Sightseeing in La Serena

Most of the sights are walking around the streets – best people watching for some time – but there is a very smart Plaza and a couple of museums – archaeology and mineralogy - and 29 churches (seems excessive for the population but apparently this was a staging post for clergy travelling between Santiago and Lima and each order had to have their own premises).
Iglesia San Agustin (built originally by the Jesuits but taken over by the Augustines when the Jesuits were expelled) had some very good modern stained glass. Linda's comment on seeing the very ornate statue of Our Lady -'there's yur wumin!' shows that you can take the girl out of Coatbridge but not....!

Taking advantage of the sunshine and warm weather in the garden at our apartment – it is overcast and cool with the threat of rain down south in Puerto Montt and the island of Chiloe where we will be for the next week or so