Teatro del Lago and Chiloé

A little math on the patio. Allison's expression is a
clear indication that I'm "so weird" for taking this photo

Every time we sit on the patio (which is every day) we have visitors. We love having dogs to keep us company. John has made an extra-special friend. This is one of my favorite places on the planet.

John and Brownie

On Monday (January 16) we went back to Frutillar to see the Teatro del Lago. We drove through town a couple of days earlier and wanted to get a closer look at the Teatro and the town of Frutillar.

The theater sits on the lake. Osorno and Calbuco are visible when it's not cloudy

The theater opened in 2010 after 12 years of construction, to the tune of $44 million.  Year round, there are performers of all varieties. Though we are here too early for the yearly classical music festival that happens in late January, we were able to get tickets to a bossa nova show that is happening tomorrow night. We're so glad we will get to see a performance in this beautiful space!

Main hall

While we were on the tour, we got to see a choir rehearsing. The ages of the kids in the choir ranged from about four or five to teenage. Their conductor was visiting from the United States and spoke only English. Through pantomime and a lot of laughter, the kids seemed to know what he was asking them for as they worked on a song that was in German.

With my limited Spanish, I was able to understand from the tour guide that their choir programs have reached tens of thousands of kids in the area and that many adults are now singing in choirs as well, inspired by the theater and the opportunity to rehearse and perform in a venue of this caliber.

Yesterday (Tuesday, January 16) we drove to the island of Chiloé. It's a beautiful island (archipelago, really) that has an interesting history including industrious indigenous people, Spanish conquistadors, Jesuit missionaries, French whalers and the production of railroad ties for the whole South American continent. The island is big and we didn't get to see the whole thing, but what we did see were the penguins! There are three islands just off the northern coast of Chiloé near Puñihuil where Magellanic and Humboldt penguins live together in a mixed colony, the only one of its kind.

The road dead-ends on the beach and cars drive
across the beach to park for the penguin tour

The penguins live on those islands

Trailhead up from Puñhuil beach

We arrived on the beach and booked a time for our boat ride out to see the penguins. We had a couple of hours before we could go, so we explored a little. We found a hiking trail just above the beach. After walking up stairs that were inside of a tunnel of plants and trees, we came out on a road higher up on the mountain that was flanked by fields where cattle and sheep grazed. It was nice to have time to wander.

After we walked, we hopped in a boat to head out to see the penguins. My battery died, so I have no photos from this part. John managed to get a few, so he'll post again soon with some of his photos.

Thanks to all who have taken the time to read and comment! It's so nice to hear from you.