International Christmas Bazaar

Preparing for Christmas celebration in +30 degrees weather sure can be different than walking horizontally in a snow storm or being afraid of losing toes because of a frost bite. As the thermometer climbs higher, people living in Chile start the pre-Christmas celebration.

To get in the Christmas mood they attend Christmas markets under the palm trees. One of such events is the International Christmas Bazaar organised by Damas Diplomáticas of Santiago. Many of the countries that are represented in Chile have their own stand at the fair, where typical products of that country are being sold. The profit of the bazaar is aimed for charity.

As a good citizen I also wanted to do my share for charity. When I heard the Finnish ladies of Chile are participating the Christmas bazaar, I thought what a better way to spend my Saturday!

Photo by Daniel Alvarez.

In addition to Marimekko products and some Finland-inspired books also typical Finnish delicacies such as kanelipulla (cinnamon bun), joulutorttu (a sweet Christmas pastry made of butter dough and plum jam) and piparkakku (ginger bread cookies) were sold.
My Finnish workmate from the Santiago Times and I decided to do toffee lollipops (tikkunekkuja) as our input for charity. However, that fudge cooking attempt did not go as smoothly as planned because I burned my hand in making. Maybe eventually that made the lollipops worth even more!

After our two hour shift was done, we also joined the rest of the gang that was enjoying the lovely warm afternoon in the park, Parque Inés de Suarez. The international flair, cuisine and of course beer brought us a good mood!

Guests Come And Go... And Come Again

While Lukas was on a business trip and Tanja and Siegi exploring San Pedro de Atacama, Niklaus and I stayed in Santiago somewhat calmly learning Spanish, working and waiting for the others plus Sandra to arrive.
Excercise.

Entertainment.



The week flew by and before we knew it, all four of them flew back to Santiago. The house was full again! Tanja and Siegi were going to stay just one day more before they had to return to Austria so we decided to do some serious shopping. And we did!










It was time to show Sandra what Santiago is all about. As the weather was not really playing its part, we decided to see the sights in a reverse order.

In front of Mercado Central.

Since the brothers are players, of course we went to play golf at the Santiago Golf Club! ;)

First we were practising - Niklaus attempting a swing.

Sandra, too, got the swing on!

Put some curve in it!

Concentrate.







The evening called for a nice dinner in Liguria.



Sunday was finally sunny enough to go to the pool so we spent the day chilling.



One day we tried out driving a Segway. It is a lot of fun - especially after you've figured out and found your balance.

As a fashion statement a giant ant head might not serve. :D

Although it's better to find out only afterwards that the Segway owner and creator died in a Segway accident.

We left Segways behind and hiked up the hill to Cerro San Cristobal.





Having a lunch at Le Fournil.

There are still a couple of days left before our guests head up north. Let's see what kind of adventures there are yet to experience!

Pichilemu - Surfers' Paradise

Pichilemu is a town on the coast which we passed on the way back to Santiago. The black sanded Pichilemu is Chile's unofficial surf capital and apparently a hoot at night time.

According to our tourist guide, the Lonely Planet, Punta de Lobos (which means wolf's point) has the best surfing in town. However, instead of surfing we decided to pose in the windy spot!

Santa Cruz Wine Trip

Day 1

On an early November day and all five of us - Tanja, Siegi, Niklaus, Lukas and I - filled with excitement, we headed to the south from Santiago. Great wine and beautiful landscape was waiting for us - we couldn't have gotten there faster!

As we arrived to Santa Cruz, a wonderfully rustic hotel called Casa de Campo a bit outside of the town center appealed to us so much that we decided to enjoy the rest of the afternoon by the pool.

















We only made a quick sprint to town to get some lunch and to have a looksee to know where we have arrived.



Day 2

The second day started with a delicious breakfast after which we were tanked up to go do some wine tasting!







First stop: Viña Montes



The winemaker and co-owner of Montes wines, Douglas Murray, believes that angels give their products wings in order to sell better as well as protect the plants at nights.

