The Chilean Bicentennial

Today was the Chilean Bicentennial! Viva Chile!! We spent this historical day in Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, two beautiful coastal cities about an hour and a half west of Santiago on the Pacific Coast. The entire country is in a patriotic mood and Chilean flags are everywhere we look - on every building, on cars, on the Navy ships in the bay and, of course, waiving in hands, etc. Please note that these flags are Chilean and are NOT Texas flags! At close examination, you will notice that the blue area with the one star only goes halfway down the flag unlike the Texas flag where the blue area goes all the way to the bottom - Yes, there has been some confusion.

CNN en español reported today that Chile is particularly unified right now as the whole country has been gripped by the story of the trapped miners in the north of Chile. Additionally, the country has been working intensely to come back from February's massive earthquake. There are still many signs of the damage - closed buildings, streets under construction and even a cracked bust of Pablo Neruda in the Viña del Mar park. Despite the many challenges that Chile is facing, the pride in the country is palpable and the people have welcomed us with open arms to their national celebration.

Feliz Bicentenario Amigos Chilenos!!