Torres del Paine

Not much to say.  These photos pretty much speak for themselves.  We visited the national park in the winter, so it was virtually empty.  From our hotel in Puerto Natales we drove for three hours on a deserted, unpaved road and arrived (jaws on the floor) at the foot of the Andes.  Along the way we saw tons of guanaco (llama-like, but bigger).  Hubs ate one in a restaurant in Punta Arenas which, by the way, also served beaver and nandu (rhea), an ostrich-like bird we spotted, as well.

Cuernos (horns) del Paine

My camera just doesn't do justice to the brilliant blue/green hues of the ice and water!

Glacier Grey

Torres (towers) on the left

Cold, Rain, and Snow

The beautiful city of Punta Arenas sits on the western end of the Strait of Magellan.  Much of the neoclassical architecture is a direct result of some the 19th century's  wealthy sheep ranching dynasties like the Braun and Menendez families. 
The downtown is exceptionally clean, and I was told by several people  it was due to the unrelenting high winds. 
It simply sweeps the streets pristine! 
Being at the bottom of the world makes everything look distinct.  The sun never really got very high while we were there.  That, combined with the crisp cold, made everything awash in high contrast with grey shadows in glaring golden sunlight.

The monument to Ferdinand Magellan in the main plaza.  Kissing the foot of the Mapuche man guarantees your return...so the myth goes.

Hotel Jose Nogueira (above).  We had a drink in the subterranean pub, which resembled a cave.

Kiosco Roca!  One of our best meals in P.A. (besides the giant centolla spider crabs and lamb) was at this little dive that makes hot homemade chorizo sandwiches on just-baked pan amasado, with or without cheese. A masterpiece in its simplicity.

It sounds odd, but it goes perfectly with their homemade banana milk!

This place gets swamped at lunch time. Students and workers crowd around the counter, a sea of dark heavy coats with upturned collars. There's no sign or marker, so ask a local to point you in the right direction along Calle Roca.

Choriqueso!

 

In Patagonia

Summary from the Penguin Classics  edition:

An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin’s exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Fueled by an unmistakable lust for life and adventure and a singular gift for storytelling, Chatwin treks through “the uttermost part of the earth”— that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome—in search of almost forgotten legends, the descendants of Welsh immigrants, and the log cabin built by Butch Cassidy. An instant classic upon publication in 1977, In Patagonia is a masterpiece that has cast a long shadow upon the literary world. 



I could not put this book down!  Perhaps I fell especially in love because I was able to visualize the severe landscape and harsh climate after our own trip to Patagonia in June.  Mr. Chatwin's facination began with a piece of prehistoric skin in his English grandmother's hutch which was sent by her cousin from Patogonia in the late 19th century.  He travels, mostly walking, through Southern Argentina and Chile.  Along the way he retells the sometimes outlandish tales of characters as unique and stalwart as the land.
The origins of the hide?  Chatwin eventually makes it to the remote cave where the animal hide was found.  It belonged to a  long extinct giant Mylodon (relative of a sloth).  The damp, cold conditions of the cave preserved the skin (with fur attached), and  it was inaccurately believed for a while that the creature still existed.
Here we are at the entrance to the cave:

 Landscape carved by glaciers

 Mylodon

Evidence  found of human settlements in this expansive cave date from 12,000 years ago.  It was so quiet and eery.  Actually, I was a little scared!  Nobody was there, and my imagination was reeling! Plus, there are wild pumas in the area. 

 Driving through the dirt roads of the area we encountered remote cattle and sheep stations.

 
More on the rest of our trip in upcoming posts!

 

Antiquing in Santiago

Last weekend we took a shopping trip to Santiago.  At the end of Avenida Brasil, right across from the pleasant little Parque de Los Reyes, sits a huge hangar filled with antiques.  I could have browsed for days!  Pretty much anything and everything a chap can unload...sorry, I've seen "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" too many times.  

The prices were a little steep for Chile because it is a well-known, higher quality market.  However, still many fantastic steals compared to the United States.

Here are a few items I discovered, to name a few:

                  Beautiful old silver, engraved trophies (auto racing, polo)

Antlers

French oil paintings

 Rough-hewn wooden oars and bowls

Wooden trunks 

Lots of vintage suitcases

Many classic Thonet cafe chairs with cane seats

Countless desks, armoires, benches, and chairs of all sorts (just begging to be recovered!)

We were looking for a desk and found a beautiful cypress one.  Thinking about going back for it!  Also, they had the cutest little wooden chairs and desks for children that were once ubiquitous in every Chilean school house of years past. 

Wished I had taken more photos, but my camera is busted, and I only had my phone. Not to worry, I'll be going back!

Au Naturale

Carmel Bay

I am so in love with these paintings curated by the designer Nathan Turner for Dutch Touch.

 

Monterey

 

Blue Agave

Aloe 1

I have been combing the internet for lithograph or postcard copies of these.  But, alas, they cannot be found!  I can't figure out whom the artist is either.  I am obsessing over the last two.   I am guessing they are reproductions of an anonymous botanical engraving.  The prices for the hand painted repro's are unlisted, which means "unaffordable"! 

I love the California-Spanish feel of these prints.

The last time we lived in Monterey my mother-in-law bought me this print called "Childhood Memory" by the Big Sur artist Erin Gafill.  The name is so apropos beacuse I have so many happy memories of these mountains in my own childhood.

I like these antique egg prints.  I guess I'd say I am going through a naturalist phase.  I like the look of fossils, antlers, shells, coral, rocks...etc.

These are from All Posters.

I love these types of bird studies. However, I am starting to creep myself out by the amount of bird prints, pillows, figurines, and bedding I have!

Fabric from Dwell studio and sold at Calico Corners.  It also comes in a duvet set, but seems a bit busy for  a bed.


I like this one, again, from Dwell.
  I already have the quilt, which was sold at Target. Maybe one more bird thingy couldn't hurt!
(Note the artwork)