Fiestas patrias

I just wrote several pages of this damn blog, and when I went to fetch a website, the whole damn thing disappeared.  I am not going to piece it all back together but will give some photos of this major holiday that I'd heard about before I got here, a holiday which turned out to be a rather paltry, unenthusiastic affair that disappointed rather that elated.  I began at the local church for the Te Deum.

The priest droned on and on, reading a sermon after we had done some singing, me belting out in my faulty Spanish the words that I'd gotten for some flyer on the front pews.

People waited for the parade to begin, snd sadly, when it began, the music was off-key, the pace was dirge-like, and the singing was mute.

We walked to Media Luna where we heard there were rodeos, music, dancing and food.  We ate lunch, waited around and discovered the rodeo wasn't until tomorrow, the music didn't begin on time, and nobody was dancing,

I did capture these two children, dressed for the occasion, albeit not to happily, at least from the young man's perspective.  Gabriella took a collective back. And I walked, encountering the dozens of horses, prancing almost uncontrollably and being prodded continuously with sharp Spurs that seemed beyond cruel.

I am not even writing about our visit to the museum I. Santa Cruz, some abomination created by Carlos Cardoen, a man who is not permitted in the U.S. Because he was providing arms to Iraq.  The whole story is rather intriguing as portrayed here: http://www.sfgate.com/magazine/article/THE-CHILEAN-CONNECTION-Carlos-Cardoen-arms-2667085.php 

The museum is a contrivance of artifacts,all of which seem brand new, the whole thing a construct of science and history that suit Cardoen's narcissistic purposes.

This was a little patio outside a house I passed on the way back to Santa Cruz where we went to the hotel to book yet another wine tour - good God, there is little to do in this city - and decided to have a pisco sour at l e of the lovely patios in the back.

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We had dinner at the Social Club, the same place we ate last night because it was one of maybe two restaurants opened.  This was proudly displayed at the table, and on that note, I'm over and out forthe night.  Buenos noche!