Our Civil Union

On the 2nd May, Claudio and I celebrated our civil union in Santiago. It was a very special day!

We actually only made the decision to have a civil union a couple of months before the ceremony itself; we knew that we wanted to get married someday, but we realised that we wanted to make a legal commitment as soon as possible, and it wasn't logistically possible to have the kind of proposal and wedding we'd like without a longer planning period.

So we decided to have this very low-key civil ceremony with none of the bells and whistles you get at most weddings. I bought my outfit from Forever 21 at the mall, and Claudio used the same suit he wore at his graduation. We reserved a table at one of our favourite Indian restaurants for the evening, and my mother-in-law, Ivonne, chose a nice café for us to go to after the ceremony. We thought of a few nice spots around the city to take photos, and bought a little tripod to help us stream the ceremony to my parents and also to make taking photos afterwards a bit easier. So there wasn't too much planning involved!

Even though we didn't spend a lot, the day still felt really special and formal, but quite relaxed at the same time. (Something to bear in mind for when we do actually plan our wedding!)

We started the day by getting ready in our apartment and then driving to our local registry office in Ñuñoa, where we met Claudio's family. Here I was surprised with two beautiful presents: a bouquet from Claudio, and a big bunch of flowers from Claudio's parents.

We took some pictures outside, and then after a bit of waiting around, it was time to go inside!

The registry offices in Chile are not the same as the ones where people get married in the UK; these are the places where you have to go to pick up your ID card and do various legal processes. So they are not the most beautiful of places, but they each have a nice room where they hold the marriage and civil union ceremonies.

The ceremony was only about 5 minutes and it felt like it went by in a flash. We signed two pieces of paper, and the registrar gave us a little booklet, and that was it - we were officially in a civil union!

Afterwards, we had the rest of the day to enjoy! First of all, we drove over to Palacio Falabella, the municipality building in Providencia to take some photos there. It's definitely one of the most beautiful palaces in Santiago!

We were all a bit hungry by this point, so we went over to the café that Ivonne had chosen, which is called Brussels Heart of Chocolate. It definitely lived up to its name, as everything on the menu had chocolate in it! I had a vegan fondue and a Mexican hot chocolate, and although it didn't look like a huge amount of food, it was so rich and filling. I don't think any of us managed to finish what we'd ordered! But everything was really delicious.

As the café is located in one of the most scenic spots in the city, next to Sanhattan and the Mapocho river, we took the opportunity to take some photos there!

Later on in the day, Claudio and I went out around the city on our own, taking some more pictures using our new tripod. It wasn't an easy task, but it was fun! (However, we know now that a professional photographer will be a must-have at our future wedding!)

We started off in Ñuñoa, taking some photos at the historic buildings Casa de la Cultura de Ñuñoa and Corporación Cultural de Ñuñoa.

Then we went to Parque Bicentenario, which was possibly where we got our best photos!

By the time we'd finished, it was already nearly time to meet up with Claudio's family again for our evening meal at the Indian Box. We chose this restaurant because it does great Indian food, and also because it's so pretty and looks like the Taj Mahal! It was Claudio's family's first time trying Indian food, and I think they enjoyed it. We were certainly all very full up by the end!

Overall, it was such a happy and unforgettable day. Even though we haven't had the official marriage and wedding yet, everyone seems to consider us married now, and we definitely think of ourselves as husband and wife now.

It was difficult to have to leave Chile just a week after the civil union, and then come to Malta without Claudio. But I feel happy to know that we have this lifetime commitment, and that at the moment we're working towards having the future life together that we want to have. ❤

Frutillar

On our last afternoon in the south of Chile, Claudio and I visited Frutillar.

As soon as we got off the bus from Puerto Varas, we were absolutely enchanted by the little town. Like Puerto Varas, Frutillar is located on Llanquihue Lake, but here we were actually able to see Volcán Osorno across the water! There is a beach on the shore of the lake, backed by autumnal trees, and plenty of lovely places to take photos, including a pavilion, a pier, and a sculpture of a piano.

The whole place was just so beautiful and peaceful.

After a look around, we went to find somewhere for lunch. We had been interested in going to this fairytale-style restaurant with a clock, where Claudio's family went in February 2022 (apparently the town was heaving with tourists then!), but it was closed.

In the end, we went to quite a fancy restaurant in the town's theatre. We sat outside on a terrace over the lake, which definitely has to be one of the most scenic places I've ever eaten in!

After lunch, we went to the German Colonial Museum, which recreates the houses and workplaces of the migrants who came to the area in the 19th century. Not only is it an interesting place to visit, but it's also very beautiful. Being there, you could almost believe that you were in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, if it wasn't for the volcanoes in the distance!

We finished off our day with hot chocolate and cake in Chucao Café, a really cosy place with lots of vegan options. There was even a gorgeous little cat there!

It was the perfect end to a lovely holiday! We just wished we could have had a few extra days in the area, as there was more we would have liked to see. But we visited the main places we wanted to go to: Petrohué Waterfalls and Chiloé, and overall we really felt like we made the most out of the three days that we had. 

I hope to have the opportunity to return to the south of Chile at some point in the future!

Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas was the town where Claudio and I stayed during our April holiday in the south of Chile, and it was a really nice place to stay, in addition to being a great base for exploring the area.

The town is located on the shore of Llanquihue Lake, the largest lake that's entirely located in Chile, and like the other towns around the lake, it has a strong German influence. This is because thousands of Germans emigrated to the area in the 19th century, and built many German-style buildings.

The hotel where we stayed is one of them! We chose to stay at the Radisson Park Inn, which is one of the more reasonably-priced hotels in Puerto Varas. It's a very cosy place with wood panelling and underfloor heating, and it definitely gave us that sense of Gemütlichkeit! 

But the most famous building in Puerto Varas is definitely the church, Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, which we went to see on the first full evening of our holiday. This church features in most of the professional photos you can find of Puerto Varas, and it's easy to see why - it's very pretty and very German looking!

Afterwards we had a walk down to the lake, where we found this amphitheatre and a shining statue of a cross on the other side of the water.

We explored around the lake some more on our last morning.

Naturally, we saw a couple of German-style buildings!

But one of the most interesting buildings has to be the Pablo Fierro Museum, a house that looks like a boat and has lots of unusual decorations.

One thing we missed in Puerto Varas was seeing the Osorno volcano across the lake - it was nearly always covered by cloud, and we only managed to see it very briefly while on the minibus to Chiloé.

But the lake on its own was still beautiful to see, and we even paddled in it despite the autumn weather. A nice dog decided to join us!

Puerto Varas is considered to be the touristic capital of the south of Chile, and it's easy to see why!

Next I'll be writing about our afternoon in Frutillar: one of the most beautiful towns we've ever visited...