Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion

Hello, friends! Our first full day in Patagonia was spent on the Full Paine excursion offered by Las Torres. They describe it as the best way to get the fullest introduction to Torres del Paine National Park, and I definitely agree! We began the day walking over the Puente Negro (Black Bridge) and then went on to the Nordenskjöld Lookout, the Sarmiento Lookout, Lake Pehoé and the Salto Grande waterfall. 

Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion
Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion
Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion
Letters Are Lovely | Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion
Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion
Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion
Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion

After a wonderful lunch at a camp site we went on to the southern shore of Lago Grey. There we hiked across the lake and up to a viewpoint where you could see Grey Glacier. Afterwards we hiked back down and boarded a catamaran to get an up-clsoe view of the glacier. It took an hour to get to there, and then we we spent an hour viewing three sides of Grey Glacier. It was truly beautiful. We learned that Grey Glacier connects to the massive Southern Patagonia Ice Field — it really is impossible to describe its size. One hour later we took a short hike back to the car and we were headed home for the evening! This ended up being one of our favorite days of the entire trip. We had beautiful weather and got to see so many wonderful views of the park in a really short amount of time. Thank you Las Torres! 

Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion
Letters Are Lovely | Full Paine and Glacier Grey Excursion

Arriving in Patagonia

After our first day in Santiago we boarded another flight South to Punta Arenas. While in Patagonia we stayed at Hotel Las Torres, a beautiful ranch right at the foot of the Torres del Paine. On our way to the hotel we had a chance to stop at the Estancia Cerro Negro (Black Hill Ranch), which is owned by the same family as Hotel Las Torres. There we experienced a traditional Patagonian lamb barbecue and learned about the farm. 

Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia

Before eating we received a tour of the farmhouse and learned about what life was like for the Kusanovic family (they moved to the region from Croatia). After our delicious meal and some time spent at the farm we were back on the road. A few hours later arrived at the park! Our driver was even kind enough to pull over several times for us to take photos of a beautiful blue lake and to observe a guanaco. The scenery was even more beautiful than I imagined, and I can't wait to share our three full days we spent in the park. Enjoy! 

Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia
Letters Are Lovely | Arriving in Patagonia

Santiago, Chile

I'm so excited to share the first of a few posts from my family's recent trip to Chile! My dad lived in Chile for a year when he was in high school as an AFS student and our whole family was finally able to make the trip to meet his host family and see the country.  First up was Santiago: we stayed there for one night before flying to Patagonia. We also stayed for another day after the flight back, so these pictures were taken over the those two days. Because of the New Year holiday I think we experienced a much quieter city than normal! 

Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile

Both of the hotels we stayed at were in the Las Condes neighborhood of Santiago, which I definitely recommend! From there we ventured Cerro San Cristobal where there is a gondola to take you up the hill, and also a large swimming pool and zoo. We mainly enjoyed the views from the gondola and from the gardens at the top, but the pool looked very inviting! Afterward we went over to the Cerro Santa Lucia which features the Terrazzo Neptuno. Another favorite of ours was the panoramic view of the city from the Costanera Center! You could see everything, and were lucky to not have an extremely smoggy day. We loved the warm weather in Santiago, especially since it was snowing back home. Next up, Patagonia!

Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
Letters Are Lovely | Santiago, Chile
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Patagonia Packing List

Hello, friends! In just a few short weeks I will be jetting off to South America with my family. We have never taken a post-Christmas trip before — let alone to Chile! Here a few items I will be backing for the Patagonia portion of our stay. I'm not quite prepared for what the weather and circumstances will be like, but I can't wait! Be on the lookout for lots of travel photos come January. I've already been wearing my new Patagonia around town and it is much warmer than it appears! I also have been trying to break in the Kodiak boots. Their quality is beautiful in person, I'm happy that they will serve me well outside of my travels, too. Are any of you headed on post holiday travels? 

Letters Are Lovely | Patagonia Packing List

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Italy GoPro Video!

It's done! I have been working on creating a GoPro video from Sophie and I's Italy trip for a few weeks, and it is finally finished! I love how it really captures what we saw from our perspective, and is a little less polished and formal than all the photos. Enjoy!