Cerro San Cristobal

This morning we took a 7.7 kilometer hike up Cerro San Cristobal, one of those "must do" things in Santiago. As well as wanting to get a look at the view from the top, the hike filled our daily exercise requirement.

Aside from the great view from the top, on the summit of the hill there is a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, with a 22-meter statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an amphitheater and a chapel.

There were a couple of steep setions along the pedestrian path that had this old fella sucking air, but for the most part it was a nice leisurely uphill climb. Despite the cloudless sky and mid-summer sun, the temperature was quite bearable with a fairly constant cool breeze blowing in (Or maybe it only felt cool after the 42° temperatures in Córdoba).

The view from the top was spectacular although we were quite surprised to see so much smog hanging over the city. It was so thick, we could only barely see the outline of the Andes in the distance.

When we were here twelve years ago, I had kept a personal journal of the trip. Yesterday, I re-read it while I was looking for a restaurant and both Brenda and I were very surprised to be reminded that we had taken the funicular to the top of San Cristobal back then! Even as we hiked our way to the summit today, all memories of our previous visit seem to have been erased from our brains. Maybe it was all that wine we sampled back in 2010?Read more