Tuesday, April 14 – 23 miles and 400 feet; overcast and cool

Today we rode to an interesting museum, which was the hacienda of Chile’s president in the 1800’s.

At one time, there were 11 gardens. Today there are only two that can be visited.

One of the gardens had a trellis running above the pathway that still holds grape vines. No one harvested the grapes, so we enjoyed some nice raisins.

Parts of the home were significantly damaged in the 8.8 earthquake in 2010. Some of the less historical parts have not been rebuilt.

Early on during the construction of the hacienda, the president petitioned to the pope to be able to build a chapel on the grounds. There is even a separate bedroom for the priest and a room where he put on his vestments.

The spindles on the railing in front of the altar and the organ pipes are made of Murano glass.

Scenes from the road:

Lunch for us was at a little cafe in Santa Cruz. This picture was taken while we were waiting for our sandwiches. We did have more than chips and a cookie. haha

The hotel where we stayed had a few nice outdoor spaces.

We enjoyed the firepit in the evening.

Finally, the shower was a solid 5. Good hot water, but it did not drain well and could have made a nice wading pool. Also, the towels were not soft.