Santiago, Chile is a city you’ve heard of, but what do you really know about it? Over 48 hours, Santiago left a lasting impression on me. From sipping wine at Concha y Toro to chowing down on the local favorite at a restaurant covered in satirical Chilean headlines, there are plenty of things to do in Santiago, Chile that will leave you feeling just as impressed with the city as I was.
Cultural travels through Colombia and Thuringia, Germany are the focus of the last Without A Path travel podcast with co-host Laura Watilo Blake of Far-Flung Travels before Joe moves to Düsseldorf, Germany. Laura shares her experiences adopting a daughter in Colombia as well as traveling through Bogotá and some lesser-known corners of the country. Then Joe takes over to share his trip to the German state of Thuringia, arguably the heart of German culture and enlightenment. This is where Bach was born and Martin Luther started his famous reformation. Not quite as well known, it’s also where Joe crashed a bike and bloodied his ankle.
Without A Path will be back as soon as possible out of Düsseldorf, Germany.
Subscribe to Without A Path.
This week Laura Watilo Blake and Joe chat about how the zika virus relates to travel, working with travel editors, how to find your niche, and the controversy surrounding press trips. First, Laura plays the role of editor to answer some of Joe’s questions as a freelance writer. Then they turn to a listener question asking how to get started in travel writing, which leads to a conversation about finding your niche as a writer. To wrap things up, Laura and Joe end on press trips and what they mean for objectivity.
Subscribe to Without A Path.
In Central America/ Europe/ North America/ South America/ Travel
The World’s Top Four Travel Destinations In 2016
Originally published as part of Viator.com’s top 50 travel destinations of 2016. Below are my four selections.
FRANKFURT, GERMANY
Germany in of itself is the place to be in 2016 to enjoy a variety of beer festivals across the country as the Fatherland celebrates 500 years of the Reinheitsgebot, or Beer Purity Law. The law was a series of regulations determining the ingredients in beer adopted in Bavaria, 1516. That said, Germany isn’t exclusively all barley, malt and hops. Frankfurt, better known as one of the primary international business hubs of the world, is also the gateway city to Germany’s wine country. The area surrounding Frankfurt is world renowned for their Riesling history, stretching back to the 1200s thanks to the cool climate producing an acidic grape that comes through in the wine. Back in Frankfurt, check out the Bahnhofsviertel neighborhood near the central train station. Traditionally this was a no-go zone or brothels, but now artists and restaurateurs are buying up the cheap space to revitalize the neighborhood. Across the river, get back to wine culture by checking out Lorsbacher Thal for some traditional Apfel Wein that owner Frank Winkler says, “tastes like the angels peed in it.”
Dan Berlin joins Joe on Without A Path to talk about how he became the first blind athlete to run Peru’s Inca Trail in less than 24 hours with help from Team See Possibilities and Intrepid Travel. Plus, Joe previews what’s coming from his recent Japan travels as he prepares to travel to the Baja Peninsula with Un-Cruise Adventures in the Sea of Cortés.
Subscribe to Without A Path.
Travel journalist Laura Watilo Blake of Far Flung Travels talks with Joe about her career behind the camera, living in Peru and how getting slapped in Nicaragua got her published with Frommer’s. If you want to ignore my nonsense, skip ahead to Laura around the seven minute mark.
Special thanks to RØDE Microphones and Master & Dynamic. Music courtesy of Los Waldners‘ “Papalotes.”
Subscribe to Without A Path.
Photo: Laura Watilo Blake
When most people talk about traveling to Chile, they’re thinking about the coast or getting straight into the mountains. That’s all well and good, but the capital city certainly deserves at least a day out of your trip. Here are 10 photos of Santiago, Chile that will make you rethink the city.
The Palacio de La Moneda, capitol building of Chile. This was where the CIA-supported coup against Salvador Allende’s democratically elected government took place on September 11, 1973. Augosto Pinochet took over, becoming one of the most ruthless military dictators in the 20th Century until a grassroots campaign of activists had him ousted in 1990.
A statue of the aforementioned socialist leader. Allende, by most accounts, took his own life in office reportedly using a weapon given to him by Fidel Castro rather than be captured by Pinochet.
Admittedly not my favorite picture, but I loved the gargantuan Chilean flag.
Granted I still have plenty of traveling to do in Latin America, but Santiago de Chile displayed the most attention to deal in its architecture and art than any other city I had seen in the region.
Catedral Metropolitana de Santiago attracts no shortage of worshippers and tourists along the lively Plaza de Armas.
Inside Catedral Metropolitana.
Outside Mercado Central just on the outskirts of central Santiago.
Touring around the vineyards of Concha y Toro.
A close look at some of the grapes at Concha y Toro that will later become delicious, delicious wine.
A wide look at the vineyards of Concha y Toro.
Disclosure: This visit was made in collaboration with LATAM Airlines Group and Servicio Nacional de Turismo Chile. As always, all opinions are my own.