I’m way behind in posting regarding my trip in October, and I return to Canada in 3 days. I lost over half my photos of La Serena, and all my photos of the Elqui Valley, and it took me ages to recover these. With a few exceptions, I’m just posting photos without captions.
The memorial in La Serena, Region IV, to people jailed, tortured, murdered, or “disappeared” during Pinochet’s rule.
OSTRICH??
I’m aghast that Chuck E Cheese’s is such a THING in Chile…
Hibiscus.
Hibiscus TREES!
Lunch: pastel de jaiba, crab and cheese pie.
The view from the restaurant.
Lots of “malls” in Chile are gallerias — an enclosed passage in between or even inside office buildings with shops on either side. It was a holiday, so this one was closed.
Path–down the middle of the highway!–to the beach.
The Faro — lighthouse of La Serena.
Sadly there was no information up anywhere about the lighthouse — how old it is, what it’s built with…
…this, unfortunately in its lack of maintenance. I don’t know if the cracks are normal wear and tear, or earthquake damage, or both.
Always incredible to witness the ocean, no matter what.
Iglesia Santo Domingo. La Serena is FULL of beautiful churches. It was exactly halfway on the route for missionaries travelling between Santiago and the Viceroy of Peru, so La Serna was their way station.
Iglesia San Francisco. The only church not have its insides completely burnt by an attack by the pirate Captain Sharp in 1680.
Part of the reason I applied for my current artists’ residency was its location: the French Riviera is among those almost mythical places you read about. Where the gargantuan artists and authors worked, where water, sky, and wine blend together. And, it’s 5 minutes from Cannes.
Cannes is very polished compared to Nice and Antibes, and normally I don’t like that. But it works here – the beaches, trees, ancient buildings and colour of the water aren’t overcome by the opulent hotels, fancy cars and designer shops. Everything goes together. The city isn’t remotely shy about playing up its glamorous image – the Palme D’Or symbol is on the roads, there are banners and murals of movie stars everywhere. They’re saying: “Of course movies happen here, of course the world’s most prestigious film festival is here. Because it’s beautiful!”
Eglise Notre-Dame de Bon Voyage
Monument to Napoleon on the side of the church
Palais des Festivals, home of the film Festival de Cannes.
Me! On the red carpet!
David Lynch’s handprint. :0
There are several crazy-beautiful hotels along La Croisette, the main street along the water. This is the majestic.
In front of the Palais.
The Carlton Hotel. Grace Kelly met Prince Ranier here.
La Croisette.
La Croisette.
The beach. But this time with SAND!
An Eiffel Tower made of wrapped polymer sweets!
Garden at the far east end of La Croisette. That’s a monument to de Gaulle, not the original “little cross”.
Le Castre au Le Suquet, the castle at the summit, the highest point of Cannes’ old town.
I didn’t notice the seagull on her head until later!