Tourists for an hour in Plaza de Armas

This afternoon we were trying to decide what to do, and were feeling tired of going to the backyard and the parks to play, so we decided to take a quick visit down to the center of Santiago to see Plaza de Armas, the main square and touristy center of town which we hadn't yet seen in the 8 weeks we have been here.

It was certainly crowded, but nice to see the downtown area.  Due to the Spanish colonization, the architecture of some of the larger buildings is much more similar to that in Spain than the area where we live in Santiago, so it was also pleasantly familiar :).

El Catedral de Santiago.  Interesting contrast with the tall , modern building next to it.

 

Inside the cathedral

Central post office.  A big, stately building, just like in Madrid.

Clock tower on the Museo Histórico Nacional (National History Museum) in Plaza de Armas

I loved how the plaza has these back-to-back benches along two sides of the plaza - plenty of space to sit, relax, and do some people watching (which we of course didn't do, with two toddlers!)...

...Instead we stopped for a quick treat... This McD's has its own walk-up window just for ice cream!