"And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for, 'cause it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something, and if you find that moment... it lasts forever..." - The Beach
For the first time in my life, I didn't spend Christmas with family. For several reasons, I decided not to go to Portugal and one of them was curiosity to see how would Christmas and New Year's eve be in summertime. In general, Chile doesn't live Christmas as intensely as Portugal. No Christmas lights on the streets and discrete symbols inside the shops (even these were only there around one month before Christmas and not the typical two to three months of Portugal). If you add the fact that I don't watch TV and the heat was quite strong, one could easily pass Christmas without noticing it.
I spent Christmas with colleagues, working in Paranal (we never close...), some of which brought their families for a couple of days. It was strange to see children running around, playing and screaming, a rare sight around here. Even weirder was to listen to a version of Silent Night while the Sun would come in through the windows and everyone was in summer clothes. Something just didn't fit... We had a cocktail and a special dinner on the night of the 24th and after that someone from here, disguised as Santa Claus in Nike shoes, came to give children their presents. It was all very quiet and peaceful, family style.
As for the New Year's eve, things were quite different. I went with some friends to Valparaiso, famous for its amazing fireworks. I stayed at a friend's house, with her family and more friends, where we had a nice asado for dinner. We then spent the midnight on top of one of the several hills, overlooking the beautiful bay, from Valparaiso harbour to the end of Viña del Mar and the beach of Reñaca. The view was outstanding and as soon as the fireworks started, I realized the difference between Portugal and Valparaiso. They weren't prettier than in Portugal, nor more amazing and they didn't last longer (around 20 minutes), BUT here they launch them from several boats lined up along the bay. I counted 10 simultaneous launch points, which created an amazing lighting effect of both cities (see video below). After that we went to a disco in Valparaiso (the very same I found the first time I was there), where I met some friends from Santiago. We were there until morning and then left to another place, a friend's friend's house, where people were singing and playing songs. I got back home at 10 in the morning and slept the whole day! Damn good!!
For the first time in my life, I didn't spend Christmas with family. For several reasons, I decided not to go to Portugal and one of them was curiosity to see how would Christmas and New Year's eve be in summertime. In general, Chile doesn't live Christmas as intensely as Portugal. No Christmas lights on the streets and discrete symbols inside the shops (even these were only there around one month before Christmas and not the typical two to three months of Portugal). If you add the fact that I don't watch TV and the heat was quite strong, one could easily pass Christmas without noticing it.
I spent Christmas with colleagues, working in Paranal (we never close...), some of which brought their families for a couple of days. It was strange to see children running around, playing and screaming, a rare sight around here. Even weirder was to listen to a version of Silent Night while the Sun would come in through the windows and everyone was in summer clothes. Something just didn't fit... We had a cocktail and a special dinner on the night of the 24th and after that someone from here, disguised as Santa Claus in Nike shoes, came to give children their presents. It was all very quiet and peaceful, family style.
As for the New Year's eve, things were quite different. I went with some friends to Valparaiso, famous for its amazing fireworks. I stayed at a friend's house, with her family and more friends, where we had a nice asado for dinner. We then spent the midnight on top of one of the several hills, overlooking the beautiful bay, from Valparaiso harbour to the end of Viña del Mar and the beach of Reñaca. The view was outstanding and as soon as the fireworks started, I realized the difference between Portugal and Valparaiso. They weren't prettier than in Portugal, nor more amazing and they didn't last longer (around 20 minutes), BUT here they launch them from several boats lined up along the bay. I counted 10 simultaneous launch points, which created an amazing lighting effect of both cities (see video below). After that we went to a disco in Valparaiso (the very same I found the first time I was there), where I met some friends from Santiago. We were there until morning and then left to another place, a friend's friend's house, where people were singing and playing songs. I got back home at 10 in the morning and slept the whole day! Damn good!!
5 comments:
Então, vocês tiveram de trabalhar até no dia 25?
Pensei que o Chile fosse mais católico...
E bacalhau? Mandaram-te bacalhau, ao menos?
Católico mas para outras coisas... Ainda estou à espera daquele q disseste que ias mandar! :p
Hmm... pronto, o fogo daí fica em 2º lugar... atrás do que viste no S. João! ;)
Mas é que o do S. João tinha outros apetecíveis... Nem está sequer ameaçado! ;)
Sin metáforas, sólo diré: "qué bonito, qué bonito"
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