Quinta Normal

The other day we spent in Quinta Normal, an area in Santiago with a big park and lots of museums in walking distance. Claudio and I met his friend César and his girlfiend Carolina in the metro nearby. We walked around the park for a while before finding a museum. The first one we went to was a building used in the World's Fair in France. It is hard to believe that a whole building can be dismantled and put together all over again like this one. The architecture was quite interesting and it hosted a small exhibition for kids. The show had prints of famous art pieces to educated children. Here's what the building looked like:

 We also walked down to another museum called Museo Arte Contemporáneo, another branch. This museum showcases work by college students and alumni. I found some of it quite interesting while other pieces were a bit too stereotypical. However, I enjoyed the museum as a whole and the space was great for showing small and large pieces.

Later we went back to the park to eat lunch. César and Carolina were kind enough to pack everyone lunch! So, we ate and took a break for a while.

After spending a good amount of the day in Quinta Normal, we made our way to the Estación Central (Central Station). This is where pretty much all the trains came into when they were the main means of transportation. We were about to go under the metro station when we realized it was closed off. Then we turned the other way and saw a group of Carabineros (police officers). There is a university close to this area and they were going to protest. As I said before, this is something quite normal but not very amusing to anyone walking around the area. So, we crossed the street and started going towards the central station when we started coughing. The police had set of tear gas across the street and it had already made its way to the other side. It wasn't extremely strong, but enough to bother your throat and eyes. Luckily we had made it across the street before they set it off! 

We walked over to a nearby mall to escape the air. This mall is surrounded by many vendors. It is quite well-known in Santiago because they sell imported products, mainly from Asia. Everything is super cheap and people come here to buy gifts. 

It was interesting to see another part of Santiago. I'm still amazed by all the different "comunas" or communities there are here. Even though New York is even bigger, it's still so spread out! Although it still takes around an hour or so to get anywhere downtown if you live on the outskirts of the city.

Another interesting item of the week: pescado ahumado! Smoked fish from a nearby city thanks to César! It was sooo good!

That's it for now, but I have about another week and a half here!