Santiago funsies!

We have spent so much of our time traveling back and forth to Santiago for doctors visits and veterinary visits in the past year that it's really made us resent the city - which is too bad. Santiago can really be a fun place!  So when Joan told me about an urban art festival going on in Santiago - and most importantly how I could be the director of an orchestra - I told him that we HAD to go Santiago for the weekend, but just for fun! No doctors!

Why is there no cuddle-puddle here?!? This is NOT burning man!

So we went! Joan, Ruth, Camilo and I went to museums, saw some of the art "interventions" and even participated in some of the fun!

Glow stick fence around a park that kids were all helping to build. Should be at burning man!

My favorite art piece was this music box thing all made out of knives. It spun around and played a military march. Also all the knives were confiscated from crimes and wars.

Don't touch! Burning man gave me bad museum manners!

In addition to art and culture, we also took in a little religion. Ruth wanted to visit the sanctuary of the Virgin Mary at the top of Cerro San Cristobal with Camilo to ask for her to watch over him in his upcoming surgery. So we climbed up the hill in the heat of the middle of the day.

It really wasn't THAT bad of a climb - Joan drove us almost to the top!

 Once at the top, you get rewarded by a pretty nice view of the city. Though why the shadow of the virgin mary is such a popular makeout hotspot, I'll never know!

A little bit smoggy, but not too bad!

But Ruth got to have her pow-wow with the Virgin and Camilo. And he even got a quick blessing from a priest on our way back down.

Poor Camilo, he really doesn't like the heat in Santiago.

But the clear highlight of the weekend was directing an orchestra! This was one of the art "interventions" that were part of the urban art festival. The public were simply invited to take the podium - which was in front of the orchestra in the middle of the street - and direct away! Joan went first:

That was a pretty hard act to follow, but I did my very best. It really was soooo much fun!!!