Christmas at the Beach

We decided to spend Christmas at the beach. La Serena is a quiet little town 6 hours north of Santiago, a beautiful ride up the coastal highway on I-5.After an afternoon on the beach and in the water, we walked back into town and came upon what seemed to be wild protests and drunken hooligans revolting in the streets.


We kept our distance and observed from a safe vantage point until someone explained to me that the Colo Colo futbol team had just beat Universidad de Chile in the annual day before Christmas Eve soccer match. The festivities went on until late into the night. Such is the nature of soccer fever in Chile.
The next day we joined the throngs of last minute shoppers in the streets. A little kitten caught our eye, shivering on the roof of a parked car. A young couple had rescued it from the mouth of a hungry dog and were trying to find a home for it. My wife had wanted a kitten, and after a few minutes of deliberations, we decided to take her. What have we gotten ourselves into?! We ended up carrying her around town all day!
We found our favorite Chilean snack, candied & chocolate coated strawberries and apples.
The Japanese gardens in La Serena provided a quiet respite from the crowds.
We, and the kitty, took the scruffy micro-bus to the next town down the coast--Coquimbo--to ascend El Crucero del Tercer Millenio, opened by the pope in 2000. The view from the top was good, but the overcast sky was gloomy.
The folks who ran the bed & breakfast where we stayed invited all the guests to join their family in a traditional Chilean Chistmas eve dinner. They were very kind and hospitable, and we had a great time learning about their traditions.
Around 11:00 pm we attended the Christmas eve services in a local cathedral, and made our way back home through the eerily darkened streets on Christmas day morning.




Dave Berry wraps up 2007 with his very funny year in review.