After an awful night for me – couldn’t sleep, night sweats, cramps, I think we had the 24-hour flu or something – and noise, oh god!  The stupid balcony door wasn’t shut all the way and there was music and noise all night – which stopped once I realized the door was open (sigh) – I wake up feeling much better and Ed is almost completely back to speed.  So today – we are wandering! 

After showering (oh that felt so good) and plotting our course, we grab an Uber and head over to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights – which the driver tells us is very important and he is really happy we are going there to learn about the history of the country and the uprisings.  Cool.

Inside the museum – we can’t take pictures, but really, it is all about the stories and the atrocities that happened beginning in 1973 with the coup and the rule of Pinochet.  The thousands of persecuted Chileans, the disappearances, and then the long years until the end of the dictatorship and the rebuilding of democracy.  Each exhibit details a different part of the dictatorship from the coup itself to the repression and torture to the International condemnation.  There is also a video and different audio recordings that were translated enough for us to understand about the day that President Allende was overthrown, how he made everyone leave the government offices – including his wife and family – and stayed there when the rebels took the offices. Whether from a self-inflicted gunshot or not, there are many differing theories.  Nonetheless, it was the end of a tumultuous presidency and the start of something even worse.  A very moving and poignant place, and one that everyone should visit to get a real feel and look into what the end of the Rule of Law can mean.  And why it is so important to not let history repeat itself. 

Concluding our visit, we felt well enough to walk back to Recoleta, following Calle Catedral for almost 3k, all the way to Plazas de Armas – past wonderful murals and everyday street life.

Once at the Plaza, we decided we were in the mood for food and found a seat at one of the restaurants behind the plaza, the Cafeteria Pizzeria y Sangucheria Bella Compañia.  We were in the mood for sandwiches and this place seemed to foot the bill.  Although they also had chorrillanas – basically throw everything on top of French fries – we weren’t quite ready for that and, after some ordering confusion (I wanted to order a completo which was essentially a hotdog topped with all sorts of things), we ended up with a really good crispy fried chicken sandwich and a Mechada – which is a sandwich made with pot roast or stewed beef and in this case with cheese and palta, avocado.  Both very good and filling and perfect for a good solid mid-day meal.  

Ready to walk off our lunch, we headed over to the National Museum of Fine Arts, to spend some time meandering through the artwork.  3 stories worth of great artwork – both traditional and also contemporary dealing with the uprising and the dictatorship. We particularly liked the 1973 calendar that had the dates up until September 11 when the coup took place, then every date after that was simply 11. 

Returning to the apartment, we hung out through the hottest part of the afternoon, then ventured out for food in the early evening.  We decided to eschew Chilean food for another night and ended up at a Ramen bar not far from the apartment.  Yep, Japanese, always our go-to food!  Momiji Ramen was the way to go – a lovely little courtyard with a sweet waitress and excellent ramen.  I opted for the miso, while Ed went with Shoyu.  Perfect for our recovering bellies and an excellent meal to end our day. 

Back at the apartment we happily hung out on the now cool balcony watching the skyline and an awesome sunset.   Tomorrow, more wandering!