Cerro San Cristobal

Cerro is the Spanish word for hill. And, of course, Santiago being so close to the Andes, has its share of cerros. Cerro San Cristobal was one of the first sites we saw in Santiago, a hill visible during our dark-of-night taxi ride because of the lit statue of Mary on the peak. Alexander reported that “Jesus’ mother” was visible from the window at his school, and is easily seen from our neigborhood.

So, it was great to go up the hill today, especially because of the way we went up. A funincular is not so fun if you are afraid of heights or steepness or death in general. It is basically a train car pulled up a 30 degree hill (seriously) by a single cable. With no signs of an emergency brake. The way up was scary. The way down was better once I saw a plaque that Pope John Paul had ridden in this funincular car on his way up the mountain for mass back I the 80s. Safe to assume that he prayed for the car before heading up. Here's a view up the tracks.

On top of San Cristobal is the statue of Mary, a church, an amphitheater, and food booths. From there, you take a teleferico (gondola) across to another peak, high across the wooded mountain (picture left). The whole mountain is a park with two moutaintop pools (closed for winter), a Japanese garden, and steep roads full of cyclists of all kinds. My first thought, seeing the cyclists, was that I could never climb up this hill. But after a while, of course, it looked like fun and made me want to find a bike to ride. We headed to a great playground where the kids played for hours, ate some snacks, and headed home.