In early September on the intersections of Santiago, jugglers, artists, vendors of Super Ocho, fruit vendors, newspaper vendors, sellers of anything and beggars who do not sell anything, they watched as the vendors of flags. As the month of September, not even the month of September, I asked myself why all these flags. It's true that Sept. 18 is Independence Day, but in France, do you see sellers of flags from the beginning of July? And you see, at all? In Czech, it's the same for us, independence is the end of October and the only thing you hear is that your sub stores eager to start shouting Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!
But in Chile, it is really due to approaching independence. In days, in stores, signs that make you think to order empanadas appear. Then you hear from time to time people talk about gifts for the children to understand that it must also make a gift to your maid, janitors, gardeners and others involved in building where you live. And once your colleagues are beginning to complain that they will still grow, you are sure that these celebrations there, it should be as important as Christmas. In Chile, the country where shops do not close until late at night when the restaurants never close, small signs telling you: September 17, is closed to eleven o'clock in the morning. At sixteen hours. And by law, not later than seventeen hours, but at this hour, Santiago has already emptied and the place of pollution, it is covered by a smell of barbecue, asado , as said here. For me, it meant that I still worked on Thursday morning, but my group of families with Alzheimer's disease, with which I work Thursday afternoon was moved to Wednesday. Thursday afternoon, I went home to rest a little before the feast by cold and deserted streets of Santiago and the only sound I could hear was the lapping of the Chilean flags in the wind.
The real Independence Day, Friday was eighteen. We went to an asado at the head of cosmonauts. The chef is French and because of this, the asado was not quite Chilean already in place empanadas, we ate a pie with eggplant, meat was well cooked and not too rare to the Chilean and most importantly, no flag on the front of the house. What is even against the law. If you are a foreigner, you have the right to also your flag, but lower than the Chilean flag.
We came too late to get out, but Saturday, it was decided to see the festivities in Chile. It was the currents in the parks of Santiago, they spend it on things and finally we decided to go to the park Suarez home in Providencia. Karen and Anthony went before the Parque Padre Hurtado see the Queen, May 
s apparently there was too much of the world, no place to park and a huge queue attendte to enter. Since the Parque Suarez is much smaller, was hoped to find a place for us. It was very hot and as we arrived about an hour, we were able to enter. And inside, there were booths with traditional tricks and stuff makes it fair, then lots of people with strollers, cages with farm animals, so ostriches, llamas, chickens and rabbits, presentation tools that are used on the farm and then, fortunately, booths with food. They were taken to the attack and saw that the beer is served in a goblet made of plastic and empanadas empanadas ressamblent uncannily which you can buy at the supermarket. By eating them on the podium, a little competition in cueca was happening and Karen said that the dancers dance very badly. While this festival had to Providencia is something very artificial and fake . A little filled with beer drinking in the sun, we laughed a lot watching a rodeo competitions and children or parents have struggled with even more enthusiasm as children, but then we decided to go see a real rodeo elsewhere . A Lo Barnechea. I've talked a lot about the neighborhood of luxury, but I've not said there is a part of Lo Barnechea, el pueblo , a hill which, although cut off from all this luxury, live people rather poor, people who have lived there even before the wealthy decided to build homes in the hills around Santiago. Although el pueblo de Lo Barnechea seems to be richer than the southern districts of Santiago, Chile I'm sure none would be paranoid feet. And as the villagers, they were farmers at the base, an arena is part of the village. And during the four days of celebrations, rodeos took place there.
Without a problem to park, as most people have come by public transport or on foot, we went up to walk to the arena through a dusty road lined with booths. The kiosks were selling themselves lollipops, cotton candy, caramel apples, peanuts and sugar rolls with manjar, but we had a feeling that this festival is more popular and traditional than that of Providencia. Already, no paid admission. But before proceeding, I will still tell you one thing. The manjar. For an inexperienced visitor could easily be confused with the nutella. But manjar, the same as the dulce de leche Argentine is milk that is cooked until it becomes caramelized, ie until it becomes brown and rubbery and uses ecstasy Chileans. I have done that once in Valparaiso, where I bought thinking they are churros stuffed with nutella. Then, once the seller left me churros oversight, I offered this delicacy to dogs in the street.
But continuing the climb to the arena. On planks of wood,
es villagers were sitting watching the first round of the rodeo. Two guys on hair, huasos, continued a bull and we have understood the need to catch the bull from time to time against the fence of the arena. Then the voice of the judge said two bad points. Or three good points. And sometimes no point. We watched and as the route to do with the toro is always the same, we come to understand where does the little bull, which is supposed to run and where huasos should return it and was thus able to anticipate, with a deep voice, the judge's decisions. Two bad point s when huasos were really zero, not only that they could not catch the bull against the board to return, but in addition, Toro has found a chance to escape completely, a bad point if toro 
has changed direction since huasos were not able to keep it in a clockwise direction of the shows etc. The audience was rather quiet and passed the time by gorging on lollipops, manjar rolls and peanuts. It was that children who grew excited at the edge of the arena. Huasos calmly discussed the performance of his colleagues and everything was covered by traditional music. Vaaamos ba ilar cueeeca the ... The most hysterical supporter, was without doubt a dog from the street, leaning against the edge of the arena, looked around, moving from time to time to see everything better and attentive, he did not bark once. They say that dogs do not have a vision 
very good, but I do not think so. This dog there, he looked all the rodeo for hours and it was that during the break he went away to eat some delicious trash. Once night fell on Lo Barnechea, while the latter approached the rodeo. The last five pairs of huasos fought for the victory. I was a little disappointed that just before the couple formed by a father and his son was removed because the son he had not even the age to drive, but in galloping on his horse, he mastered the bull in a way that I never master yogurt with my Pathfinder.
After the rodeo ended, Señorita Francisca, an Indian girl dressed in a traditional green robe, whose elegance is quite comparable to traditional robes of Bolivia, gave medals to the winners. Then it was time for a little more traditional music which gave hunger Cosmonaut. So we went to taste the empanadas and choripan , kebabs. The empanadas were good and excellent choripan. But still, I wonder how the Chileans arrive by gorging on empanadas, lollipops, mound con huesillos (you guess what it is :-)) of manjar and other things equal. You have to be patriotic to do that.
They sold the
choripan near a tent where a group of music roused himself on the podium and people, too excited, danced like crazy. The cosmonaut has begun to saturate some Chilean folklore and once at the podium to the arena, a group of traditional music from Patagonia was prepared to play, we decided to fight back. At home, in Bellavista, the Patio Bellavista, in this sterile environment and tourism, this Saturday night, was empty as I've ever seen. Sunday, we decided we had seen enough of patriotism
e Chile, and we went for a stroll in the mountains. It is mounted Pochoco a hill behind Lo Barnecheou. By strategy, we would not leave Santiago in another direction towards the mountain range because we knew that Sunday night, our city will re-fill of people and traffic jams on the outskirts will be monstrous. The ride was quiet and pleasant and the summit, we were able to say hello and to see that Plomo Provincia summit, there is almost no snow and we will soon try to mount. And now, spring begins! By rain, of course. Moreover, it is also the International Day of Alzheimer's disease. So, assoc with where I work, we set up a small stand in front of La Moneda. Were being distributed flayers, gave little balloons to children and grannies in the direction of association have even invited a guy with a barrel organ which, by playing a song loop, has discouraged any public who wanted to get close talk to us. And so, listening to this crazy song, it has raised awareness of the risks of disease.
And it is joyful month, the cosmonaut from the telescope on Friday.
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