Dad didn't want to go and we didn't understand why at first, but when we were driving around he mentioned that being back in some of these places brought back painful memories for him. (For example, he lost daughter, and Fernando and I lost a sister, in a car accident, in the early 1970s, etc.)
In the end, though, we all had a good time, including him, as he ran into some ladies he'd been friends with, as a kid! Following are some of the pics... and commentary:
Most Santiago neighbourhoods are made up of row-housing, with very narrow, very low homes. Many of these row homes are more than 100 years old. The first stop on our memory lane tour was the house where my mom, Lita, grew up, in the Davila Neighbourhood (Poblacion Davila). This house (white portion only) is more than 60 years old.
Next stop was the street where my brother and I spent our first few years, in Poblacion Santa Olga. Those are row houses on both sides and we guessed there'd been a party on the street this past summer, because of the decorations hanging from the wires overhead.
Another view of the same street.
Fernando and me in front of our old lot. Our house used to be a wooden structure at the back of this fenced lot, which was at one point replaced by a brick stucture closer to the street (as I've mentioned in another post, rich we were not).
Our final stop was at my dad's neighbourhood, Poblacion Nogales, and the street he grew up on.
Dad runs into a childhood friend, Patti.
My dad's neighbour when he was growing up, Mrs. Gemma, who's lived in the same house for more than 60 years (as people in Santiago's poorer neighbourhoods tend to live in one place for life), and my dad's cousin, Ona, on the right.
This one's not part of the memory lane tour. Instead, Fernando and I did some sightseeing in Santiago last week. This pic is at "La Chascona," Pablo Neruda's home in Barrio Bellavista.
Great pictures, Suzanne. We don't choose where we grow up, and I guess it becomes part your subconscious, even if you don't really remember much of it. It's great that you got to got back and see those formative places.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, what's the Neruda house like? Is it a public museum with exhibits, etc., or more low profile?
Loved the photos-some of the very nicest people I met in Chile lived in that sort of poblacion and many people live in those types of neighborhoods. It sure made me stop and think. US excess is alive and well-houses are just huge here!
ReplyDeleteHi Bob,
ReplyDeleteyou always have the best questions!
Neruda's house is fascinating. He had 3 homes in Chile (the other two in Isla Negra and Valparaiso), and they all resembled ships, inside! (as he loved the sea). All are now museums, and the one in Santiago has an interesting history in that it was ransacked by the military following the 1973 couup, and lots of things stolen from it.
Anyway, will tell you more when I see you and Jeanine soon!
Suzanne.