere we were ushering in Spring and the official start of the month long celebration that is Dieciocho (or Chilean Independence Day).  Last year I wrote about the fierce loyalty the Chileans feel towards their country.  It whips them into a frenzy as September dawns and we get closer and closer to the actual date of independence, September 18th. (click here to recap) But, being a newbie in a country that has a new celebration every day and usually in more than one location we didn't know what we should make the effort to hit up and what could wait until the next time (or never).  I don't have that excuse anymore.  And being that in this family I am the equivalent of Julie the Cruise Director on Love Boat, it is up to me to make sure that we celebrate in style.


And celebrate we did!

Vitacura (the suburb of Santiago the juts up next to us on the South West side) was throwing a party and inviting 50,000 of their closest friends.  We RSVP'd yes and made our way down the mountain about noon on Saturday.  If we had headed in just a few minutes earlier we would have been there to witness the President of Chile open the festival.  I have toddlers, I always run a few minutes late so it didn't surprise me that we had missed it.

But we did get to see the main attraction (up close and personal) - the Escuadra Ecuestre Palmas de Peñaflor.  This squad performed for the Queen's Jubilee Celebration in London earlier this year.  The only South American squad to do so.  This is the link I found - pretty impressive, though I am sorry it is in Spanish.

 



But we were hungry and it was hot, so we went off in search of some lunch.   Looks like these guys were looking for something too...

One of my favorite sculptures at this parque.

 We found  lots of traditional Chilean food but had to go with one that we all loved (and knew they would eat) Choripan.  Simply put - it is a Chorizo sausage inside a bun (pan in Spanish).  Usually it has avocado  tomato and mayonnaise on it but for the girls plain is just easier.  Try cleaning the condiments out of white shirts the next day!

 
 We relaxed a bit after eating.  B and I thought that it wasn't such a good idea to head straight to the rides after a lunch full of grease, sausage and cotton candy.  And we thought the other park goers would thank us for this decision.

 And then the girls finally wheedled and whined enough to get us moving again so we were off to the rides.  And they were free...that makes for a very happy Papa...

A pirate ship...Thank you B.  I would have lost my lunch.

We rode a horse or two.

 We even got to add our paintings to the wall...

We climbed the Spider Web...

Shared our juice with Mama...

And shirked kisses...

A fabulous day all around.  And on Sunday, I was asked what the schedule looked like.  Whether I had more magic up my sleeve. All I could do was whip out the bounce house for the girls, some food for the grill for the B and a glass of wine for me.  I was ready to give Julie her job back.