V is for volcano

 ABC Wednesday 

*neu: Blick Dienstag

A wonderful view from the (active) Osorno Volcano   (2,652-meter /8,701 ft high) in Southern Chile by my  sister (thank you, dear sis!)  We were both there last February, she hat the right seat to capture this magnificent summer view.

L is for Lake Llanquihue and lavender

From my recent visit to South Chile: Lake Llanquihue and lavender fields. A lovely combination for  ABC Wednesday 

Opposite to this view there is an inviting tea house.

photohunts: focus ~ technology

I was in Southern Chile last January at a beautiful lake, but my focus was on this gorgeous aloe vera bloom maybe because of the late summer, late afternoon light. Technology (aka my little digital camera) allowed me to capture this close-up.  From my archives for the Saturday photohunts:   focus  ☀  technology

photohunts: deluxe ~ animal

deluxe  ☀  animal
I don't own any pets, it is always a treat to be able to  photograph animals. I found this deluxe cat in a crafts market in Santiago, Chile last month. He was allowed to nap among the ceramic figurines in a shop. A unique sight, I thought.

sale ~ cutlery

  

                                                    cutlery ☀ sale

Examples of cutlery found in a garage sale, maybe. This belongs to the La Jardin project , a  Santiago de Chile part of  British artist Tony Hornecker's The Pale Blue (pop-up!) Restaurant  initiative. Decorated with recycled materials only, meaning mismatched, salvaged furniture and quirky junk! (reposted for my own convenience...) I visited this project in early 2013, it was a real feast for the eyes, I simply loved it because there was so much to look at. The food was also very good. It has been such a success, that the project found a place to stay much longer than the 6 months initially planned.

spicy

The Saturday PhotoHunt

Dried chili peppers seen at the market place. In Chile! do not use them all  in one dish!

 

update

I am in Santiago, Chile,  enjoying family and friends, summertime and all of the above: 1) view of the Manquehue hill from my sister's flat. 2) pisco sour, is it cocktail hour yet?? 3) empanadas! simply delicious with pino filling, consisting traditionally of beef, onions, raisins, black olives, and hard boiled eggs. 4) mighty bougainvilleas. 5) the view of Santiago with the majestic Andes in the background, and last, but not least: 6) my parents' street, where I grew up. That's why I haven't been around. 

pics from the 13th floor

My dear sis lives in a central located appartment in Santiago and I spent much time at her place. Below is the view from her balcony, showing the Manquehue hill which is an important reference in the city if you want to know where is north! Manquehue is an Indian (mapuche) name and it means condor's place (manque=condor; hue=place, I always learn something myself too!).

and zooming-in... Comparing the recent pic to another one taken in dec 05 (below) one can see there are more buildings now as construction booms!

If you look east you will find the Andes and the glaciars. Remember it is summer time right now in the Southern hemisphere. Air pollution is a big issue in Santiago and I didn't have a clear day for better pics of the mountains.

And last, but not least,
not just another sunset, it's too bad the little cams don't do justice to the beautiful original colors

Photo Friday

It is Photo Friday today!!
Current challenge: pink






Mother Nature's pink. Does it get any prettier? or pinkier?





(A bougainvillea, can you tell I love this plant? and can you guess I have to look it up every time because I still don't learn how to spell its name?)

A vacation pic from last december in Santiago, Chile, local summertime.

a short walk

I was away on vacation during the first half of last december. Back to the roots in Santiago, Chile. Here are some pictures taken along the way , click on them to see the enlarged pic.

First a handicraft village, with one of my favorite plants (or should I say tree in this case?) right at the entrance: a bougainvillea


Then I saw cats...
Some for real, some were ceramic ones, but they all took naps...




and a beautiful peacock





Just walking through the market:





Urban decorations: horses




and another horse


Manquehue hill


The Andes in the summertime

Looking down from my sister's apt , 13th floor, see the jacaranda tree on the left? There are many of them in Santiago, they are lovely purple spots among all green trees.



It is always good to be back, although I have been living abroad for over 21 years now. Home is actually where you are planted but it is nice (and important to one's soul) to have a place to go back to.