Between March and May every year about 150 people are needed to harvest the grapes which are used for the premium and ultra premium wines. All of them are harvested by hand.

The trip wasn't purely pleasure - I take my work seriously.

Montes vineyard uses interesting methods for their ultra premium wines - the French oak barrels in the cellar are listening to calming Gregorian music. Only 20.000 bottles of ultra premium wines are made in a year, which why they are difficult to find for example in Finland.

94% of Montes wines are exported. We got to try four sorts: Syrah, Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Trying all that wine got us cheerful!






After the first wine tour we were starting to get hungry. So we kindly asked our lady taxi driver to take us to a Peruvian restaurant called La Casita de Barreales.



Since none of us had tried Peruvian food before, we decided it's best to follow the waiter's recommendations. We ordered five main courses and five desserts and shared them so that everyone got to taste everything!

Classic Fish Ceviche is chopped fish marinated in lemon juice, chili and onions garnished with sweet potatoes and corn.

Causa Neptuno is a traditionally prepared filling of shrimps in a golf sauce.

Aji de Gallina is made from delicious pieces of chicken covered in pepper cream, milk, Piso bread and topped with Parmesan cheese.

Mixed Chicharron is a mixture of marinated shellfish and fish, breaded and fried with creole and tartar sauces.

Sauteed steak is made from steak slices flamed with pisco, onions, tomatoes and peas.

Ahhh... And the desserts...

Crema volteada - a traditional Peruvian creme caramel recipe with a touch of vanilla.

Maracuya Cheesecake and Rosita Rios Temptation, which is made from black corn, was a delicate purple corn mousse. Both mouth watering delicacies!

After satisfied stomaches we continued on to the next tour.


Stop 2: Viña Lapostolle - Clos Apalta

From the recently built Lapostolle / Clos Apalta vineyard we had a beautiful view over the Apalta valley.



French oak barrels bring different tastes to wine - tobacco, leather, vanilla...

According to the Wine Spectator magazine in 2008, Clos Apalta from Lapostolle vineyard was chosen as the best wine of the world.

And we got to try it! One bottle costs approximately 100 Euros. The already harvested grapes of the premium wines of both of the vineyards are hand selected by 60-80 women, who slit open each individual grape so that when falling down to the fermentation tank the grapes are squashed by gravity and not by any machines. Now you ask why women? Because women are more delicate, more careful in separating the grapes.

Casa Apostolle building cost about USD 20 Million.

Lapostolle workers going home.



Also it was our time to go home. And that evening in programme was barbecuing!


Day 3

Stop 1: Viña MontGras

MontGras vineyard.

On the MontGras tour we learned, for example, that the only constant thing in Chile is the sun. Because the weather here is so reliable is also why there are only good vintages - unlike in many places in Europe.

Each of us got to talk to the echo.



How do you recognise a cabernet sauvignon grape from a merlot?

The answer is in the leaves.









The winemaker himself comes personally to try out the quality of the wines on a regular basis.






Yet again, our driver took us to the city for lunch. This time we sat outdoors in a lovely Italian restaurant.










Stop 4: Viña Santa Cruz

Unlike all the other wineries we visited, viña Santa Cruz beholds most of the wine on domestic grounds, and only about 5% is exported. And despite our clown like guide the sceneries were beautiful and the place worth visit.











After some wine tasting, the cable car took us up on the hill where the Mapuche and Rapa Nui cultures were represented, among others.















It was love at first sight.

Lukas climbing on the monument representing the Rapa Nui culture from the Easter Islands.

And Niklaus...



After yet another eventful day, it was time to go back to the hotel again.


We made friends at the hotel. Because we didn't know their names, we called him the Stinker.

... and the poodle was named as Pepino (cucumber in Spanish).



The beautiful setting tempted me for creating some artistic images.










The wine trip to Santa Cruz was one of the best holidays ever. It didn't tickle just our taste buds but also was a joy for the eye.

We returned to Santiago relaxed and happy making a detour via Pichilemu, well known in the surfer circles for its black sand and great waves.